Over the Horizon Arms Control SME Support

This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE; there is no solicitation available at this time. No response will be provided to requests for solicitation. THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE IS PUBLISHED FOR MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY. The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) is seeking capabilities statements related to the following: The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) is responsible for executing and providing mission support to multiple treaties, agreements, and treaty provisional secretariats to which the United States is a party or other type of participant. Such treaties include the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) agreements, the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), and the Provisional Secretariat of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). DTRA's Technical Equipment Inspection (TEI) Program under the On-Site Inspection and Building Capacity (OB) Directorate provides certification and subsequent inspections of foreign arms-control equipment intended for use in and around U.S. facilities. The TEI Program is currently applicable to Foreign Inspection Team (FIT) equipment and supplies for the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) agreements, and the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and may expand operations for future arms control treaties and agreements. Because of the constantly evolving nature of treaty policy, ongoing RDTE is required to ensure that the United States is prepared to execute inspection, verification, and validation to support its mission and associated international engagements. The scope of this requirement includes RDTE of equipment, methodologies, and other support essential to DTRA's mission to focus on emerging and trending threats in arms control. DTRA seeks Subject Matter Expertise (SME) support in all of the following areas: - Expert knowledge on the technical specifications and requirements of U.S. and international equipment relevant to the arms control treaties and agreements; - Experience in developing and using sensor characterization tools to inspect, analyze, and characterize digital imaging equipment; - Experience with acquisition and analysis of x-ray radiographic imagery; - Experience in providing SME support regarding treaty negotiations; - Practical optics laboratory experience to include opto-mechanical design and fabrication, development of beam alignment procedure and tools, optical component layout, simple lens design, and component specification and acquisition; - Experience with designing custom mechanical components and the ability to create them via 3D printing; - Experience with designing, testing, and building small electronic systems; - Image acquisition and readout timing modification of sensors to include charge-coupled devices, complementary metal oxide semiconductors, and near-infrared focal plane arrays; - Use of analytical techniques such as Fast-Fourier transforms and Monte Carlo methods to analyze data and images; - Use and adaptation of time-domain reflectometers; - Experience with the use of boroscopes; - Application of longitudinal dispersion compensators to long-baseline optical interferometers; - Programming in C, MATLAB, Interactive Data Language, MathCad, and shell scripts such as bash and csh; - Use of computer-aided design programs to include AutoCAD, SolidWorks, and Zemax; - Image processing to include filtering, white and color balancing, ortho-rectification, mosaicing, and generation of three-dimensional (3-D) models from imagery; - Imagery analysis from IR Sensor Characterization Device, to include modulation transfer function (MTF) calculations, focal plane array (FPA) imagery and analysis, and thermal measurement analysis, to include measuring the noise equivalent temperature difference (NETD), and measuring minimum resolvable temperature difference (MRTD). - Developing approaches to conduct experimental collection of IR imagery on various calibration targets and analyze the imagery to assess the characteristics of various IR calibration targets. The targets could include various shapes such as a tri-bar target or Siemens star, or various target materials. Target analysis would include assessing the optimal target size, the effects of temperature, and optimal target backgrounds to provide the USG with the best information on target selection. - Developing approaches to radar inverse SAR measurement and imaging techniques using compressive sensing for phase history reconstruction; - Experience with Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence; - Developing image processing algorithms to analyze digital imagery data; - System design, signal processing, and image formation for SAR; - Modeling and analysis of SAR system architectures and the design and integration of digital-receiver-based SAR architectures; - Signal processing to include modeling and simulation of down-conversion and pulse compression techniques to assess the relationship between waveform parameters and maximum achievable resolution; - Real world experience with on-site inspections of foreign equipment; - Experience with certification and authentication of foreign and domestic equipment - Experience with initiating and maintaining USG collaborations with other USG entities and foreign Allies and Partners - Must have ability to obtain and maintain a diplomatic passport with Visa for the Russian Federation; - Must hold or have ability to obtain and maintain TS/SCI clearance as adjudicated using a single scope background investigation specified by personnel security and the SSO for principal scientist/engineer; support/reach back personnel must hold or have ability to obtain and maintain SECRET clearance. Sources having the capability to meet these requirements are invited to respond to this notice. Responses should be limited to a ten (10) page white paper, in 12 point Courier New font (not including cover page, cover letter and table of contents). Any proprietary concepts of information should be clearly identified as such. Submitted data and information will not be returned. Any information submitted in response to this Sources Sought Notice is strictly voluntary. This notice is for information planning purposes and the Government will not pay or otherwise reimburse respondents for information submitted. All documentation shall become the property of the Government. Unless otherwise stated herein, no additional information is available. Requests for same will be disregarded. There is no commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation, to make award or awards, or to be responsible for any monies expended by any interested parties in support of any effort in response to this Sources Sought Notice. Information provided herein is subject to change and in no way binds the Government to solicit or award a contract. Only electronic responses are required and shall be submitted to: cassandra.l.miller28.ctr@mail.mil, no later than September 13, 2022, 3:00 PM local Fort Belvoir, VA time. All emails should include the source sought title, request number, and submitting organization's name in the subject line.