1. DDR&E AC: Aligned to the National Defense Strategy
National Defense Strategy Focus: Era of Great Power Competition, Modernization Priorities in Response
Lethality
Partnerships
Reform
USD(R&E) Mission: Creating the Technologies of the Future Fight
Ensure Technological Superiority for the U.S. Military
Focus on Modernization
DDR&E Advanced Capabilities Role:
Accelerate Modernization
Mature Technology to Capability, from Prototyping to Acquisition
My mission in Advanced Capabilities is to:
- maintain technical dominance through scientific discovery and rapid capability prototyping

2. NDS Modernization Priorities
Portfolio Managers (Assistant Directors) for each area of technical dominance establish roadmaps, the DoD-wide, mission-focused strategies and execution plans that guide the Department’s technological investments.
Hypersonics (HS)
Fully Networked Command, Control and Communication (FNC3)
Directed Energy (DE)
Cyber
Space
Quantum Science (QS)
Machine Learning / Artificial Intelligence (ML/AI)
Microelectronics (ME)
Autonomy
Biotechnology
The Modernization Priority roadmaps influence the Department’s technological investments which must ultimately support Joint Missions.

3. High-level Development Cycle What Do We Build? How Do We Built it?
Analysis & Architectures
New Technology Awareness and Development
Prototyping & Demonstration
Development and Production in Industrial Base
Testing
Operational Use

4. Mission Engineering Process
DoD’s Decisional Needs
Where are Mission Gaps?
Next-Gen Concepts?
MDAP
Acquisition?
Technology Modernization?
Mission Engineering
Portfolio
Management
Mission Characterization
Modernization Roadmaps /
Investment Decisions
Upgrades, New Capabilities, Reconfiguration, Rapid Insertion
Performance Data Gaps
Mission Capability
Analysis
Performance Data, Technical Risk Assessment
Concept
Design, Scenarios, CONOPS, Ops
Architectures
Materiel Solution
Assessment
Requirements Adjustments, Trade Studies, Functional Architectures
Technology Insertion, Innovation
Materiel &
Non-Materiel Solutions,
Technical Architectures
Experiments, Prototyping, Tech Demonstrations, Tests & Exercises
While the charts shows a serial process there are no temporal aspects to ME. An assessment can enter the process at any point and will operate across a knowledge framework that links concepts, architectures and solutions. The underpinning of data will enable the execution of this process.
Mission Engineering is focused on addressing the question:
“Is the Department building the right things?”
Mission Engineering provides an analytical context to enable technical investment decisions synchronized to national priorities, mission needs, and technological innovation

5. Low Cost Attritable Strike Demonstrator (LCASD) JCTD
The XQ-58A Valkyrie prototype demonstrator, a long-range, high subsonic unmanned air vehicle completed its inaugural flight March 5, 2019 at Yuma Proving Grounds, Arizona
The LCASD JCTD is developing a long range, high performance attritable UAS for strike and ISR missions
Designated XQ-58A Valkyrie, the first maiden flight was completed on 5 March 2019, at the Yuma Flight Test Range
Aircraft executed a rocket assisted takeoff, flew for 72 minutes and completed 23 test points before safely performing a parachute assisted recovery
The JCTD is leveraging mission engineering principles, computational prototyping techniques, and manufacturing technologies
Flew as designed on the first flight