New Initiative Aims to Accelerate Adoption of Autonomous Capabilities by Involving Industry Early
The US Army is nearing completion of its autonomy characteristics of need (CoN) statement, designed to streamline the process of acquiring autonomous capabilities by involving industry earlier in the requirements phase, according to an Army Futures Command (AFC) official.
Engaging Industry for Faster Innovation
David Meyer, director of futures integration for the Futures and Concepts Center within AFC, explained that CoNs are intended to engage vendors from the start, allowing the Army to keep pace with industry’s rapid technological innovation. He emphasized that this approach enables commanders to provide continuous feedback to industry and acquisition leaders, ensuring the CoN remains a „living document” updated regularly. The Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) initiative’s CoN, for example, is updated approximately every 90 days.
Addressing Acquisition Delays
„The complaint about the Army, and it’s appropriate, is we take a long time to figure out what we want. Then we take an even longer time to buy it. By the time we actually deliver it, it’s technologically irrelevant,” Meyer acknowledged. The CoN model aims to address this issue by simplifying how the Army describes its needs to industry, enabling faster acquisition and continuous innovation through smaller, more frequent purchases.
Welcoming Non-Traditional Vendors
Importantly, Meyer highlighted that the CoN model not only brings in industry early but also has the potential to attract non-traditional vendors, including small businesses with specialized expertise. „We want industry to see themselves in the problem,” Meyer said. „So instead of us having to go to a guy and saying, ‘build this for me,’… We don’t know who does what. We can’t know, especially with the amazing number of small businesses that are popping up who do really, really great work in a narrow field.”
Four Key Autonomy Areas
The autonomy CoN will focus on four critical areas: heavy companies operating with tanks, light companies with dismounted infantry soldiers, autonomy capable of breaching minefields and taking out obstacles, and autonomy for sustainment. Meyer explained that breaking down autonomy into these „big chunks” will allow the Army to focus its efforts and engage with industry effectively.
Cautious Rollout
While the autonomy CoN is „basically complete,” Meyer cautioned against rushing its release, emphasizing the importance of ensuring the document is solid and accurate to avoid looking „foolish.”
Future CoNs
The Army is currently evaluating other areas where CoNs would be appropriate, aiming for documents that are broad enough to address holistic battlefield problems but focused enough to solve a finite number of specific challenges.
Recent Prototype Contracts
Meyer’s comments follow the Army’s recent announcement of prototype contracts to explore the possibility of converting Infantry Support Vehicles (ISVs) into autonomous vehicles, demonstrating the service’s commitment to advancing autonomous capabilities.
