DOD Issues RPP Through the National Spectrum Consortium to Develop Near Real Time Spectrum Management Technologies to Support Operational Outcomes

WASHINGTON, April 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The US Department of Defense (DOD) has issued a third Request for Prototype Proposal (RPPs) in support of electromagnetic spectrum research related to the capabilities of the 400+ members of the National Spectrum Consortium.

Issued under DOD's Spectrum Access Research & Development (SAR&DP) Program, the RPP is part of a series of requirements to develop near real time spectrum management technologies that leverage machine learning/artificial intelligence to more efficiently and dynamically allocate spectrum assignments based on operational planning and intended operational outcomes.

Specifically, this RPP is centered on the Operational Spectrum Comprehension, Analytics, and Response (OSCAR) effort.  This project will create a software application with unified graphical user interface, automated workflows, sensor network, and extensible framework needed at testing and training ranges for aerial combat training to ensure that spectrum is available when and where needed for AWS-3 impacted systems and incumbent systems.

The goal is to provide advanced spectrum management capabilities to the incumbent systems in the AWS-3 bands; however, this prototype will be applicable to all spectrum being managed on range so as to not fragment tool suites for Installation Managers. OSCAR will provide the spectrum management tools, workflows, and sensor network necessary to increase spectrum utilization and improve range spectrum management. 

"NSC members look forward to collaborating with the government to develop tools that address the need for near-real time spectrum management for effective training and deliver cutting-edge spectrum maneuver capabilities to the operational force. OSCAR will enable military aircraft to continue to get the rigorous training they need, while also supporting expanded commercial activity. But the solutions that are developed won't be limited to domestic use.  They will also support operational capabilities called for in the Joint All-Domain Command and Control and Electromagnetic Superiority strategies," said National Spectrum Consortium Executive Director Maren Leed.  "I'm excited to see the innovations that our more than 400 members, with their unparalleled technical breadth and depth, will bring to this challenge. Leveraging their collective expertise, NSC members will make sure that aviators have access to the information they need at the moment it is needed, whether on the range or in the fight."

"There is a growing appreciation for how critical it is that our warfighters have assured, near real time access to spectrum in order to meet of operational imperatives," said National Spectrum Consortium Chief Strategy Officer, Vice Admiral Joseph Dyer, USN (ret).  "We strongly encourage our members to collaborate and respond to this important RPP to make sure that our nation's armed forces can remain agile and utilize spectrum in dynamic, near real time manner."

Earlier this month, the DoD issued two additional RPPs related to near real time spectrum management – Risk Informed Spectrum Access (RISA) and Multiband Instrumented Control Channel Architecture (MICCA).  An overview of the projects can be found at beta.sam.gov.

These RPPs are the first to be issued under the National Spectrum Consortium's 5-year, $2.5 billion ceiling Other Transaction Agreement, which was signed in December 2020.  Additional RPPs are expected to be issued through the NSC in the coming days and weeks.

Request for Prototype Proposal
NSC-21-RPP-04 – Operational Spectrum Comprehension, Analytics, and Response (OSCAR)

This RPP is one of a number of projects in the Spectrum Access Research & Development Program (SAR&DP) portfolio being solicited in Tranche 2.  This includes:

1. Risk Informed Spectrum Access (RISA)
2. Operational Spectrum Comprehension, Analytics, and Response (OSCAR)
3. Multiband Instrumented Control Channel Architecture (MICCA)
4. Cooperative Spectrum Access for Testing (CSAT)

Contractors on these projects are expected to work in a cooperative manner with other project teams within the SAR&DP Tranche 2 portfolio to align schedules and harmonize the development of interfaces and protocols with complimentary systems between projects.  Members of the NSC in good standing can submit proposals in response to the RPPs.  Proposals related to the OSCAR RPP are due June 01, 2021 at 11:59 PM ET. 

Spectrum Forward OTA
Last December, the DOD awarded the Spectrum Forward Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) to the National Spectrum Consortium (NSC) to accelerate the development, adoption and deployment of next-generation technologies to provide our warfighters the decisive edge on the battlefield.  The OTA has a term of five years and a ceiling value of $2.5 billion. The goal of the Spectrum Forward OTA is to facilitate a partnership between the US technology and industrial base and the US Government to develop dual-use technologies across a range of advanced technologies that rely upon electromagnetic spectrum, from machine learning to autonomous navigation to next generation radio access networks.

Additionally, last year, DOD issued four 5G RPPs through the NSC. These focused on smart warehouses, Artificial Reality/Virtual Reality (AR/VR) for training, and dynamic spectrum sharing.  DOD announced in October that these projects had been awarded as part of $600 million of 5G Tranche One funding.

The NSC membership possesses broad expertise in the following areas related to the electromagnetic spectrum:  Ubiquitous Connectivity; Cognitive Spectrum Access & Sharing; Cybersecurity; Radio Frequency-Free Space Optics Cooperative Systems; Autonomous Systems (Ground/Air/Maritime); Internet of Things (Narrow Band/Critical/Massive); Electronic Warfare; Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR); Software Defined Radios/Networking/Architectures; Radar Systems; Digital Signal Processing; Microelectronics; Software Reconfigurability; Nanotechnology; Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence; Autonomy/Robotics; Biotechnology; Big Data Analytics; Edge and Cloud Computing; Augmented/Virtual/Mixed Reality; Location Detection; 3D Printing/Additive Manufacturing; and 5th generation (5G) information communications technologies, products, and services including the use of zero trust.

About the National Spectrum Consortium
The NSC is comprised of over 400 U.S. companies and academic institutions, and their technologists, engineers, scientists, manufacturers, and program managers work with their counterparts in government to solve the toughest problems facing the nation with regard to spectrum-related technologies, to include 5G and 5G-based technologies, providing the DoD and other customers with spectrum superiority. The NSC's mission is to foster collaboration among Government, Industry and Academia to identify, develop and demonstrate the enabling technologies necessary to broaden the military and commercial access to and use of the electromagnetic spectrum for 5G and beyond. For more information, visit www.nationalspectrumconsortium.org.

Contact: Scott Gerber, [email protected], 408-202-4255

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SOURCE National Spectrum Consortium