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Browse AllDefense acquisition often struggles to match the pace of private investment, slowing the transition of mature commercial technologies into military use. This paper examines how aligning government acquisition with venture-oriented business models can increase industry participation, accelerate fielding, and reduce government program office risk. Using autonomous construction as a case study, it highlights how commercial investment has advanced autonomy while traditional procurement limits adoption. The paper outlines approaches such as non-traditional partnerships, phased acquisition, and performance-linked revenue structures to improve flexibility, leverage private capital, and expand the Defense Industrial Base while speeding operational capability delivery. Citation: Mazzara, M., San Nicolas, A., Gadea, J., Himmel, M., Kruger, J., Gill, C., & Simon, A., Soylemezoglu, A., Netchaev, A., Nottage, D., Klein, J. “Mobilizing Innovation: Venture Capital Alignment for Defense with Autonomous Construction Case Study” In Proceedings of the Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology Symposium (GVSETS), NDIA Michigan Chapter, Novi, MI, August 11–13, 2026.
The modern battlefield is increasingly transparent, generating large volumes of open-source data on the use, damage, and loss of military vehicles. This paper presents a structured methodology to exploit such data for deriving operational requirements for future vehicles. It uses a mixed-method framework combining qualitative reporting with quantitatively verified loss data. Daily battlefield reports are analyzed with large language models to extract operational context, employment patterns, and tactical conditions. These insights are cross-referenced with loss data to assess how operational factors affect vehicle survivability, with the findings being used to prioritize requirements that improve vehicle performance. The approach is demonstrated through a case study of Leopard tanks in the Russia-Ukraine war, using Institute for the Study of War reports and Oryxspioenkop loss data. Results show how open-source intelligence can systematically inform survivability, mobility, and combat effectiveness in modern vehicle design.
The U.S. Army’s Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) is driving data-centric vehicle architectures that demand higher bandwidth, faster decision loops, and greater cross-platform interoperability. Despite these needs, stakeholders hesitate to adopt fiber optics because of perceived fragility, field-retrofit FOD risk, and soldier-handling concerns. This paper characterizes common fiber failure modes in ground-vehicle environments and demonstrates how system-level ruggedization, connector design, and qualified components mitigate those risks. Drawing on demonstrated experience with hardened optics, connector-integrated transceivers, sealed media converters, and rugged cabling, we summarize practical architecture and field maintenance procedures that enable reliable fiber deployment in vehicles. Results show that, with appropriate component selection, installation practices, and built-in diagnostics, fiber optics can provide a robust, maintainable backbone for future ground vehicle networks.
Ground combat vehicles traditionally remain in service for decades, yet their rigid architectures make them costly to upgrade and slow to adapt to evolving threats. While the Department of War's 2025 Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) mandate aims to address this challenge, implementation barriers persist inconsistent vendor interpretations, physical and logical interoperability gaps, and IP complexities hinder progress. This paper proposes a reformed MOSA framework for ground vehicle Portfolio Acquisition Executives that redefines the government's role from system architect to ecosystem governor. The framework comprises four pillars: tiered standards balancing mandatory physical integration with vendor innovation, digital validation pipelines accelerating compliance verification, dynamic IP rights preventing vendor lock-in, and strategic portfolio management aligning investments with ground vehicle capability priorities. Special emphasis addresses integrating AI capabilities. This reformed approach enables rapid fielding of advanced ground vehicle capabilities at commercial innovation speed.
This paper details the successful scaling demonstration of a comprehensive supply chain screening process for commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) motherboard subassemblies used in tactical servers for naval applications. Our approach leverages Power Fingerprinting (PFP) technology, which uses unintended analog emissions and machine learning to provide independent, non-destructive, and scalable integrity assessment of microelectronics. The primary goal of the effort was to demonstrate the effectiveness and scalability of the PFP screening process without disrupting or delaying the manufacturing workflow. The screening successfully detected hardware and firmware modifications and identified two cases of abnormal behavior: unusual BIOS power reset and elevated CPU sensor readings on two motherboard subassemblies. Following our quality control forensic analysis, we determined the root cause of these anomalies and their potential impact on the host platform.
Modern defense manufacturing and sustainment require timely engineering decisions (e.g., inspection triage, rework/accept decisions, and process adjustment) based on the as-built geometric quality. Advanced machining systems generate rich multichannel controller and sensor streams, yet accurate geometric deviation labels remain costly and delayed because they depend on downstream metrology. This paper introduces ChronosGD, a retrieval-based virtual metrology framework. ChronosGD predicts pointwise geometric deviation from multichannel time series data by: (1) retrieving the most similar historical process windows in a frozen Chronos-2 embedding space, and (2) transferring deviation information through similarity-weighted aggregation. ChronosGD avoids plant-specific gradient retraining during deployment; adaptation is achieved by refreshing a labeled historical memory as new inspected parts become available, while preserving traceability through explicit neighbor provenance.
Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC) conducted a Soldier Touch Point (STP) in the field comparing the use of Vitreous User Interface (UI) on a Helmet Mounted Displays (HMD) to a Soldier Machine Interface (SMI) on Vehicle Mounted Displays (VMD). Soldiers drove a Stryker Vehicle equipped with 360-degree indirect vision through a series of mobility obstacles at Camp Grayling. No significant differences were found in Soldier performance between the UI conditions, however, a significant performed better maneuvering through obstacles on the right-hand side of the vehicle in comparison to the left. This is a continuation of simulation only work previously presented at GVSETs 2023.
Shrike Nano provides forward observers and small unmanned aerial system (sUAS) operators with an integrated solution to enhance target prosecution using sUAS video feeds and indirect fire systems. Operable within the Android Tactical Assault Kit (ATAK) ecosystem, Shrike Nano functions as a software plugin that interacts seamlessly with existing tools, including UAS Tool, Robot Picker, and Network Monitor. By utilizing either aided threat recognition (AiTR) or manual targeting workflows, along with passive single-camera geolocation, operators can nominate targets and correct shot placement via digital messaging to enterprise fires terminals such as the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS). The system offers key advantages, including operator standoff capabilities, accurate geolocation, and streamlined fires messaging workflows, all while leveraging low-observable platforms. Shrike Nano seeks to bridge gaps in traditional targeting processes by providing a cohesive and efficient sensor-to-shooter workflow that reduces cognitive load and enables faster, more reliable fire missions at the tactical edge.
Powder metallurgy hot isostatic pressing (PM HIP) is a novel manufacturing process extensively utilized in oil & gas and aerospace industries. With the evolution of this advanced manufacturing process, many other industrial sectors including defence are benefiting from the clear strategic advantages of PM HIP compared to conventional manufacturing processes. This paper is intended to give an overview of PM HIP technologies and highlight the potential of this process for the manufacture of components for land based military systems. The study will focus on a brief introduction of PM HIP technology followed by more detailed description of some key benefits of adopting PM HIP in defence sectors. These include easier processability of Ti-alloys, generation of high-performance metal matrix composites (MMCs), manufacturing of complex shape parts and generation of multi-materials structures via HIP diffusion bonding (DB). Finally, the paper will focus on future prospectives of PM HIP.