2024 DARPA & DoD Budgeted Project Highlights

[EndtheMadnessNow]

The proposed budget for DoD in fiscal year 2024 totals $842 billion. Adjusted for inflation, that amount is about the same as the amount appropriated for 2023 (excluding the supplemental funding provided in 2023) but is 5 percent more than the amount anticipated for 2024 in the previous FYDP.



Summary breakdown of 268 pages of projects:

• Multiple inferences of impending supply-chain collapse & bioengineered microbial nutrient solutions
  
• Multiple projects related to operating in extreme cold, electromagnetically unpredictable, austere and GPS-compromised environments
  
• Sustained focus on "dis/misinfo" and internet-scale automated agents to detect/counterinfluence it
  
• Increased focus on introspective, symbolic, contextual, and inference-based machine learning
  
• Increased focus on "cyber-physical" systems & operators receiving instruction from AI.
  

A few that caught my interest...

Perceptually Enabled Task Guidance (PTG)

Integration of human perception and reasoning capabilities with AI/augmented reality creating a feedback loop between human and machine through "knowledge transfer," "perceptual grounding," and "perceptual attention".



ASIST

Development and implementation of socially intelligent computational agents able to "partner" with "complex teams" and demonstrate situational knowledge, inference, and predictive capacity relative to their human counterparts.




Guaranteeing AI Robustness against Deception (GARD)

AI technology designed to identify engineered multimedia data in large scale datasets intended to deliberately skew results.




Human Social Systems

Full-spectrum toolkit for interpreting, characterizing, forecasting, and constructing mechanisms for responding to (influencing) social and behavioral systems "relevant to national security," with a specific focus on "mental health".




ECOLE

Development of continually learning AI agents to enable collaborative human-machine analysis of multimedia with a specific focus on training AI to perform intuitive (human) analysis of symbolic and contextual representations.




ModMetaCog: Modular Meta-cognition

Development of "machine introspection technologies" that enable AI systems to analyze and explain their own behaviour and identify performance issues using nested "meta-cognition" architecture.




Fundamental Limits

A blanket budget of $36MM to "push the limits" of physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology and engineering in areas such as quantum interfaces, quantum simulators, photonics, particle acceleration, and spintronics




Molecular Systems and Materials Assembly

Development of new materials & manufacturing processes through control of arrangement, interactions & assembly of atoms & molecules focused on "addressing supply chain/sustainment challenges" with "human macronutrients" in microbial food.




Engineering Functional Materials with Biology

Further "supply chain" driven bio-manufacturing project focused on the "assembly of hierarchical biological systems" and production of "critical molecules and materials in austere environments." [they always tell you]



Continue...

[EndtheMadnessNow]

Combatting Anti-Microbial Resistant Pathogens

Development and in vivo testing of chimeric molecule based medical treatment of pathogens and other biothreats.




Neural Signal Interfaces and Applications (NSIA)

Non-invasive neurotechnology to facilitate brain and nervous system interface.




Deployable Medical Countermeasures for Warfighter Readiness

On-demand development/deployment of mRNA, manufacture of gene-length DNA for "research & development" with an end goal of allowing a small force to deploy this technology in a given region in a near-immediate timeframe.




Cyber Agents for Security Testing and Learning Environments (CASTLE)

Development of an AI toolkit to instantiate realistic network environments for the purpose of training, evaluating, and deploying cyber agents and enabling "resilient network operations against advanced persistent threats."




Learning Introspective Control (LINC)

Further budgetary allowance for development of "machine introspection" in cyber-physical (hybrid) systems, in which an AI program is able to analyze the observed behaviour of the platform and compare it to a learned model to diagnose damage and implement new controls.




Knowledge-directed Artificial Intelligence Reasoning Over Schemas (KAIROS)

AI/machine learning technology using data aggregation and schematics to assist human operators in analysis and interpretation of complex event sequences, where an event is an occurrence that results in observable change to the physical world or human activity.




Assured Neuro Symbolic Learning and Reasoning (ANSR)

Hybrid AI algorithms capable of acquiring symbolic knowledge through learning  symbolic reasoning with the intent to perform the human functions of inference and intuitive analysis.




