The document, known as the “characteristics of need” (CoN) for intelligence, has already been prepared for review by senior Army leaders. A decision is expected soon, Joseph Welch, the Army’s portfolio acquisition executive for command and control and counter-command and control, said during the annual TechNet Augusta conference.

Moving beyond rigid capability requirements

Rather than prescribing detailed technical requirements for specific systems, the CoN documents describe broad operational challenges and invite industry to propose solutions.

“It becomes our overall guiding document. When there’s a question about whether this is a direction we should be headed, that’s what we look to as our north star,” Welch said in an interview.

He emphasized that the documents do not dictate exactly how each problem must be solved. Instead, they provide a reference framework for assessing emerging technologies and determining their operational potential.

Third guidance document in Welch’s portfolio

The intelligence CoN is the third such document in Welch’s portfolio. The first, released in May 2024, focused on next-generation command and control. The second, published in February, addressed electromagnetic spectrum operations.

According to Welch, the earlier documents have already demonstrated the value of this approach. They enabled the Army to consider a wider range of potential solutions than had been possible under the previous process, which relied on highly prescriptive requirements.

The electromagnetic spectrum document, for example, allowed Army commanders to solicit industry proposals for a broad set of signals intelligence and electronic warfare challenges.

That effort remains underway, with commanders continuing to highlight the need for improved and faster terrestrial SIGINT and electronic warfare capabilities.

Recent operations underscore the need for flexibility

Recent overseas operations, the US southern border mission and experimentation and prototyping activities have highlighted the importance of intelligence capabilities that are flexible, rapidly deployable and responsive to changing threats.

The Army is looking for systems that can:

• adapt quickly to shifts in the operational environment;
• be tailored to specific missions;
• support different echelons and levels of command;
• provide commanders with timely intelligence in dynamic conditions.

The goal is to shorten the gap between identifying an operational need and fielding a usable capability.

Adaptable documents for a changing threat environment

Another advantage of the CoN framework is its flexibility. The documents can be updated as threats evolve, operating conditions change and new lessons emerge from exercises, experimentation and real-world missions.

Welch also said the documents help communicate the Army’s direction to the service itself, industry and Congress. At the same time, they provide greater insight into how soldiers and commanders view specific technologies and their potential applications.

Through this approach, the Army is seeking to encourage technological competition and give industry greater freedom to develop innovative answers to operational problems that cannot be fully anticipated through traditional, highly detailed requirements.