January 30, 2024 | International, Aerospace
August 31, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR
Armaments consortium launches new path to field high-tech prototypes
By: Joe Gould
WASHINGTON ― The National Armaments Consortium, along with the DoD Ordnance Technology Consortium and Army Contracting Command-New Jersey, is taking steps to fast-track their armament prototyping efforts, it was announced Thursday.
A year after the Army's high-profile reorganization to more quickly field cutting-edge weapons technologies, the Charleston, South Carolina-based National Armaments Consortium ― made up of 900 companies and academic institutions ― wants to better sync with both the government's increased demand and its actual bandwidth for turning research into prototypes.
Pentagon modernization efforts have prioritized, in recent years, long-range precision fires, hypersonic and extended-range missiles, and anti-jam GPS devices ― all of which fall in the lane of the armaments consortium, said National Armaments Consortium Executive Director Charlie Zisette.
“Armaments is kind of where the rubber hits the road for our war fighter because we're dealing with everything in the kill chain, protection and survivability,” Zisette told Defense News. “All of these things created a fairly large demand signal for modernization of our systems and components.”
The 20-year-old NAC is one of a growing number of Pentagon-sponsored consortia that work to translate the government's notional requirements into technological breakthroughs and business opportunities.
Consortia members will work with the government through collective “other transaction agreements” or “other transaction authorities.” These OTAs have become a popular tool to allow the government to communicate more openly about its needs and to work with nontraditional defense contractors whose innovations the Department of Defense wants to harness.
According to Zisette, the NAC has 650 active projects at various stages to solve tough problems like developing a new heat-resistant composite material, new types of explosives and a complex long-range precision artillery system. So far this year, its efforts have led to 150 new-start acquisition programs, half awarded to “non-traditionals.”
Historically, the NAC would release one annual solicitation based on government requirements, and host one annual collaboration event for NAC members to tout their technologies and ask government representatives about requirements. NAC also hosts a members-only online collaboration portal along similar lines.
But something had to change. Amid the DoD's modernization efforts, the NAC has grown such that there would be 350 government solicitations and upward of 1,400 whitepapers, almost simultaneously. It was a “huge bow wave” that overwhelmed the procurement, legal and program staffs involved, Zisette said.
“It became too much for the Department of Defense, so we were seeing our award-cycle times getting stretched out,” he said. “We realized we had to level that workload out: put in more agreements officers and contracts specialists so we could ... get quickly through the process itself.”
The NAC unveiled Thursday it will initiate faster deadlines to develop prototypes, but it will also move to monthly solicitation releases and three virtual collaboration events per year instead of one.
Other consortia will often either deal with requirements on an annual or ad hoc basis, meaning they're emailed out as they're developed. To Zisette's knowledge, no other DoD-sponsored consortia have monthly solicitation releases like the NAC is planning, but the idea for tri-annual events was something Zisette borrowed.
“The total model will be a pathfinder,” he said, “but absolutely leveraging some of the best practices and input from across the department.”
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November 15, 2021 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
Can you solve our new waste reduction challenge? / Pouvez-vous résoudre notre nouveau défi sur la réduction des déchets?
Cost and Waste Reduction of Tree Planting Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) is seeking a solution that will develop novel processes, approaches and/or technologies, to reduce the cost of tree seedling production, packaging and transportation while also reducing the amount of waste including plastic waste currently generated. Think you can solve our new waste reduction challenge? Compete for funding to prove your feasibility and develop a solution! This challenge closes December 21st, 2021 at 2pm EST! Apply online Réduction des coûts et des déchets dans la plantation d'arbres Ressources naturelles Canada (RNCan) est à la recherche d'une solution qui permettra d'élaborer de nouveaux processus, approches et/ou technologies afin de réduire le coût de production, d'emballage et de transport des semis d'arbres tout en réduisant la quantité de déchets, notamment des déchets de plastique actuellement produits. Vous pensez pouvoir résoudre notre nouveau défi sur la réduction des déchets ? Compétitionnez afin de prouver la faisabilité de votre solution et de la développer ! Ce défi se termine le 21 decembre, 2021 à 14h HNE. Postulez en ligne
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July 30, 2018 | International, C4ISR
Pentagon Creates ‘Do Not Buy’ List of Russian, Chinese Software
Increasingly alarmed at foreign hacking, DOD and intelligence officials are racing to educate the military and defense contractors. The Pentagon is warning the military and its contractors not to use software it deems to have Russian and Chinese connections, according to the U.S. Defense Department's acquisition chief. Officials have begun circulating a “Do Not Buy” list of software that does not meet “national security standards,” Ellen Lord, defense undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment, said Friday. “We had specific issues ... that caused us to focus on this,” Lord told reporters at the Pentagon. “What we are doing is making sure that we do not buy software that's Russian or Chinese provenance,” she said. “Quite often that's difficult to tell at at first glance because of holding companies.” The Pentagon started compiling the list about six months ago. Suspicious companies are put on a list that is circulated to the military's software buyers. Now the Pentagon is working with the three major defense industry trade associations — the Aerospace industries Association, National Defense Industrial Association and Professional Services Council — to alert contractors small and large. https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2018/07/pentagon-creates-do-not-buy-list-russian-chinese-software/150100/