Technology Transition and Industrial Base Readiness Framework Prototype

The Department of Defense requires a coordinated, repeatable approach to transition innovative capabilities from research and development into acquisition, production, fielding, and sustainment. Currently, promising defense technologies face organizational and lifecycle barriers that prevent effective movement across the research, acquisition, production, and sustainment phases. Structural ambiguity between the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSW(R&E)) and the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (OUSW(A&S)) impedes cross-functional decision-making and knowledge management. Affordability, manufacturability, and sustainment issues are often identified late in the technology maturation cycle, after significant investment has already occurred, contributing to promising capabilities stalling before reaching production and operational deployment. This challenge seeks to prototype an integrated technology-transition framework and associated business processes that will connect OUSW(R&E) and OUSW(A&S), reduce structural barriers, and improve coordination among research, acquisition, manufacturing, supply-chain, and sustainment stakeholders. By linking transition workflows to the Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) process, the framework will improve visibility of resource needs, schedules, and risks, supporting timely delivery of critical national security capabilities. The prototype effort will proceed across three phases: establishing foundational governance, workflows, and joint knowledge management; expanding the framework to address industrial-base readiness including affordability, manufacturability, and producibility; and implementing, validating, and refining the processes to reduce transition barriers. The initial phase prototype serves as a proof of concept for repeatable business processes, with subsequent phases contingent on funding availability.
## Problem Statement
The Department of Defense currently lacks a coordinated, repeatable approach to transition innovative capabilities from research and development into acquisition, production, fielding, and sustainment. Structural ambiguity between OUSW(R&E) and OUSW(A&S) impedes cross-functional decision-making and knowledge management, preventing effective coordination among research, acquisition, manufacturing, supply-chain, and sustainment stakeholders. Technology transition workflows are not systematically linked to the PPBE process, resulting in poor visibility of resource needs, schedules, and risks. Affordability, manufacturability, and sustainment issues are often identified late in the technology maturation cycle, after significant investment has already occurred, which contributes to promising capabilities stalling before reaching production and operational deployment. Without repeatable business processes and governance frameworks that connect technology developers with lifecycle stakeholders, the Government cannot effectively move innovative defense capabilities through organizational and lifecycle barriers, preventing timely delivery of critical national security capabilities and undermining mission effectiveness.
## Overall Objective
Develop and validate an integrated, repeatable technology-transition framework that improves coordination and decision-making between OUSW(R&E) and OUSW(A&S), connects transition planning to the Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) process, and addresses affordability, manufacturability, scalability, and sustainment considerations. The framework will establish shared governance structures, repeatable workflows for identifying and prioritizing transition opportunities, cross-lifecycle decision forums connecting research, acquisition, and sustainment stakeholders, and joint knowledge-management practices that support informed transition decisions. By providing early visibility of resource requirements, schedule considerations, and transition risks, the framework will enable timely delivery of critical capabilities from research and development through acquisition, production, fielding, and sustainment, reducing structural ambiguity and supporting national security requirements.