Science & Technology On Point

Army, Mar 2007 by Bolton, Claude M Jr

Meeting the Challenges of Uncertainty and Unpredictability

The U.S. Army is the most technologically advanced and capable Army in the world. The Army Science and Technology (S&T) community is out front-on point-to maintain and enhance that technological superiority, never losing sight of the soldier, the focus of their efforts.

How does S&T function within this uncertain and unpredictable environment? That answer is with precision. There is no entity better suited to this challenge. Science and technology development is all about adapting expectations. Who is better suited to address a changing environment than our dedicated people who thrive when faced with a challenge? It is this same set of people who can see military applicability in seemingly unrelated technologies. Take the atomic clock, for example. Research into achieving an accurate and consistent measure of time in the early 1950s resulted in some of the greatest underpinnings of current warfare-the global positioning system and precise weapon delivery.

The Army's S&T program is the investment that we, the Army, make in our future soldiers. This program has to be as adaptable and responsive as our soldiers in the field. The Army's strategy is to pursue technologies that will enable the Future Force while simultaneously seeking opportunities to enhance the current force. To achieve this strategy, we are developing technology through investments in the three components of S&T: for the nearterm, demonstrating mature technology in relevant operational environments and facilitating technology transition to acquisition programs; in the midterm, translating research into militarily useful technology applications; and in the far term, conducting research to create new understanding for technologies that offer paradigm-shifting capabilities.

The diverse S&T investment portfolio exploits the dynamic nature of opportunities presented through scientific discovery and the "game-changing" potential of innovative technology applications. Likewise, these investments are responsive to specific needs identified by combat developers. Both of these approaches work in synergy to provide overmatching capabilities against threats that are constantly adapting and changing.

The Army's Laboratories and Research, Development and Engineering Centers support the focused research and technology development necessary to enable our Army to maintain its worldwide preeminence. Army scientists and engineers execute their work in world-class Army facilities and also in cooperation with industry, universities and other government scientists and engineers. These experts develop technologies specific to the military (such as missiles, guns and armor) and leverage and adapt technology with commercial applicability (such as batteries, sensor systems and displays) for military uses. They will leverage the best technology wherever it may exist for our soldiers.

Occasionally, plain luck primes the discovery process, but most opportunities to advance new capabilities occur through sustained, long-term multidisciplinary efforts. One way the Army exploits these opportunities is through the establishment of University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs). Each of these centers brings together a collection of specific basic research disciplines to focus on significant technical challenges involving a sustained effort. The centers partner with industry and Army laboratories for further development of new knowledge and novel technology concepts.

The Army currently maintains four UARCs, each of which focuses on investigating new technology that brings even greater capability to the U.S. Army. The Institute for Advanced Technology (IAT), established with the University of Texas-Austin, conducts focused, long-term, theoretical and applied research and development in electrodynamics and hypervelocity physics. lAT's primary focus is to enable military applications for electromagnetic gun capabilities. The Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT), established with the University of Southern California, performs research in advanced simulation and immersive environments. The ICT enlists and leverages the resources and talents of the entertainment and game development industries to work collaboratively with Army computer science experts in graphics, audio and artificial intelligence. This collaboration has been critical in improving the realism and usefulness of simulation for soldier training and mission rehearsal. The Institute for Soldier Nanotechnology, established with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), performs research in nanotechnologies for soldier protection and survivability applications. Nanotechnology is the design and creation of novel materials or devices at the nanometer scale, often at the level of individual atoms and molecules. Finally, the Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies (ICB), established by the University of California-Santa Barbara, in partnership with MIT and the California Institute of Technology, researches the processes, structures and features found in nature and biology. ICB's technological innovations in bio-inspired materials and energy, biomolecular and infrared sensors, bio-inspired network science and biotechnological tools target a broad spectrum of Army needs.