EDGE Members Gather to Determine 2009 Research and Development Efforts

Project Planning Workshop Fosters Alignment among members to increase possibility of inserting capabilities sooner

Members of the EDGE Innovation Network are briefed on new opportunities including Battlefield Airman Operators and Ground-Based Sense and Avoid.

Richard Coupland, Director of the EDGE Innovation Network, discusses where gaps can be addressed with the insertion of new capabilities into major programs.

MAJ Jesse Sessoms (left) and MAJ William Willey of the US Army's Command and General Staff College address questions on capability gaps from the EDGE members.

The EDGE Innovation Network recently hosted a project planning workshop in Scottsdale, Ariz., so members could help determine the best areas to collectively direct 2009 Independent Research and Development (IRAD) efforts toward possible EDGE projects.

 Held in late October at the General Dynamics C4 Systems facility, the two-day workshop included presentations from EDGE variants, Warrior Systems and Battle Command, and break-out sessions to generate discussion on potential projects. A session was also devoted to user feedback from students of the US Army’s Command & General Staff Collegep>

"The EDGE offers a great forum to hear and understand the warfighters’ concerns and issues that the EDGE members need to collaborate on and address," said Keith Siracuse, a product manager for Cisco Systems who was among the workshop’s 50 attendees.

Dean Kato, product manager of Engineered Components for Esterline Corporation, added, “It provides Esterline with a forum that unlocks new business opportunities.”

Richard Coupland, director of the EDGE Innovation Network, opened the workshop by encouraging participants to interact with one another and determine where “identified customer gaps can be addressed with the insertion of new capabilities into major programs.”

The EDGE approach, in which industry “listens to the needs of soldiers and reacts,” is complementary to the Department of Defense’s 5000 acquisition model because the customer community can monitor what is evolving in the EDGE with no obligation to purchase,” Coupland said. He noted that the average cycle time of 79 days – from project start to first customer demo – “is extremely quick compared to other models within DoD that can take over a year to react.”

It’s a difference that’s appreciated by EDGE members, too. “The pre-acquisition philosophy and General Dynamics’ guidance helps us focus on the real needs of the warfighter,” Kato said.

Tom DeMaria, business development engineer for EDGE Battle Command, pointed out other shifts within the acquisition community. “They’re requiring more for less as well as more spiral…prove it, and then buy it.”

While Coupland noted that being a member of the EDGE doesn’t guarantee a contract, he stressed that if members “align their efforts in 2009, a better chance exists to identify and respond to a capability gap, and possibly be contracted to insert capabilities into a program if adopted by the customer.”

To that end, the EDGE staff briefed members on possible procurement opportunities from the EDGE Warrior variant, including Ground Soldier Ensemble (GSE), as well as visioneering results from Battlefield Air Operations (BAO) Kit. Capability and technology gaps were presented on Service-Oriented Architectures (SOA) and Ground-Based Sense & Avoid (GBSAA) from the EDGE Battle Command variant.

Rob Hallagan, General Dynamics capture manager, described GSE as a system-of-systems for dismounted soldiers and follow-on to Land Warrior.

“It’s mature technology and moving quickly,” he noted. GSE is entering the Technology Development (TD) phase of the DoD acquisition cycle and the government plans to competitively award up to three incrementally funded, cost-plus fixed-fee contracts.  Hallagan noted that the production contract has a potential value of $1 billion.

Mike Thorlin, BAO systems engineer, said the BAO kit is not a system but rather a family of systems relatively independent and “dismounted airmen can choose individual items depending on the mission.”

Based on results from visioneering sessions, in which users and engineers determine technology needs, he reported that the Integrated Targeting Device (ITD) “is the real challenge and a priority product.”

Other immediate opportunities for EDGE members include wearable/integrated antennas, on-the-move recharge, and secure wireless personal area network, Thorlin said.

Guy Bieber, a member of General Dynamics technical staff, focused on SOA capability gaps such as catching disruptive technology “without breaking the system” and easing the ability to integrate. Under technology gaps, he cited dealing with ultra large-scale system problems and integration frameworks so with “late integration you do not have to re-write code.”

Tom DeMaria added that “systems are getting too complex and risk gridlocked,” requiring migration to net-centric architectures and industry working together to minimize data integration issues.

He also addressed military and civilian Ground-Based Sense & Avoid. “The government is interested in solving this problem,” said DeMaria, who pointed to the radar and sensor domain as an area where EDGE members can team with one other.

Feedback from the event has been very positive. So much in fact, that the EDGE plans to make the project planning workshop an annual event. More information about the EDGE Innovation Network and its variants can be found at www.edge-innovation.com.