SCHOOLHOUSE’s Post

CRITICAL THINKERS Let's enable future SOF missions in the contested domain! - Lisa Sanders United States Special Operations Command’s (USSOCOM) Directorate of Science and Technology (S&T) is hosting Innovation Foundry 16 (IF16) WHEN: 20-22 August 2024 WHY: To ideate novel concepts and capabilities addressing “Contested Logistics in Future Special Operations Forces (SOF) Operations.” We will explore the challenges of resourcing parts, components, and supplies at the point of need for the untethered SOF Operator. WHO: S&T SOFWERX PEO-SOFSA Expeditionary Support Program Office Bringing together industry, academia, national labs, government, and futurists in an exploration, design thinking, facilitated event to assist USSOCOM in decomposing future scenarios and missions. WHEN: Application Deadline: 5 JULY WHERE: Lexington KY or Tampa, FL (Decision to be made by 30 June). More information and the official solicitation may be found at the link below. https://lnkd.in/gAGqvsfk

USSOCOM Innovation Foundry (IF16) Event, 20-22 August 2024. Submit NLT 05 July 2024 11:59 PM ET. FOCUS: Contested Logistics in Future SOF Operations SOFWERX, in collaboration with USSOCOM’s Directorate of Science and Technology (S&T), will host the sixteenth Innovation Foundry (IF16) Event. IF16 intends to bring together Special Operations Forces (SOF), industry, academia, national labs, government, and futurists in an exploration, design thinking, facilitated event to assist USSOCOM in decomposing future scenarios and missions. The theme of IF16, "Contested Logistics in Future SOF Operations,” will explore the challenges of resourcing parts, components, and supplies at the point of need for the untethered SOF operator. #SOF #USSOCOM #SOCOM #defensetech #defenseinnovation #contestedlogistics #militaryoperations #natsec #nationalsecurity #mission

📰 Defense news we're reading today: Defense Innovation Unit’s tech-scaling strategy focuses on partnerships What's new: Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is taking on more responsibility for coordinating technology efforts within the Pentagon and working closely with combatant commands. Why it matters: The strategy aims to ensure that the department leverages commercially-derived capabilities to counter rising global threats. What they're saying: “Against a backdrop of international challenges and with the world’s most capable technology sector, we can and must do more to identify and adopt impactful commercial technologies at speed and scale,” DIU states in the strategy.

In order to operationalize hypersonic tech advances, a combined effort is essential. Government initiatives, the expertise of aerospace companies, and the dynamic spirit of venture-backed entrepreneurs are all key to pioneering innovations. Our goal is twofold: to achieve cost-effectiveness and safety for commercial use, and to enhance speed and efficiency for defense purposes. Let's unleash Silicon Valley's innovation!

https://lnkd.in/eHixwdb6 United States Department of Defense has begun making an innovation mindset a priority. The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and the establishment of the Army Futures Command illustrate the DOD’s commitment to integrating cutting-edge technologies and practices. These, and other, organizations work to streamline the acquisition process, making it more responsive to technological advances and reducing the time from concept to deployment. By fostering a culture that values experimentation and iterative development, the DOD is beginning to turn a corner. Further, DOD is leveraging emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and autonomous systems to redefine modern warfare and defense strategies. Partnerships with Silicon Valley and other tech hubs enable the DOD to access state-of-the-art solutions and integrate them into military applications. This collaboration extends to fostering startups and small businesses through programs like the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR), which incentivize innovation in key defense areas. This is all really great to see.

**International Innovation Foundry Alert--Apply at the Link before 4 MAR** On the heels of success from our first International Innovation Cycle with #Norway in 2023 (media #comingsoon!), Ms. Lisa Sanders is letting us take another swing solving SOF-hard #future problems whilst engaging with international defence #innovators. In coordination with our friends at the UK Ministry of Defence, USSOCOM Science and Technology and our SOFWERX partners will be travelling to #London, UK to conduct the Innovation Foundry 15 (IF15) programme 16-19 April 2024. The theme of IF15, "#SmartCities – Future Challenges for SOF", will explore the challenges of physical and remote SOF operations (including manoeuvre) in a range of future complex smart city scenarios. We're looking for #futurists, #academia and #industry (large, small and #entrepreneurs) to team with our #governmentinnovation teams and multinational #SOF operators to analyse the future scenarios and develop concepts solving those challenges in a #designthinking event. Each team will brief their team's solution artefacts to flag officers, #acquistion leaders and operators from both sides of the Pond. Bring your thinking caps and be prepared to have collisions of ideas. More at the link. #disruptedfuture #notfiredyet #if15

https://lnkd.in/ggGvkxTv The author of this piece knows what he's talking about and it could be one of the most important pieces written to date on the challenges of innovation in this modern conflict. Please read this one. The author is a friend and one person with perhaps the most insight of any single human on this topic today.

"In at least one key respect, Replicator is already a success: it has reinforced to DoD, Congress, and industry that the PRC is the pacing threat by acknowledging, as Hicks did, 'the PRC’s asymmetric advantage in weapons capability and overwhelming numbers in all domains.' Industry is also moving to meet the demand signal. Twenty months from now, the department will be further down the path of posturing itself to better deter that threat. This is significant, and all involved deserve much credit for it. Speed is key, as it ever is, but there is time enough for the Navy to get Replicator right. Scaling autonomous systems on the back of a clear strategy with coherent procurement can deliver a sharper deterrent edge faster, which can unlock greater funding certainty going forward." Bill Rivers of the Yorktown Institute for The MOC

"DIU 3.0: Scaling Defense Innovation for Strategic Impact" Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) Director Doug Beck, along with Center for a New American Security (CNAS) CEO Richard Fontaine, co-authored DIU's new phase. The 3.0 vision called for a renewed focus on delivering relevant technology to the field more quickly. The report outlined 8 mutually reinforcing lines of effort: - Focus on the most critical capability gaps and embed with the warfighter to do so. - Partner at every level with DoD’s “engines of scale.” - Catalyze the DoD’s innovation entities into a community of impact. - Take the partnership with the commercial tech sector to a new level. - Realize the enormous potential of tech partnership with allies and partners. - Build the trust and momentum required for speed and scale. - Retool DIU to support all of the above. - Provide the Secretary and Deputy Secretary with world class dual fluency advice.

"While working to develop new defense technologies over the coming years, the institute will also focus on "breakthrough research" aimed at deploying new equipment within about three years by maximizing the use of existing technologies." #dualuse #defencetech #research #equipment #innovation #development #technology #techinnovation #techdevelopment #techindustry #venturecapital #privateequity