Amendment 1_HDTRA1-22-S-0004.pdf

BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT

HDTRA1-22-S-0004

AMENDMENT 01

This amendment details the Spring 2022 priority review period for white paper submissions. It is divided into three sections: (1) Research Topic Information Session (RTIS), (2) research priorities for the remainder of Fiscal Year (FY) 2022, and (3) submission dates for priority funding consideration. Please refer to the Broad Area Announcement (BAA) for all other guidance and requirements.

1. RTIS Spring 2022

a. DTRA SI-STT will hold a virtual RTIS for interested participants on Thursday, April 28, 2022 from 8:00 AM to 11:15 AM EST. The RTIS will highlight research priorities for the remainder of FY2022 and review the submission process.

b. To register for the RTIS, please email: dtra.belvoir.si.mbx.hdtra1-stri-adm@mail.mil. In the registration email (Subject: STRI RTIS Registration), please include the participant’s full name, title, organization, and email address. On or before Tuesday, April 26, 2022, DTRA SI-STT will send a link for the virtual session on the Zoom4Gov platform. Questions should also be directed to the above email address. Do not contact DTRA SI-STT personnel directly with questions, inquiries, or registration requests.

2. Research Priorities for Remainder of FY 2022

a. As described in the Section 1.4 of the BAA, this section provides the specific research priorities for FY 2022 within each of the thrusts. Interested applicants shall review the BAA to ensure all submissions meet the general requirements listed therein. This section is intended to be reviewed in conjunction with Section 1.4.

b. These specific priorities remain in effect until replaced by another amendment in Fall 2022.

c. Specific priorities are as follows:

Thrust 1: WMD-Relevant Track 1.5 and Track 2 Strategic Dialogues

Priorities DTRA SI-STT is primarily interested in dialogues that address defense and military-relevant challenges related to: (1) a rising China, (2) extended and integrated deterrence in the Indo-Pacific; and (3) extended and integrated deterrence in Europe.

At this time, it prioritizes bilateral and multilateral, military, and defense-related dialogues that meet at least one of the requirements listed below:

Involve three or more allies and partners with shared security objectives and/or threat considerations that can plausibly work together on defense and military-related issue sets for maintaining regional stability, enhancing deterrence, and reducing WMD threats.

Involve countries that do not have a current defense-focused Track 1 dialogue (formal diplomacy engagements) with the United States, but have been identified as a priority country in current US Government (USG) strategic documents.

These should be limited to engagements with countries that are willing to engage with the United States on primarily defense and military-related topics, including those related to DTRA’s mission, and initiate cooperative activities aimed at improving regional stability and security.

Focus on assessing specific WMD and related emerging threat topics that are not sufficiently addressed in other USG engagements, and on identifying innovative cooperative responses to those threats.

Include a scenario-based exercise component that allows for exploration of

WMD-related topics, including in the context of crisis or conflict.

Associated Guidance

Dialogues that address technology transfers and/or collaborations between the United States and allies and partnerships should detail the mutually beneficial impacts of any defense acquisitions on maintaining regional security and stability.

Specificity, whenever possible, is highly encouraged. DTRA SI-STT is not interested in dialogues that primarily address economic, commerce, and trade-related topics.

DTRA SI-STT will consider dialogues that delve into mission-relevant maritime security challenges and responses to them, but does not prioritize projects that focus primarily on topics that fall outside of the defense purview such as illegal fishing.

Thrust 2: WMD-Relevant Research Studies to Characterize the Future Battlespace (5 to 10 Years from Present)

Priorities DTRA SI-STT is seeking studies that:

Provide insight into China or Russia’s emerging strategic capabilities and consider potential implications for the United States’ ability to maintain operational advantage and a favorable balance of power in key strategic regions.

- Highest priority will be given to studies that address WMD-relevant topics

(e.g., nuclear, chemical, biological, dissemination/employment systems, or emerging disruptive technology in the WMD arena), especially the intersection with other warfighting domains.

- These studies should identify steps that the United States, in cooperation with allies and partners, can take to prevent or mitigate their effects on the battlespace and Warfighter.

Examine concepts and approaches relevant to “integrated deterrence” and how they apply in specific, priority regional/country contexts as defined by USG strategies.1

- Should explicitly address the implications of integrated-deterrence approaches for how the United States and its allies and partners, conceive and respond to WMD or chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN)-related threats and challenges.

- DTRA SI-STT will not consider studies that focus on defining “integrated deterrence.”

Explore adversarial strategy, operational constructs, vulnerabilities, and implications related to “limited” CBRN use (i.e., small, localized strikes or releases) to achieve non-strategic objectives (e.g., degrade, deny, or coerce).

- Highest priority will be given to studies addressing asymmetric advantages and disadvantages of such an approach.

- Example (for illustrative purposes): a nuclear-weapons state employs one or more non-strategic nuclear weapons to escalate a conflict if their conventional forces become overmatched.

Explore circumstances that incentivize adversary non-strategic nuclear use, including conditions that could trigger adoption of a nonstrategic nuclear warfighting capability among countries that do not yet possess it.

