Replicator in Government Funding Bill
By the numbers: The budget agreement includes more than $200,000,000 in support of Replicator initiative.
Our take:?Inclusion of funding demonstrates that existing authorities, when used purposefully and judiciously, can be responsive to emerging needs.
What’s next: To facilitate continued oversight, the agreement directs the Deputy Secretary of Defense to provide a briefing to the House and Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittees with:
- Updated spending profiles and requirements for sustaining each system identified to receive Replicator funding, by fiscal year and by Service through fiscal year 2029;
- Security classification guidance; and
- The concept of operations for the employment of each such system and relevant threat assessments.
Commercial sector tie-in: It is understood that there is a growing ecosystem of technologies from commercial entities capable of contributing to Replicator's identified objectives. Therefore, the agreement directs the Deputy Secretary of Defense to provide a report to the congressional defense committees identifying:
- The total amount of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funds that have been obligated against projects with technologies consistent with the Replicator initiative;
- To the extent available, no less than five examples from each Service of commercial entities that have demonstrated autonomous, attritable systems; and
- Instances of commercial entities demonstrating autonomous, attritable systems that transitioned from SBIR projects to programs of record.
Replicator In The News
- The House and Senate appropriations committees unveiled a final $825 billion defense funding bill for fiscal 2024. One of the top adds is $200 million for Replicator, a strong show of confidence in the department’s effort.
- When the department delivered its FY24 budget request to Congress last year, it hadn’t unveiled the new initiative yet, and has since said it would like a total of $500 million this year to kick it off. (The Pentagon has submitted a separate reprogramming request for $300 million, Bloomberg reported last month.)
- For the first time, Pentagon officials estimated the cost of Replicator. Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said her signature initiative would cost a planned $1 billion, divided evenly between fiscal years 2024 and 2025. Whatever programs follow early Replicator work will likely require additional funding, she said.
- The service said it wants to instead prioritize current operations and personnel, along with small unmanned systems and the Pentagon-led Replicator program, which could yield results for the fleet on a much shorter timeline.
- Rear Adm. Ben Reynolds noted the Navy will fund its contribution to the OSD-led Replicator program. However, he declined to detail what that money would buy, and the Navy did not disclose how much it will put towards the effort.
- The U.S. Army is poised to be the largest player in the first round of Replicator projects, according Doug Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, who said that the Pentagon selected a system the service proposed for the initial tranche of Replicator.
- The formation of a new, bipartisan caucus comes as the DOD is pursuing a number of nascent high-stakes technology initiatives — including CJADC2 and Replicator. Reps. Pat Ryan, D-N.Y. and Rob Wittman, R-Va. will co-chair the group.
- The Appropriations Act would task Hicks to brief members of the House and Senate defense appropriations subcommittees on, “the concept of operations for the employment of each such system and relevant threat assessments.”
- The directive would also require the Pentagon to provide updated spending profiles and requirements for sustaining each system that’s been tapped to receive Replicator funding.
- The Pentagon's chief digital and AI officer said that CDAO has created a "Replicator sandbox" to test industry drone software.
Craig Martell
said CDAO is in the process of helping test systems involved in the Replicator initiative.
Replicator’s Demand Signal For Industry
- Many drone industry experts are optimistic too. That’s largely because the Replicator project could infuse American drone companies with much-needed capital.
- “The potential for DoD investment into these systems, many of which are dual purpose commercial and defense technologies, benefits the warfighting capabilities of the United States,” according to a white paper from AUVSI. “It also boosts U.S. industry, spurring job creation, investment, and advanced R&D.”
-
Bill Greenwalt
predicts that the biggest technical challenge to Replicator will not be aerodynamics, range, or software, but manufacturing.
- Adding to the headaches is the fact that the US commercial drone sector lags behind China’s, where Chinese companies like DJI dominate the market for the types of technologies that could be adapted for dual use. Ukraine’s forces have been celebrated for adapting these off-the-shelf systems for military purposes, and Kyiv now buys about 60 percent of the world’s supply of DJI’s popular Mavic quadcopter. But that’s obviously not an option for the US when China itself is the anticipated adversary.
- Still, Greenwalt is cautiously excited about the level of ambition involved. “Can we basically adopt a manufacturing capability from scratch with new technology? That, I think, is the real revolutionary potential of Replicator.”
AUVSI's Defense Advocacy Committee advances policies and funding for uncrewed and autonomous systems in the Department of Defense, ensuring the U.S. remains at the forefront of autonomous defense technologies. Learn more or contact
Michael Smitsky, Esq.
CEO Hero-drone.com
11 个月I have developed a new frame for UAVs that is extremely light and strong and scalable, using off the shelf components. I am still looking for a contract in order to find funding.