DOD puzzling out capability focus area for Replicator 2.0

U.S. military components received and have been operating all-domain attritable autonomous (ADA2) systems in real-time via the Replicator initiative in a number of locations “around the world,” Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said Wednesday.

The Defense Department’s No. 2 official first unveiled Replicator about a year ago, then billing it as a strategic pursuit to address China’s massive, ongoing military buildup. The overarching vision is to accelerate industrial production and DOD’s adoption of such systems in multiple combat domains — through replicable processes — by mid-2025.

During NDIA’s Emerging Technologies for Defense Conference and Exhibition on Wednesday, Hicks provided the latest update on the high-stakes modernization effort.

“Although we have lots more work to do, we are on track to meet Replicator’s original goal of enabling ‘multiple thousands in multiple domains in 18-24 months’ — that is, by the end of August 2025. In so doing, Replicator is demonstrating from the top and across the enterprise how to deliver all kinds of capability at speed and scale,” she said in her keynote.

Some U.S. military units have already completed new equipment training with the first Replicator systems to be delivered, though Hicks did not share any details about what assets or units are involved.

“And we’re already looking beyond ADA2 systems to identify Replicator’s second capability focus area,” she added, confirming the Pentagon’s intent to “replicate” the process in future technology deployments following momentum from the initial pick of drone-related capabilities.

Senior officials have completed “nearly 40 Hill briefings since last October, averaging almost one a week — on an initiative that represents 0.059 percent of DOD’s budget,” Hicks also noted. So far, more than 550 hardware and software companies have sent submissions for Replicator-related opportunities.

She additionally suggested that like-minded allies and partners are inquiring about co-producing systems being accelerated by Replicator — such as the Switchblade 600 kamikaze drone, which is made by AeroVironment.

According to her team’s assessment, in this initiative to date, what can take seven-to-ten years for similar-size capabilities to be implemented in the DOD has been accomplished in under 12 months.

“And that should be truly mind-blowing,” Hicks said.

At the conference, she also shared an “innovation fact sheet” spotlighting the Pentagon’s recent accomplishments with Replicator and other high-tech initiatives.