Robotic Autonomy in Complex Environments with Resiliency (RACER)

Autonomous robotic combat vehicles designed for mobility on complex terrain.




Urban Reconnaissance through Supervised Autonomy (URSA)

Perception-enabled autonomous surveillance vehicles used to monitor/interact with populations to differentiate between "non-combat" civilians and hostile forces by "disambiguation" of human actions to detect "evidence" that a potential target is a threat.



Continue...

[EndtheMadnessNow]

Oversight

Autonomous algorithmic technology to facilitate advanced collaboration among constellations of LEO satellites to provide constant custody (perpetual surveillance) of up to 100 targets simultaneously.




[Rogue &] Gambit

Rotating detonation engine for supersonic air-launched standoff missiles.




Persistent Optical Wireless Energy Relay (POWER)

Distributed network of persistent high-altitude UAVs using airborne optical energy relay to "harvest" and distribute laser energy to "dynamic future battle spaces."




Influence Campaign Awareness and Sensemaking (INCAS)

Integration of language processing, social network analysis, psychographics, and behavioral science-based technologies into a unified automated digital tool designed to rapidly detect and understand messaging campaigns and distill/disseminate counter-influence operations.



More on the "INCAS" at end.


Semantic Forensics (SemaFor)

Deep-learning AI algorithmic techology capable of "defending against multimedia falsification" through semantic and statistical analysis of imagery, voice, video, and text media to identify its source and purpose, and implement measures of deterrence.




Resilient Supply-and-Demand Networks (RSDN)

Data-driven supply-chain risk management analysis based on stress-testing and propagation of "shock scenarios" to motivate the development of mitigation strategies.




Competition in the Information Environment (CIE)

Fusion of information tech & social science that spans data analysis, language, multimedia analysis, social modeling, and simulation to maintain a quantitative military edge over information ops competitors, including state/non-state actors and "peer adversary" nation-states.




Chemical Processing for Force Protection

Molecular synthesis focused on the development of new molecules "such as pharmaceuticals and explosives," and detection "adverse genetic effects" indicative of "attacks" in food systems.




Reconfigurable Systems

Development of high-speed, autonomous, GPS-nondependent systems for deployment in cluttered environments capable of sensing, perception, planning & control of operations, and manipulation/control of "adversary sensory perception and/or situational awareness."




Environmental Microbes as a Bioengineering Resource (EMBER)

Leveraging of microbiology to enable new biomining methods for the separation, purification, and conversion of rare earth elements (REEs), recover a target REE from complex mixtures, and convert at least two REEs from one chemical form into another. [sounds like alchemy]



Continue...

[EndtheMadnessNow]

Biotechnology for Challenging Environments

Microbial bioengineering for sustenance in "challenging environments."



Signal Processing and Communication with Biotechnology

Microbial bioengineering to produce signals and enable data exfiltration.




Strengthening Resilient Emotions and Nimble Cognition Through Engineering Neuroplasticity (STRENGTHEN)

Brain modulation to address and mitigate suicide risk in populations at low, moderate and high risk of suicide.




Compact High Intensity Radiating Photonics (CHIRP)

Development of compact, ultra-fast, high-power lasers using integrated photonics and amplification techniques.




H6

Development of a "tactical-grade clock" to facilitate decoupling from GPS dependence and enable real-time physical monitoring and tracking of operators.




Blackjack

Proliferated constellation of small LEO satellites designed to maintain "constant custody" of very large numbers of concurrent targets including target identification, tracking and characterization and provision of tactical communications & intel to operators. This project has been ongoing for a number years.




Strategic Chaos Engine for Planning (SCEPTER) [LOL!]

Machine-generated strategies for strategic planning.




Constellation

Collaborative full-spectrum military cyberspace operations to deter, disrupt, and defeat adversary cyber actors to defend the US.




Carcosa

Cyber technology to provide operators with advanced situational awareness.




Full PDF with many more projects:
Department of Defense Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Budget Estimates

[EndtheMadnessNow]

More on INfluence Campaign Awareness and Sensemaking (INCAS):









INfluence Campaign Awareness and Sensemaking (INCAS)



INCAS Proposal Slides (PDF)


Leaked Unacknowledged Special Access Program:



The End.