Cyber_Quest_25_Encl_1-Focus_Areas.docx

Cyber Quest 2025 Enclosure 1: Technology Focus Areas

Cyber Quest Focus Areas

Below are the experimentation Focus Areas for CQ25. Each objective has been produced by a capability sponsor and aligned with a required capability which will ultimately yield materiel solutions to the warfighter.

Electromagnetic Warfare

The aim for Electromagnetic Warfare experimentation this year is to focus on TRL 6 technologies.

See the Enemy

Electromagnetic Support

· Collaborative networked EW capabilities able to perform simultaneous ES/EA against multiple targets

· Cross-domain EO/IR and RF signal visualization for increased situational awareness

· EA/ES payloads providing remote disaggregated EW capabilities

· RF identification of UAS technologies

· Experimental antenna technologies

· EMS decoy, concealment and emulation capabilities supporting Army division size movement

· Low-cost expendable software defined radios to support unattended high fidelity RF network emulation capabilities

Generate Effects

Electromagnetic Attack

· Emerging technologies for defeating unmanned aerial systems

· Emerging high power directional EA technologies

· Emerging counter C2 datalink technologies

· Ability to perform discreet jamming techniques with lower recognizability

Automation

· Accelerate sensor to shooter integration to include message formats, automation of signals of interest identification and dynamic targeting processing

· Cognitive EW systems that can make decisions based on situational awareness

· Automation of RF signal filters and signal classification capabilities with and without database support learning.

· Scalable edge compute hardware / software technologies to include photonic sensing able to identify EMS signals from 30MHz to over 40GHz

· RF IQ recording, compression and transmission

Networks and Services

The focus for Networks and Services experimentation this year is to focus on TRL 6 technologies.

Zero trust data pillar

In the context of the Unified Network, Zero Trust is not just a security concept but an integral part of the network's design which is comprised of seven pillars to provide defense in depth. The data pillar focuses on those aspects of zero trust that rely on appropriate implementation of data centric design, including tagging and labeling. Leveraging the principles of data centricity security is built directly into the data itself, providing a more robust and efficient security model.

Addressing specifically:

· ABAC based data access solutions

· Non-CAC based identity verification approach for ICAM for tactical network

Hybrid cloud-computing stack

This technology could transform the battlespace by providing instantaneous access to secure cloud technology during large-scale combat. Future warfighters engaged in MDO could have widespread, cross-platform, and secure access to mobile devices to view a tailorable battlespace visualization creating more accurate shared situational understanding in near-real time.

Unified Network Common Transport Layer

The United States Army is seeking innovative proposals to develop and demonstrate cutting-edge Terrestrial Line-of-Sight, Beyond Line-of-Sight networking transports and Baseband technologies capable of providing assured and persistent communications & data transfer that support the transitions to the Army’s Unified Network. The Army’s Unified Network needs to have the following attributes/capabilities:

Technical Requirements:

· Design and develop novel terrestrial line-of-sight, beyond line-of-sight networking transports and baseband architectures

· Provide data transfer rates to manage and monitor clients, perform database synchronization, support voice, video, and collaboration

· Reduce latency

· Ensure seamless integration with existing cellular networks

· Demonstrate robust security features Objectives:

· Low Probability of Intercept / Low Probability of Detect (LPI/LPD)

· Low Size, Weight, & Power - Cost (SWaP-C)

· Multi-band – capable of support multi-band transport (L, C, X, Ku, Ka) & the ability to switch between bands on-the-fly.

· Multi-waveform – capable of incorporating current and future cellular waveforms.

· Multi-orbit – capable of supporting current and future satellite constellations (LEO/MEO/HEO/GEO).

Tactical Radio

BLOS Communications to include LEO/MEO

Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) technologies that utilize Low Earth Orbit (LEO) / Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) SATCOM must be able to transport mission command system data and sensor data around the battlefield for the Warfighter. Future Army BLOS capabilities need to have the following characteristics:

· Leverage technologies to provide converged man-portable BLOS network transport capability

· Ruggedized and mobile with low Size Weight and Power-Cost.

· Increased bandwidth, high throughput, low latency, low EMS signature and high spectral efficiency.

Information Advantage

The focus for Information Advantage experimentation this year is automated analytics and enhanced decision-making support with a focus on TRL 6 technologies.

Creation of an Information Advantage Overlay on Army Mission Command Information Systems

In support of the US Army’s emerging Information Advantage concept, the Army Proponent Office for Information Advantage (APO IA) is looking for an information system, platform, or program that can:

· Import and ingest data from multiple feeds, sources and formats

· Aggregate and analyze data from multiple sources.

· Output is required in either JSON or CSV file format (to maximize seamless integration with existing mission command information systems)

· Future goal would be to integrate this output into the Army’s Mission Command Information System

· Create an interactive digital display to inform users of mission-relevant atmospherics, information, and data. This data includes but is not necessarily limited to social media feeds, social media posts, internet news sources, etc. End users of this product will be non-technical/non-IT trained analysts.

AI Staff Process Automation

The Army is actively working to incorporate automation tools to enhance both the speed and fidelity of the decision-making process, this will increase the likelihood of being able to harness the Operational Environment to gain Information Advantage.

