fall, with the goal of limited deployment to Europe beginning early in 2018.
While this first phase of electronic war- fare capability is not expected to be a perfect, enduring solution fielded to the entire Army, it will close a high-risk gap against a rapidly modernizing adversary until official programs of record arrive with more mature technology. It also is informing the programs of record, as PM EW&C can adjust plans and reduce risk based on Soldier feedback from the RCO interim solution.
FULL SPEED AHEAD At the same time as the RCO is deploying this electronic warfare capability to select units, it will also move forward to address other gaps and operational needs.
In its first year, the RCO started a PNT project that aims to enable ground maneu- ver in GPS-denied environments so that Soldiers can operate safely and success- fully despite enemy jamming attempts. Working with the PNT community, the RCO identified viable technologies and accelerated their prototyping and inte- gration. Initially these prototypes will be placed in priority combat vehicles while serving as a proof of concept for additional combat and combat support vehicles. An initial operational assess- ment of the capability is planned for the spring of 2018.
Te RCO is also helping to shepherd and shape other Army urgent prototyp- ing projects. Led by the Fires Center of Excellence at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, the Army delivered two prototype vehicles to Europe in March 2017. Known as the Counter-UAS (C-UAS) Mobile Integrated Capability, or CMIC, the sys- tem consists of Strykers integrated with advanced electronic capabilities to allow tactical units to detect, identify and
defeat UAS through multiple different effects. Tis summer, through partners that included HQDA G-3/5/7, the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Devel- opment and Engineering Center and the U.S. Army Communications-Electronic Research, Development and Engineer- ing Center, a prototype system made its debut in Exercise Saber Strike. Known as the Remote Reconnaissance Vehicle Version 2 (R2V2), the unmanned ground and aerial capability can travel to areas where Soldiers can’t in order to collect information that provides real-time situ- ational awareness of the electromagnetic spectrum. Te RCO is supporting CMIC and R2V2 as part of ongoing electronic warfare efforts.
Te RCO also continues to move forward as the Army looks to fill other crucial gaps that apply across various regions and threats. Tese areas include cyber, artifi- cial intelligence, long-range precision fires and high-energy lasers. Te RCO is already partnering with USSOCOM and the Strategic Capabilities Office to advance swarm and anti-swarm capabilities through Tunder Drone, a two-month rapid prototyping event focused on drones, tactical swarms and their effects, culminating in a September 2017 demonstration of select systems.
At the same time the RCO is delivering prototypes, its Emerging Technologies Office (ETO) is forging ahead in out- reach to everyone from traditional defense contractors to consortiums, small businesses, universities and others to identify the most promising technology. Te ETO is looking at flexible and rapid industry engagement mechanisms and has established an open-door policy, both in person and through a secure web por- tal, to identify current gaps and match them with technology trends. Te ETO has also partnered with the intelligence
community and is poised to transition several disruptive technologies.
CONCLUSION One year into its existence, the RCO is proving, through the power of proto- types, to be a change agent for addressing strategic -level urgent and evolving threats while informing the Army’s long- term modernization approach. In doing what it set out to do during its initial year, the RCO established a precedent in prototyping at a pace that is relevant to meet immediate demands and close stra- tegic gaps.
Operating on a small scale, taking tech- nology risks that larger programs can’t and finding interim solutions that help inform long-term programs, the RCO is playing a critical role in ensuring that the Army is ready to meet real-time demands today through the power of prototyping and is prepared for unknown demands tomorrow.
For more information, visit http://rapid
capabilitiesoffice.army.mil/.
LT. COL. MARCOS A. CERVANTES served as the deputy director for acquisition for RCO from August 2016 through August 2017, when he was selected as acquisition adviser
to the undersecretary of the
Army. As one of RCO’s first and founding employees, he helped build the mission, culture, operations and accomplishments during its first year. Cervantes holds an MBA in systems acquisition management from the Naval Postgraduate School and a B.S. in business administration from Te Citadel. He is Level III certified in program management and is a member of the Army Acquisition Corps.
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