The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will convene a workshop planning committee to explore U.S. Army and allied nations’ research and development on next generation armor and identify promising avenues for future research. Specifically, the committee will:
(1) At the request of Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Research & Technology, attend the annual DoD Steels Summit to review existing efforts in armor and steel alloy research and development.
(2) Following the Steels Summit, convene a planning meeting with invited experts to review its results and identify the key issues that will scope subsequent workshop(s).
(3) Based on the outcome of the planning meeting, plan and execute up to 2 workshops to
a. Review and characterize ongoing research and development by the U.S. and its allies in next generation materials and high-performance steel for armored platforms.
b. Discuss R&D programs and review their potential for adoption by the U.S. Army based on performance, weight, cost, supply chain, manufacturing, maintenance, and sustainability metrics.
c. Explore any identified gaps in current steel alloy and materials R&D for further consideration by the Army.
The workshop series will be designed to facilitate candid dialogue among participants at the classified level, share best practices to promote efficiencies, and strengthen the Army’s overall unity of effort.