· Identify technologies that apply either open-AI or proprietary models to ingest, process and synthesize existing data.

· Technology should focus on Information Advantage activities, Information Dimension Analytics and Inform and Influence recommendations related to current Information Environment assessments and commander’s objectives.

Addressing issues concerning:

· Tools for identifying / reducing AI hallucinations

· Tools for identifying / reducing Data poisoning

Information Dimension Analytics

The Army is actively working to Integrate Information Dimension Assessment and Analysis in support of Commander’s Decision Making and Mission Command Information Systems Overlays.

· Identify technologies that can find, collect, aggregate, and provide analytics on publicly available information and provide that analysis in either JSON or CSV format to existing Multidomain Operation viewers with Information Advantage Overlay capabilities.

· This data includes but is not necessarily limited to social media feeds, social media posts, internet news sources, etc.

Defensive Cyberspace Operations

Counter Infiltration

· Identify emerging cyberspace technologies that provide the ability to protect, secure and defend, cyberspace resources by detecting and responding to threats within a defended network enclave.

· The capability shall provide cyber defenders the ability to employ fundamental deception tactics and techniques using lures to detect and respond to adversarial advanced persistent threat (APT) malicious cyberspace activity.

Threat Emulation

· Identify emerging cyberspace technologies (agentless) that provide the ability to emulate adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP) to assess the ability of people, processes, and systems to withstand an attack by an advance persistent threat (APT). Threat emulation increases defense on mission networks to include the DOD information network (DODIN), joint, coalition, and grey space.

· The capability shall provide defenders with an assessment of how organization and organizational networks would withstand an APT attack allowing for defenders to develop a plan to increase defensive measures against a known APT.

Modeling and Simulations

Network Emulation

The Army is seeking a virtual simulation that can support experimentation of network concepts from the tactical to enterprise level that does not require an extensive federation of different models. See requirements below.

· Emulate Terrestrial and SATCOM Tactical networks (i.e., Time Division Multiple Access, Frequency Division Multiple Access, Network Centric Waveform, Mobile User Objective System, High Frequency, Cellular, LINK 16, SINGARS, Tactical Scalable Manet waveform, Wi-Fi, etc.

· Ability to simulate/emulate government and commercial cloud services.

· Ability to perform bandwidth analysis at all seven layers of the OSI model using doctrinal IER traffic.

· Capability to ingest custom data sets and produce networking equipment overhead traffic.

· Ability to federate with Army and Joint Force on Force simulations (architecture language agnostic), to provide network effects to operational scenarios.

· Can utilize Hardware-in-the-Loop to integrate virtual and constructive simulations with a live environment.

Electromagnetic Warfare

Virtual simulations are needed by the Army that can display radio frequencies in the Electromagnetic Spectrum (EMS).

· Ability to model EMS signature of a maneuver force to include electronic emissions, heat signatures (IR), and Noise variables (i.e., generators, cables, etc.)

· Model signal propagation based on variables (power, waveform, environmental, weather, etc.) with the ability to model receiver, transmitter, jamming targets, and UAS in an operationally relevant environment. Capable of federating with Force-on-Force simulations (architecture language agnostic), to provide electronic effects in fluid operational scenarios.

· Capable of ingesting custom parametric model data.

Information Advantage

The Army is seeking simulations that can support the Information Advantage Capability and Requirements Assessment.

· Ability to emulate a network with multiple informational, physical, and human sensors that would allow IA elements to collect and store actionable data.

· Ability to model the effectiveness of messages and actions on local activity, in both protracted simulations for theater level actions, and scaled fix quick turn analysis in a tactical environment.

Predictive Analysis

The Army requires a combat exercise simulation that enhances exercise execution from the tactical to the operational level and reduces staff time by automating wargaming and simulations. This will enable Commanders at each echelon (strategic, operational and tactical) to visualize the operational environment and make better data-driven decisions faster.

· The Modeling and Simulation software would have to integrate tactical placement of formations in the AO from the Theater Army down to PLT/CO level, calculate movement rates (time and distance)

· Adjudicate ground combat

· Calculate close air support effects on ground combat adjudication

· Calculate naval effects on ground combat adjudication

· Integrate space-based effects into ground combat

· Account for terrain-based effects on the firepower calculations

· Calculate ammunition consumption

· Calculate attrition rates for friendly and enemy combatants

· Ingest the data from a customer provided database solution

· Output visual graphs and reports on results of combat adjudication

· Casualty support asset capabilities, casualty status, fuel, ammo

· Calculate fuel consumption

· Incorporate real-time sensor data and weather forecasts into visualizations

· Real-time weather forecasting, and its impact to friendly support asset requirements.

· AI/ML support for assessing friendly capabilities in conjunction to enemy MDCOA / MLCOA to provide decision making support to assist driving the MDMP process (FUOPS)

· Establish predictive analytics for logistics, casualty reporting, and enemy movements up to 96 hours (CUOPS)

Wargaming scenarios, models, (classified models will be identified), scripts, and workflows image1.png