Identifying Capabilities for the Future:
The Long-Range Research and Development Program Plan
Exploring ideas to better identify the “art of the possible” for National Security
The Department of Defense launched the Defense Innovation Initiative (DII) as an effort to identify and invest in innovative ways to sustain and advance our national security into the 21st century. The Long-Range Research and Development Program Plan, or LRRDPP, is a part of this effort and will help the Department better understand and prioritize new or unconventional applications of technology to help provide the United States with significant military technological advantage into the future. The LRRDPP seeks to identify system concepts that will have significant impact in the 2025-2030 timeframe, and to identify the steps the department should be taking today to nurture the technology development required to make those system concepts a reality, The findings of this study effort will be delivered to the Secretary of Defense in the summer of 2015 to help the Department prioritize future DoD research and development (R&D) investments.
A Long-Range Plan FOR Defense Technology: Why Now?
The accelerating pace of change and the impacts of globalization have created significant changes in the global technology landscape that compel a strategic evaluation of the Department’s R&D investment strategy. This new long-range R&D study seeks to identify opportunities for enduring defense innovation to sustain the future of our nation’s military capabilities in an era of rapidly evolving technology, and tightening budgets.
The offset strategy of the 1980’s and the subsequent creation of significant new technical capabilities for the Department, was preceded by a similar long-range R&D plan. This prior plan, developed in the 1970s, was considered a successful effort as it identified game-changing capabilities, such as networked precision strike, stealth and surveillance, and helped focus science and technology (S&T) resources on delivering those capabilities. Since that time, others advanced states have sought to replicate our capabilities and have attempted to harness technology to counter U.S. and our allies’ competitive advantages.
From Cocktail Napkins to White Papers: We Want Your Ideas
DoD wants to reach the best and brightest minds from industry, academia, labs (government and corporate), FFRDCs/engineering centers/product centers, think tanks, small business and the general public - to help us think through the technologically-enabled systems and architectures. We are particularly interested in hearing from institutions and industrial organizations that are not traditional providers of DoD systems and technology.
What systems, capabilities and architectures could the Department field post-2025 that will ensure U.S. dominance and shape the future of military technical competition.
LRRDPP: Developing a New Technology Offset Strategy
- The LRRDPP wants to attract IDEAS from across the defense industrial base, commercial industry, government and individuals to identify the “art of the possible” for future National Security systems.
- The LRRDPP study is being conducted by AGILE teams of government technology experts tasked with assessing ideas leading to new capabilities that can provide the U.S. with significant advantage and, making recommendations for future development investments to the Department.
- Once submitted, your idea is reviewed by Government personnel to determine relevancy against the five main focus areas of the LRRDPP.
- Air, Missile and Precision Guided Munition Defense
- Air Superiority
- Space
- Undersea
- Emerging Technologies
- Each team is made up of several DoD experts selected from across the Department’s R&E enterprise whoare reviewing system concepts unconstrained by current portfolio and system plans. Teams will review submitted ideas to identify those which may impact the Department’s capabilities in the 2025-2030 timeframe. After assessment, teams may contact submitters for further discussions around their concepts.
Note: This link is only for unclassified submissions. If you have a classified submission, please contact Lt Col Cropsey @ luke.c.cropsey.mil@mail.mil.
Technical Questions? Email us at osd.atl.asd-re.se@mail.mil
Contracting Questions? Email us at nicholas.j.tambasco.civ@mail.mil
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Innovation Initiative Resources
- 2/28/2015 New York Times
- U.S. Defense Department Chief Engineer: We Want Your Help With 2030's Tech
- 2015/2/2 FedNews Radio Interview
- Long Range Research and Development Plan: RFI on FedBizOps
- People: Integrate leadership development with emerging opportunities and re-think how we develop Managers and Leaders.
- Wargaming: Reinvigorate wargaming to test alternative ways of achieving strategic objectives, and help us think more clearly about the future security environment.
- New Operational Concepts: Explore how to employ resources to greater strategic effect and deal with emerging threats in more innovative ways.
- Business Practices: Find ways to be more efficient and effective through external benchmarking and focused internal reviews
- Long-range Research and Development Program Plan: Identify, develop, and field key breakthrough technologies and systems that sustain and advance U.S. military capabilities in key areas such as: autonomy, robotics, miniaturization, big data, advanced manufacturing, disaggregated networked systems, etc.).