Summary
Recognizing that power is the backbone of all modern capabilities—from communications and sensors to mobility and life support—RCA 16 will primarily focus on the critical challenge of providing reliable, resilient, and adaptable power solutions to support untethered Special Operations Forces (SOF) operators in future mission environments. This includes addressing operational needs regarding power generation, storage, and distribution, to include hybrid power utilization, all within contested, remote, or denied areas where traditional infrastructure is absent or compromised. Additionally, this event will explore how these energy solutions intersect with the broader logistics problem of delivering essential parts, components, and supplies at the point of need.
The precursor event, Innovation Foundry 16 (IF16), examined future contested logistics environments, highlighting significant operational challenges in scenarios involving remote, isolated, and contested regions, focusing on: energy generation, advanced energy storage, hybrid power solutions, power distribution, advanced manufacturing, autonomous resupply, and more. During RCA16, teams made up of industry, academia, government, and defense participants will further developed selected early-stage concepts from IF16, generating market research, subsystem-level architectural breakdowns, technology development roadmaps, initial work breakdown structures, and potential contract language to support follow-on activities.