AIM-ING HIGH


problem statements and invite nontra- ditional companies, acquisition subject matter experts, other government agency subject matter experts, academic experts and—most importantly—warfighters and operators to use that problem statement as the starting point for a dialogue that spans all phases of the technology devel- opment process,” said Michael R. Guinn, SOCOM AIM program manager and one of the founders of AIM.


As the dialogue progresses, the partici- pants work together collaboratively. Te nontraditional companies and academics contribute their knowledge of rapid tech- nology evolution. Te warfighters and operators contribute their insights into the real-world demands and challenges of using CBRN technologies in the field. Te participants are encouraged to share their knowledge, negotiate technology solution requirements and, when appropriate, build relationships to share costs. For example, when two or more government agen- cies have requirements that may be met under a single solution, it could be advan- tageous for them to share costs toward a single solution, rather than pursuing sepa- rate ones.


“AIM was our first contract with the DOD, and it helped focus our company direction by


providing a specific application for the new technology we were developing.”


32 Army AL&T Magazine Winter 2022


ACROSS THE SERVICES


AIM helps companies like KEF Robotics find more customers in the Air Force, Marine Corps, and other DOD branches. (Photo by Cpl. Jackson Ricker, U.S. Marine Corps)


“AIM filled a gap in acquisition. It allows for a more rapid cycle of identifying the best technologies and an agile way to establish contracts,” said Jonathan Bartel, JPEO-CBRND joint product leader for CBRN Information Systems. “Te subject matter experts from nontraditional small businesses, startups and academia gener- ally know very little about what we do, but at the same time, they possess tremendous knowledge of the technologies we need to meet our CBRN challenges in the field.”


THE CORE TEAM Te core of this initiative is a partner- ship between SOCOM, JPEO-CBRND and DEVCOM CBC. SOCOM takes


the lead role in most acquisitions because it has the experience and personnel to conduct complex acquisitions. JPEO- CBRND functions as the program office because its structure overseeing its subor- dinate joint project managers makes it well suited to coordinate the activities between the three partners. DEVCOM CBC serves as the technical hub because of its ability to allow technology developers to access its own workforce of scientists and engi- neers spanning many disciplines. It also has a unique testing and experimentation infrastructure.


A new kind of platform for engaging nontraditional technology developers was


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