Defense S&T Spotlight
October 2024
Defense S&T Spotlight compiles news and updates relevant to DoD and the research and engineering (R&E) community and highlights DTIC resources that will empower you to better analyze, shape, and share your science and technology efforts.
Spotlight Areas
- R&E In The News
- DTIC Products & Services
- DoDIAC
- DTIC Users Council Corner
- Quarterly Features
- News Center
- Defense S&T Spotlight - July 2024
Remember, credentials control the type of information accessible to users.
DTIC continues to innovate offering depth and breadth to the knowledge we provide our stakeholders. We ensure the innovation and knowledge stemming from DoD's past and current investment in science and technology forms the building blocks for the next generation of discovery and accelerates capability to the warfighter.
R&E In The News
The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a long-awaited new memo providing guidance for agencies buying AI products. The memo, required by President Joe Biden’s executive order on AI released in 2023, calls for agencies to take steps to manage risks, promote competition within the AI market, and share information about AI acquisition with other agencies. The memo outlines a series of upcoming deadlines for identifying impacted contracts and ensuring those contracts are brought into compliance.
The majority of the memo is focused on managing AI risks and performance. The memo directs contracts with AI vendors to be negotiated in a way that protects government data and intellectual property, while also ensuring safe use when AI is utilized in any decision making that would impact the public.
The OMB is anticipated to release an updated inventory of federal AI use cases this December. Last year’s list showed there were more than 700 use cases, with most currently in the planning phases and not yet in production.
Discover highlighted technical reports in DTIC's collection covering AI guidance:
- Survey of DoD Programmatic Use of Artificial Intelligence - AD1213507
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) Acquisition and Policy Implications - AD1122292
- Assessing DoD Progress towards AI Transformation - AD1181978
Explore more relevant reports here.
Source: FedScoop
The Pentagon is launching a second phase of its Replicator program to buy autonomous weapons to defend against small drones. The effort, called Replicator 2, will focus on protecting installations and force concentrations. The Pentagon plans to request funding for Replicator 2 in the fiscal 2026 budget and expects deliveries within 24 months of passage. The Defense Innovation Unit will lead the execution, with support from various military branches. This initiative aims to address the growing threat of drones to U.S. forces, particularly in the Middle East, where attacks have occurred. The Army has highlighted the need for a layered approach to counter-drone defenses and has praised specific systems like Raytheon’s Coyote. The goal is to develop cost-effective solutions to combat drones effectively.
Discover highlighted technical reports in DTIC's collection covering anti-drone defense:
- Use of Additive Manufacturing for Non-Lethal UAS Countermeasure - AD1172010
- Counter-Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Strategy - AD1127557
- Kinetic Counter UAS Platforms - AD1113217
Explore more relevant reports here.
Source: Defense One
To protect against threats from Russia and China in space, U.S. Space Command needs more advanced tracking tools and satellites that can move freely by 2027, according to Gen. Stephen Whiting. Both countries have developed weapons that could threaten U.S. operations, such as Russia's nuclear space weapon and China's launch mishaps creating debris in orbit. The Space Force is working on replacing outdated capabilities and developing strategies for more dynamic operations, including partnering with commercial companies. Gen. Whiting emphasized the need for accelerated development and collaboration to ensure national security in space.
Discover highlighted technical reports in DTIC's collection covering space operations:
- High-Value Space Asset Defense and Threat Mitigation- AD1174719
- Contested Space Operations, Space Defense, Deterrence, And Warfighting: Summary Findings And Integration Report- AD1066708
- Satellite Vulnerability Planning Models - AD1087294
Explore more relevant reports here.
Source: c4isrnet
The Defense Department has implemented the Sustainable Technology Evaluation and Demonstration (STED) Program to test and evaluate sustainable technologies in operational and training settings. These technologies aim to improve performance, reduce costs, increase supply chain security, and promote environmental sustainability. Successful demonstrations include bio-based cleaners, lubricants, alternative building materials, LED lights, and more. The program has expanded to other federal agencies and aims to accelerate the adoption of sustainable technologies across the department.
Discover highlighted technical reports in DTIC's collection covering test and evaluation:
- Incorporating Environmental Considerations into Defense Acquisition Practices – AD1213388
- Bio-Based Cleaner Lubricant Preservative (CLP) for Military Specification (MIL-SPEC)-63460E – AD1031945
- Corrosion and Performance of Dust Palliatives: Laboratory and Field Studies - AD1148777
- Department of Defense's Sustainable Product Demonstration and Implementation Program. Sustainable Modular Lighting System Demonstration Plan - ADB412897
Explore more relevant reports here.
