As per of our mission to improve collaboration between innovators and Government, we're running a spotlight series to highlight influential agencies who we know are aligned to the same mission to deliver the best technology solutions to those who need it most. First up is the U.S. Army Futures Command – Forward Element Atlantic (AFE-ATL).
GOVERNMENT AGENCY SPOTLIGHT
This article is an introduction to the important international work that the U.S. Army Futures Command – Forward Element Atlantic (AFE-ATL) performs every day. The international collaborations in research and scientific discovery that we support, and the government-to-government connections we make are essential to maintaining the technological edge for the United States Army, our allies and partners across the European, African and Middle East regions.
In short, AFE-ATL is the eyes and ears of Army Futures Command in our area of responsibility, enabling Army Transformation through strategic partnerships and technology scouting. Through the relationships built among academia, industry and governmental laboratories, AFE-ATL brings top technologies and researchers from around the region to work collaboratively with the U.S. Army. Our team is at the centre of a network of innovators, helping to ensure the United States and our allies maintain access to the best technology for the warfighter.
AFE-ATL is based in the UK and conducts operations at the leading edge of international defense innovation through three supporting lines of effort executed from geographically dispersed offices. This formula serves as the foundation for the operations of our sister organisations in the Indo-Pacific and the Americas. The overseas locations of these Army science and technology activities are often co-located with other service partners, such as the U.S. Air Force Office of Strategic Research, U.S. Navy Office of Naval Research and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Research and Development Command, to leverage resources and enable a unity of effort and collaboration on research topics of joint interest.
The Basic & Applied Research (B&AR) team supports collaborative engagements with academia, awarding grants and cooperative agreements to build relationships with leading international research activities while promoting academic collaboration with Army Futures Command’s science and technology experts under the Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM), a subordinate organization part of Army Futures Command. These relationships develop the technological underpinnings of capabilities to counter emerging threats and maintain U.S. and Allied overmatch. Through this team we:
- Identify collaboration opportunities in conjunction with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory’s extramural basic research community and Army research enterprise. In FY24, the B&AR team received over 180+ research proposals from 100+ universities awarding 111 grants at 10:1 return on its investment in terms of co-funding. This also resulted in a number of publications in peer reviewed journals, magazines or other professional media.
- Engage with U.S. Army subject matter experts to understand emerging needs, challenges, and opportunities. Foster collaborative networks through conferences or workshops in conjunction with international science and technology events to maintain awareness and engage leading researchers in various fields.
The International Technology Centers (ITC) conduct technology reconnaissance with the focus on U.S Army science and technology priorities areas. Located in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Israel, our International Technology Centres work to:
- Find and facilitate access to innovative technologies and materiel solutions from within the regional S&T ecosystem. The team made 15 awards to companies taking part in the Foreign Technology Assessment Support (FTAS) program and supported 11 awards to companies for Foreign Comparative Tests (FCT). Both programs are intended to streamline experimentation and bridge acquisition’s “valley of death.”
- Provide U.S. Army science and technology presence and expertise in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East and facilitate access to the broader expertise within the DEVCOM enterprise.
- Continually and regularly engage with academia, industry and government partners to facilitate pursuit of research grants and cooperative agreements or Armaments Cooperation and Interoperability programs.
- Facilitate information agreements between DEVCOM and Foreign Labs/Orgs.
- Assist with the execution of supporting foreign exchange scientist visits to the United States through the Engineer and Scientist Exchange Program (ESEP) and visits of United States Army scientist to countries throughout our operation region.
In addition to our Basic & Applied Research (B&AR) team and International Technology Centres (ITC), we provide Regional Technology Coordinators to work with our partners in the region. These individuals work hand-in-hand with our ITCs analysing requirements and early technology development efforts. Specifically, RTCs will examine existing or emerging capabilities and incorporate interoperability as early as requirements development and throughout tech maturation. This would be accomplished through close coordination with DEVCOM Centres, Army Cross Functional Teams and/or product offices.
The team focuses on multiple technologies in various research domains. Areas we are aligned to include the U.S. Army Modernization Priorities of Long Range Precision Fires, Next Generation Combat Vehicle, Future Vertical Lift, Network Command, Control, Communications & Intelligence, Air & Missile Defense, Soldier Lethality, and Assured Position, Navigation & Timing. However, the team works in coordination with DEVCOM Centres and Labs to further refine our tech scouting into several research priorities.
AFE-ATL pursues basic research related to quantum, hypersonics, artificial intelligence, autonomy, synthetic biology, disruptive energetics, radio frequency electronic materials, materials by design and additive manufacturing. More advanced technologies in these fields would be strong candidates for the aforementioned FTAS and FCT programs. This list is not all-inclusive; we also respond to the needs of our warfighter through our ITIs who constantly pulse Army forces in the region for lessons learned or discovery of an emergent technology gap. This feedback is fundamental to the Army science and technology enterprise in its continuous evaluation of the operational environment as it may impact strategy or the development or pivot of technology solutions.
AFE-ATL brings value by providing a significant return on investment through leveraging co-funding opportunities with government and private sector partners to increase our ability to fund research and adopt industry-developed disruptive and potentially game changing solutions to our technology needs. Our presence in the region allows AFE-ATL to form enduring, proximal relationships with key partners and allies.
In closing, the AFE-ATL team is committed to advancing and funding cutting edge basic research and partnering with companies exploring breakthrough technologies. You will likely find us at trade shows throughout Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. The United States Army knows future conflicts will rarely be fought alone, and strategic partnerships with our allies and partners are absolutely critical to our shared success. Simply put, we’re stronger together.
Featured Image (Source, Defense News): U.S. soldiers train with the Integrated Visual Augmentation System as a part of Project Convergence at Camp Talega, Calif., on Oct. 11, 2022. (Sgt. Thiem Huynh/U.S. Army)
