Request for Solutions: ATHENA - Training and Experimentation for Capability Development

Request for Solutions: ATHENA - Training and Experimentation for Capability Development 13 August 2018 1.0 Purpose The United States Army Future Studies Group is seeking demonstrable processes and system(s) with enterprise and field level capability to identify, demonstrate, and assess innovative commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) wargaming suites that support training, education, and concept development. The Government will evaluate the solutions with the intent of negotiating an Other Transaction Agreement under the Training and Readiness Accelerator (TReX). 2.0 Solutions Summary and Service Background 2.1 The United States Army desires processes and system(s) with enterprise and field level capability to support combat development through wargaming interfaces that collect data and enable omnipresent interfaces that promote experimentation along two vectors: competitive strategies and big data/AI. The delivered solutions will fall into three distinct categories: 1) Competitive Strategy Gaming Environment; 2) Wargaming Platform; and 3) Omnichannel Advising Assistant. These three lines of effort all fall under the ATHENA prototype project. 2.2 The name ATHENA was chosen for two reasons. As the Greek god of wisdom and strategy, the name captures our intent to gain a better understanding of how we fight and use it to develop new concepts and capabilities. Second, the name was previously used by an experimental effort in the early 1980s at MIT exploring how computers could be used to enhance education. Like that initiative, we view ATHENA as an education vehicle, but one that has the added benefits of 1) informing concept and capability development in support of Army Cross Functional Teams and 2) providing a testbed for experimenting with narrow AI decision tools. If successful, ATHENA could be transitioned to a program of record along these lines. 2.3 The Competitive Strategy Gaming Environment will provide a table-top exercise- like process and unclassified interface using existing Microsoft Office tools like Access that facilitates competitive strategy games. These games will use insights from across the service and think tank community about the future operational environment to design defense planning scenarios over time. Participants will replicate major competitors consistent with the National Defense Strategy and U.S. services and make investments using baseline, unclassified data on RDT&E and procurement expenditures. The idea is replicate competitive investments dynamics in support of Army Futures Command and the Cross Functional Teams and the prioritization of modernization investments. 2.4 Wargaming Platform will adapt COTS war-games at the tactical through operational level. These games will be easily tailored through the scenario engine to allow units to introduce new capabilities consistent with larger service-level investments options. These games will also provide a structured dataset based on game play that allows for future narrow AI applications. Last, these games will provide tactical-level (company and battalion) education vehicles optimized for officer professional development sessions and professional military education. 2.5 Omnichannel Advising Assistant will consist of adapting Alexa-like platforms to work with unclassified tactical terms and tasks. These tools should be used in conjunction with the Wargaming Platform to experiment with warfighter assistances that help offset cognitive load and enable operational judgment. 2.6 Vendors may bid on one or more solutions. Competitive Strategy Gaming Environment, Wargaming Platform, and Omnichannel Advising Assistant are each considered a solution. 2.7 The desired prototype(s) will be an open, accessible, collaborative wargaming environment that helps military professionals increase their "reps and sets" in fighting peer competitors and enhances mission effectiveness and military readiness. 2.8 The Government anticipates that follow-on production contracts or transactions may be awarded to the Vendor(s) of this effort without the use of competitive procedures if the participants in this transaction successfully complete the prototype project as outlined within this Request for Solutions and in accordance with the initially proposed individual solutions. 2.8.1 Further prototyping, if the initial prototype project is successfully completed, is anticipated to include, though not necessarily all inclusive, establishing the technical baseline for Minimum Viable Product(s), providing the Operational Test & Evaluation articles, procuring a limited amount of licenses to support limited deployment, and defining a deployment and sustainment strategy for full production. 2.9 The Army seeks to focus on mission outcomes and the enabling services and data, while allowing technology to be continuously inserted and modernized without disruption to the user community. 2.10 Vendors interested in responding to this Request for Solutions must be members of the Training and Readiness Accelerator (TReX). The full RFS can be viewed on the TReX website, located at the following link: https://trainingaccelerator.org/2018/07/athena/