Source: Defense.gov
DTIC Products & Services
Use your DoD-issued CAC, PIV, or ECA to access DTIC’s R&E Gateway and its extensive collection of controlled-unclassified DoD technical reports and research projects.
Need help signing in or registering? Email DTIC or call 800-225-3842.
We now categorize our technical report collection to highlight research falling into one or more CTAs. When using DTIC Search and Horizons, CTA tags are incorporated into your search results. Using advanced search options, you can filter by CTA to view documents in your area of interest, providing additional tailored results.
To learn more about tags, or provide feedback about them, check out DTIC’s FAQs
Are you looking for time-saving insights on key technology areas significant to the S&T community?
As part of the National Defense Strategy, the Department of Defense has highlighted key technology areas designed to meet challenges posed by an increasingly complex global security environment. You can gain valuable insights into key technology areas significant to the DoD community with DTIC's curated collection of technical reports focused on the Critical Technology Areas (CTAs). The topics span Hypersonics, Trusted Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Autonomy, Biotechnology, Quantum Science, Human-Machine Interfaces, Space Technology, and more.
Check out DTIC's curated collection of CTAs to start exploring.
With multiple tools to communicate and collaborate it can be a challenge to pick the right one. You may need to collaborate with teams who are globally dispersed, have team members who join and leave projects at different intervals, or teams from multiple DoD and federal government agencies. With email it is difficult for new team members to get up to speed. SharePoint may not provide access to everyone on the team. DoDTechipedia provides a collaboration space where you control who can access the content and maintains the history for new members to quickly get up to speed. Whether working from disparate locations, trying to network through multiple IT systems, or working with fragile software applications, it can be difficult for teams to communicate, manage projects, and deliver products.
Through DoDTechipedia, DTIC's collaboration hub, DoD science and technology (S&T) cross-functional teams can work across geographic locations; create, keep, and manage documentation; develop centralized knowledge bases; produce documents like roadmaps, milestones, reports, briefings, and agendas; edit content with multiple users; produce decision documents; blog; and use pre-made templates to make workflow efficient.
S&T teams across DoD, industry and academia use DoDTechipedia as their collaboration hub where they receive alerts about updated content, discuss content through the comments feature on their page, and send notifications to colleagues real time – easing the burdens of communication challenges.
One of DoDTechipedia’s greatest strengths is it operates in a secure environment ensuring the safety of your data via NIPRNET (up to CUI) and SIPRNET. DoDTechipedia supports the entire workflow process where teams can create, share, develop, track, and report on various lines of work. This has made DoDTechipedia S&T's collaborative hub and a valued tool across the DoD research community.
Carolyn Fota, one of DTIC's senior trainers: "At DTIC we understand that time is very limited when it comes to training, so we make sure that we understand our customer’s unique needs. We’ll contact our customers and do an informal training assessment to tailor our one-on-one training sessions for DoDTechipedia, and our other online tools, to meet their needs.”
Training is offered virtually and through DTIC's online curriculum, guides, and resources.
For more information on DoDTechipedia and other DTIC training content visit DTIC Training.
Horizons is DTIC’s integrated data analysis tool designed to provide the DoD community with valuable insights into its science and technology (S&T) ecosystem. It offers a clear view of technical, financial, and contractual aspects, enabling effective tracking of research funding and understanding of budget trends. Horizons data spans various funding levels, from basic research to operational capability.
Horizons key features
- Comprehensive data access: Horizons offers access to a wide range of data, including technical reports, research summaries, budget justifications, and Congressional marks. Users can explore DoD-funded projects through grants, contracts, and SBIR/STTR programs, gaining valuable insight into innovative research and development efforts.
- Interactive data exploration: The platform allows users to explore S&T data through interactive charts, heat maps, geographic maps, and a newly updated financial dashboard. This capability helps users understand funding trends, visualize where research is occurring, and dive into DoD budget requests and Congressional marks.
- Advanced search and filtering: Horizons offers robust search tools that allow detailed exploration of data sets. Users can filter searches by organization, research area, and date, making it easier to find relevant information. The platform's geographic maps offer improved functionality, enabling users to narrow their focus to specific states.
- Budget and trend analysis: The platform provides in-depth insights into RDT&E and procurement budget requests, as well as the ability to track Congressional marks and historical trends. These features help decision-makers understand how budget allocations evolve across services, programs, and time.