Explore adversary incentives to target and attack space-enabled defense-related architecture with direct impacts on position, navigation, and timing, as well as nuclear command and control.

- DTRA SI-STT will not consider studies that examine issues from a primarily space threat-based lens.

1 Integrated deterrence is deterrence from a holistic perspective. That is, integrated deterrence represents the totality of capabilities and concepts of operations (CONOPS) spanning multiple domains that, when implemented in a networked fashion, prevents adversaries from initiating adverse actions against the United States and its allies and partners, or compels a change in behavior after such actions have occurred.

- DTRA SI-STT will not consider studies that do not include a considerable focus on WMD-related challenges, issues, and concepts.

Explore circumstances that incentivize adversary chemical and biological warfare use, including use cases and conditions that could trigger escalation.

Provide insight into why and how competitors/adversaries might exploit advances in chemical and biological technologies (including enabling technologies or dissemination and employment options) to intensify surprise and/or alter warfighting and escalation dynamics in key strategic regions through chemical and biological warfare shaping operations.

- Studies must address strategic implications and impacts of these activities as

DTRA SI-STT does not fund studies that focus mainly on the scientific and technical dimensions of problem sets.

Examine how existing US-bilateral alliances and partnerships can be strengthened or even transformed into multilateral alliances given shared strategic goals (e.g., recognition of international law and norms, pursuit of regional stability, respect for sovereignty). Specifically, how multilateral alliance(s) could work in concert to address military-relevant security challenges that impact regional stability and could lead to strategically significant armed-conflict scenarios.

- Priority will be given to studies addressing the Indo-Pacific or European regions.

- Must include some consideration of WMD or CBRN-related topics.

Examine how China or Russia might employ specific strategies to weaken or dissolve bilateral and multilateral alliances involving the United States and the resulting implications for reducing or preventing WMD or CBRN-related threats in key strategic regions.

Provide insight into the WMD or CBRN-related threats and challenges the United

States needs to be prepared to address relevant to North Korean activities and the steps it could undertake to prevent or mitigate the effects of these activities on regional and global stability.

Explore implications of future emerging disruptive technologies (EDT) on WMD research, stockpiling, employment, and response.

- DTRA SI-STT will not consider projects that only focus on better understanding how EDTs work.

- All projects need to address the implications and consequences of the technology for security and stability.

Examine what the post-COVID world looks like in terms of biological threats, bio-preparedness, and possible responses, including in cooperation with allies and partners.

- Studies could address the following questions (list is not exhaustive and is meant to be for illustrative purposes only): How, if at all, does focused attention by all governments on improving their biological defense capabilities provide opportunities to divert resources to biological warfare programs? Is bio-surveillance adequate or inadequate to address future challenges and what is the impact for regional security and stability? How might emerging technologies impact the bio-threat landscape and global stability?

- DTRA SI-STT is primarily concerned with biological threats that impact regional stability.

- DTRA SI-STT does not fund studies that are primarily concerned with public health or safety topics.

Associated Guidance

Studies can involve a variety of approaches to develop the analytic report including (but not limited to) workshops, subject matter expert (SME) interviews, scenario-based exercises. Approaches should be integrated with one another and be designed to inform a cohesive analytic output. DTRA SI-STT does not prioritize, for example, studies where the primary output is a workshop and the resulting technical report is a summary of the workshop proceedings.

DTRA SI-STT will consider studies that involve the conduct of SME interviews, but is less likely to fund studies that rise or fall on the availability of a specific person or set of people, including in Government. This is because external factors (e.g., schedules, real-world events, etc.) can impact access. Applicants proposing studies that involve a substantial interview component should detail alternative approaches as a risk mitigation measure.

As necessary, white papers should explain how the researcher will navigate challenges associated with the availability of, and access to, credible information to conduct the research and offer a risk mitigation plan as appropriate.

Thrust Area 3: WMD-Relevant Tabletop Exercises (TTXs)

Priorities DTRA SI-STT is primarily interested in TTXs that examine WMD and WMD-related emerging threat scenarios in the Indo-Pacific or European theaters.

DTRA SI-STT is interested in scenarios that examine the dynamics of escalation and de-escalation before, during, and after a conflict. Priority will be given to TTXs that consider chemical and biological weapons employment or threat of employment.

Associated Guidance

TTXs that support a dialogue or study should be submitted under their respective thrust area.

3. Spring 2022 Priority Review Period

a. For priority FY 2022 funding consideration, please submit white papers by the following dates:

Thrust 1 (Strategic Dialogues) – Thursday, May 19, 2022 Thrust 2 (Studies) – Thursday, June 9, 2022 Thrust 3 (TTXs) – Thursday, June 16, 2022

b. DTRA SI-STT will not initiate technical reviews of white paper submissions prior to the specified dates. Submissions received after 11:59 PM on the specified dates will be reviewed on an as received basis, but not until those submitted by the specified dates have been reviewed.

c. DTRA SI-STT will not consider submissions that cannot begin until FY 2023 (October 1, 2022) due to researcher availability or other reasons. For priority FY 2023 funding consideration, please monitor Sam.Gov for forthcoming amendments.