Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology Jacques S.Gansler today announced the remaining increment of five new Fiscal Year 1998 Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD) programs designed to evaluate mature technology to meet warfighter needs. The President's FY98 budget includes $81.1 million for on-going and new FY98 ACTD programs. This amount leverages ongoing Department of Defense (DoD), military Services, and Defense Agency science and technology investments.

This list follows a group of nine ACTDs approved in November 1997, out of 17 proposed finalists prioritized by the Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC). More than 75 proposals were submitted by the military Services, theater commanders and Joint Staff. The JROC also recommended prospective user sponsors and lead services/agencies for the programs.

As with the first group of nine, the current list of approved ACTDs supports operational concepts as defined in Joint Vision 2010: Dominant Maneuver, Precision Engagement, Full Dimensional Protection, and Focused Logistics. These ACTDs focus on three principal objectives: gain an operator's understanding and evaluation of the military utility of new technology applications before committing to acquisition; develop corresponding battlefield concepts of operation and doctrine that make the best use of the new capability; and provide residual operational capability to the forces.

The recently approved, second group of five ACTDs for 1998 include: Adaptive Course of Action which provides real-time joint planning software tools used by multiple commanders in chief; High-Powered Microwave which demonstrates an Information Warfare attack capability; Space-Based Space Surveillance Operations which surveys space objects with a current (in-orbit) sensor system; Migration Defense Intelligence Threat Data System which is designed to increase warning of attacks and enhance protection of DoD personnel, equipment, and facilities from terrorism; and C4I for Coalition Warfare which aims to enhance the capability of U.S. command & control systems to interoperate with British, French, and German systems.