- Continuous user-driven improvements: Enhancements of Horizons is driven by our users. We prioritize our users’ feedback and have continuous releases to incorporate the features our customers require ensuring new capabilities address their real-world needs. Agile releases will continue throughout the fiscal year and include expanding thematic dashboards, advanced analytics, and customizable environments, among others.
For more information or to provide feedback, visit:
Explore today and get involved
DTIC encourages everyone to participate in the continuous update of Horizons by joining the team to be a Horizons tester. As a Horizons tester, you can influence new features and ensure the tool continues to meet your needs.
DTIC has more than 4 million technical reports and other scientific and technological information in its collection of DoD funded research. Here’s a sampling:
Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled wargaming agent training (Distro A)
Researchers at the Engineer Research and Development Center Institute for Systems Engineering Research used deep reinforcement learning to develop intelligent systems (red team agents) capable of displaying credible behavior in military wargaming scenarios. They aimed to enhance the wargaming framework infrastructure and improve artificial intelligence agent behavior. Through experimentation, they found that agents trained using Deep Q-Network outperformed those trained with other algorithms. The research also successfully demonstrated AI versus AI training and gameplay, showing the emergence of critical military principles in agent behavior.
Access DTIC’s collection: AD1226308
Development of a new unmanned semi- submersible (USS) vehicle (Distro A)
The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in collaboration with C&C Technologies is working on a project to develop an Unmanned Semi-Submersible (USS) vehicle. Originally sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the goal is to create a compact, rugged, high-endurance vehicle capable of acquiring sensor-based measurements and operating in rough sea conditions. The USS will be used for littoral mapping in both commercial and military applications. The design is based on the Oceanographic Remotely Controlled Automaton (ORCA) prototype developed by NRL, with a focus on using readily available hardware and instrumentation.
Access DTIC’s collection: ADA527588
Realtime infection prediction with wearable physiological monitoring and AI to aid military workforce readiness during COVID-19 (Distro A)
This study explored the development and deployment of an early infection warning service using wearable physiological monitoring and predictive models created with machine learning to reduce the impact of infectious threats like the COVID-19 pandemic on the workforce. A prototype tool was developed and first deployed on June 23, 2020, providing continuously updated scores of infection risk for SARS-CoV-2. Data from 9,381 US DoD personnel wearing the Garmin prototype showed an ability to identify infection before diagnostic testing with an AUC of 0.82. The study demonstrated the feasibility of using real-time risk prediction scores to minimize workforce impacts of infection by detecting subtle physiological changes prior to the onset of overt illness.
Access DTIC’s collection: AD1166886
Natural Language Processing: Security- and Defense-Related Lessons Learned (Distro A)
This document is a valuable resource containing insights gathered by experienced practitioners who have utilized natural language processing (NLP) tools and techniques. NLP encompasses a variety of tools that allow computers to analyze human language effectively. The lessons shared in this document are categorized into four main steps: data collection, data processing (specifically tailored for NLP text processing in preparation for modeling), modeling, and application development and deployment. These lessons are shared in English for easy understanding.
Access DTIC’s collection: AD1143662
Interested in more like these? Check out DTIC’s collection. If you are not a registered user, please visit DTIC’s registration page to find out more about becoming part of the DTIC community.
DoDIAC
The latest Cybersecurity & Information Systems Information Analysis Center (CSIAC) Journal features topics on Zero Trust, defense simulation models, and this one, on Artificial Intelligence:
Artificial Intelligence in Cybersecurity: How Substituting and Scaling Impact Investment Returns
With the growing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in cybersecurity, this article investigates the economic principles of substitution and scale’s elasticity to evaluate their impact on the return on security investment. Recognizing the potential of AI technologies to substitute human labor and traditional cybersecurity mechanisms and the significance of cost ramifications of scaling AI solutions within cybersecurity frameworks, the study theoretically contributes to understanding the financial and operational dynamics of AI in cybersecurity. It provides valuable insights for cybersecurity practitioners in public and private sectors. Through this analysis, ways in which AI technologies can redefine economic outcomes in cybersecurity efforts are highlighted. Strategic recommendations are also offered for practitioners to optimize the economic efficiency and effectiveness of AI in cybersecurity, emphasizing a dynamic, nuanced approach to AI investment and deployment.
The DoDIACs’ journals showcase publicly releasable exclusive articles on new and emerging scientific, engineering, and technical subjects to help you
- Stay up to date with the developments in DoD science and technology
- Understand complex scientific and technical concepts, theories, and applications in defense
- Develop a greater appreciation of a variety of technical focus areas
Access the latest journals
DTIC Users Council Corner
DTIC is thrilled to see such an impressive engagement by DTIC customers in the FY 2025 DTIC User Council election process. This year, 29 eligible nominations were received for the four open positions, marking the third-highest year for nominations since the Council was established 1980.
