Alion Science and Technology, headquartered in McLean, VA, announced on October 8 that it has been awarded a $49.8M Army Futures Command (AFC) contract by the U.S. Army Contracting Command to support the development of new Army concepts, capabilities, and systems using revolutionary technology uncovered in academia, within the start-up ecosystem, and from across industry.
Working directly for the Army Applications Lab (AAL), part of the Army Futures Command, Alion engineers will aid in the rapid development of prototypes that can translate innovations from industry into sustainable Army capabilities.
“We’ve heard from leaders across the national security community that an entrepreneurial approach to problem solving is necessary in today’s threat environment,” said Steve Schorer, Alion’s president and CEO. “We couldn’t agree more, and are thrilled for the opportunity to help the Army achieve that agility and impact as part of this effort.”
The goal of the AFC is to lead the Army’s force modernization enterprise by assessing the future operating environment, emerging threats, and new technologies in order to develop and deliver concepts, future force design, and modern materiel solutions to meet soldiers’ evolving needs.
Building on its legacy as a curator of commercial technology, Alion will help the AFC access the state-of-the-art technologies and techniques necessary to develop adaptive capabilities to ensure the success of the future Army, with an initial focus on multi-domain Army operations in dense urban environments. Engaging what’s known as the National Security Innovation Base, the team will bring together the best capabilities of the current Defense Industrial Base with the broader community of innovative problem solvers needed to address the complex operating environment of today and tomorrow.
“Our soldiers deserve every advantage we can offer, whatever the source,” said Christopher Zember, Alion VP for Advanced Technology Operations and project lead. “We will deliver this through a diverse ecosystem of problem solvers across government, academia, and both defense and commercial industry. But this effort isn’t about delivering shiny objects that end up sitting on the shelf. Our focus is on cultivating sustainable, fielded capabilities that our soldiers can rely on to create a lasting advantage in the complex operating environments of today and tomorrow.”
Source: Alion
By Loren Blinde
October 9, 2018
