Countering the Enemy Faster

CAMBRIDGE, MA – As the U.S. government battles the Islamic State and monitors emerging threats in North and West Africa, it faces highly adaptable opponents. These types of enemies study U.S. tactics, techniques and procedures and take advantage of new commercial capabilities quickly to strike against the vulnerabilities they find. In contrast, U.S. forces and intelligence agencies are often hamstrung by the conventional requirements and budget cycle as they seek to keep pace.

To ensure technological overmatch continues in the nation’s favor, the U.S. Army Research Lab (ARL) awarded Draper and 15 other companies an $800M multiple award task order to acquire new capabilities to counter asymmetric threats. Any Department of Defense service or agency can use the contract, which provides for an indefinite quantity of supplies or services, as it responds to urgent needs.

Under the Advanced Expeditionary Warfare Development (AEWD) contract, Draper may develop technology in areas including advanced communication devices; information technologies; electronic, mechanical, and electromechanical systems; field power generation technologies; and advanced materials.

“Staying ahead of an adaptable enemy requires a flexible, multidisciplinary engineering approach,” said Bill Ostrowski, Draper’s associate director for special operations forces programs. “Draper will draw on expertise in areas including materials engineering and microfabrication; position, navigation, and timing; autonomous systems; and modeling and simulation.”

The company has previously applied its multidisciplinary engineering capabilities to a variety of related programs including the tiny, robust communications and navigation devices; persistent surveillance systems; and sensors and navigation systems for drones.