Congratulations to the new council members and thank you to all the nominees and voters for participating in the election.
The results of the FY 2025 DTIC User Council election:
- Mihan H. Mckenna-Taylor, PhD (Incumbent): Army Senior Scientist (ST) - Near Surface Phenomenology, U.S Army Engineer Research and Development Center
- Joseph Reynolds, PhD: Senior Scientific Technical Manager AI/ML - U.S. Army DEVCOM C5ISR Center
- John Hurley, PhD: Chief Technology Officer and Professor - National Intelligence University
- Lindsay Kotouch MLIS: Research and Information Analytics Librarian - Air Force Research Laboratory
We also extend our gratitude to the outgoing Council members who completed their service terms. We are especially grateful for their contributions and recommendations to help shape DTIC products and services. If you would like to get acquainted with the current or newly elected DTIC User Council members, you can find more information about them on the DoDTechipedia DTIC User Council page.
We look forward to the FY 2025 DTIC User Council's contributions and recommendations, as their efforts will ensure DTIC is providing the best possible products and services for the S&T community.
Remember the DTIC User Council members represent you, so please don’t hesitate to contact the Council regarding your perspective on DTIC’s offerings.
Quarterly Features
Discover the groundbreaking achievements of the 2024 Nobel Prize winners in Physics, Chemistry, and Medicine, who have all had ties to the Department of Defense during their careers. Explore their research and that of other esteemed scientists in the extensive technical reports collection at DTIC. Delve into these fascinating discoveries and expand your knowledge.
Explore the works of Nobel Prize winners in DTIC's collection
DTIC is celebrating 80 years as DoD's STI knowledge center
In the fall of 1944 Allied forces were advancing through Nazi-occupied territories in Europe. Roughly 1,500 of those troops were Air Force Air Technical Intelligence (ATI) teams following closely behind combat troops to retrieve the science and technology documents left by retreating Nazi forces and their scientists.
The scientists had been told to destroy their life’s work to keep it from falling into Allies’ hands. Thankfully that order was too much for many of them to bear and the ATI teams were able to retrieve roughly 1,750 tons of scientific and technical reports authored by Nazi scientists.
The U.S. Navy, the U.S. Army Air Forces, and the British Air Ministry established the Air Documents Research Center (ADRC) to process the information. American Col. H.M. McCoy commanded the ADRC, in London. By the fall of 1945, with military priorities shifting from Europe to the Pacific, the decision was made to move the cataloging and indexing process to the U.S.
Offices were set up at Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio, and the ADRC officially became the Air Documents Division (ADD) of the Intelligence Department of the Headquarters, Air Technical Service, Army Air Base.
Continue reading by logging into the S&T Spotlight on DoDTechipedia.
Dr. Todd Stievater
Research Physicist - Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC
Dr. Todd Stievater graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Physics from Williams College (Highest Honors) followed by a PhD in Physics from the University of Michigan. Dr. Stievater is currently a research physicist in the Photonics Technology Branch at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC. Dr. Stievater currently leads research and development efforts in integrated photonics, nanophotonics, nonlinear optics, semiconductor photonics, microwave photonics, and chemical sensing. He has authored or co-authored over 210 journal publications and conference presentations that have been cited over 4,600 times and holds nine patents and one trade secret related to this work.
News Center
JDR&E
The upcoming issue of the JDR&E, volume 7 issue 3, has 24 NIPR articles and one SIPR article, and has almost 300 pages. These articles showcase work from Air Force, Army, and Navy laboratories as well as National Intelligence University.
Access your copy of the NIPR version of JDR&E. To become a JDR&E peer reviewer, apply to the Journal of DoD Research and Engineering.
R&E Newsletters
- S&T Global Highlights, Office of the Strategic Intelligence & Analysis
- CSIAC Digest
- DSIAC Digest
- HDIAC Digest
*Only Distribution A newsletters are shown in this list.
Disclaimers
Featured news articles highlight technology, research, and developments of interest to the S&T and RDT&E communities. Articles may have been abbreviated, synopsized, or excerpted; the full articles can be found by using the links provided within or at the bottom of each article. The views expressed in this online newsletter are those of the originating authors and do not reflect the official policy, position or opinion(s) of the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC), Department of Defense (DoD), or the United States Government.
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