La cartera m\u00e1s nueva de la Unidad de Innovaci\u00f3n de Defensa (DIU) EE.UU. forjar\u00e1 conexiones m\u00e1s profundas entre la comunidad cient\u00edfica y tecnol\u00f3gica del Pent\u00e1gono y las empresas del sector privado que desarrollan capacidades de vanguardia en \u00e1reas como la detecci\u00f3n cu\u00e1ntica, la nanotecnolog\u00eda y la microelectr\u00f3nica, dijeron funcionarios a C4ISRNET.<\/p>\n
The Defense Innovation Unit\u2019s newest portfolio will forge deeper connections between the Pentagon\u2019s science and technology community and the private sector firms developing cutting-edge capabilities in areas like quantum sensing, nanotechnology and microelectronics, officials told C4ISRNET.<\/p>\n
Lt. Col. Nicholas Estep, director of the emerging technology portfolio, said that while DIU has managed one-off projects in these areas, it wants to expand that work to help organizations including the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the service laboratories and stakeholders within the undersecretary of defense for research and engineering office better leverage commercial systems.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is bringing the DIU flavor of how we do business to this community to help push forward and advance the technology that\u2019s critical from this sector and put it into practice,\u201d he said in an interview<\/p>\n
DIU was established in 2015 to help build a bridge between Silicon Valley companies and the Defense Department. One of the motivations for establishing the organization was the recognition that much of the technology the Pentagon considers critical to tackling national security challenges is resident in the commercial sector.<\/p>\n
The department\u2019s science and technology strategy, released in May 2023, calls for a more proactive approach to working with the commercial sector to take advantage of the private capital that\u2019s being funneled into dual-use tech companies to get after \u201cincreasingly complex security challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n
The emerging technology portfolio, Estep said, can help the department explore some of the technologies and capabilities that may not traditionally be viewed as having utility for DOD either because the connection isn\u2019t obvious or they require more time and effort to tweak for military use.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are portfolios that have a clean domain or clean ecosystem with well-established norms,\u201d he said. \u201cThere pockets that don\u2019t. . . . Those are where we\u2019ll really focus our attention.\u201d<\/p>\n
Estep\u2019s team will eventually seek prototyping efforts in areas like advanced materials, propulsion, nanotechnology and photonics. But for now, its focus is on executing existing projects within DIU\u2019s hypersonics portfolio \u2014 which will shift into the emerging technology area \u2014 as well as a new effort called Transition of Quantum Sensors, or TQS.<\/p>\n
In a May 9 solicitation, DIU said TQS will demonstrate the ability to use quantum sensors for alternate positioning, navigation and timing and detecting anomalies. The capability is particularly relevant amid a growing concern about GPS jamming and signal degradation.<\/p>\n
\u201cSensors designed at the atomic level offer the promise of significant improvements in precision, accuracy and sensitivity compared to classical sensors,\u201d DIU said in the notice. \u201cDOD seeks solutions to prototype and operationally demonstrate quantum sensors to address several warfighter needs.\u201d<\/p>\n
While versions of these sensors exist now, DIU hopes TQS can drive improvements in their performance and precision in a military context. The project\u2019s first phase, which Estep hopes to kick off this fall, will focus on prototyping in an operational environment.<\/p>\n
The emerging technology team will partner with at least a dozen DOD program offices, operational crews and test and evaluation offices to demonstrate the capability, which he said is indicative of what DIU would like to do across this portfolio. He noted that having so many stakeholders requires significant alignment among those offices to make sure the program stays on schedule.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have an aggressive approach,\u201d he said. \u201cIf we do what we think we can do, it\u2019ll be a busy summer.\u201d<\/p>\n