Artificial Intelligence and Next Generation Distributed Command and Controlview on SAM.gov

NAICS CODE: 541715 FEDERAL AGENCY NAME: Department of the Air Force, Air Force Materiel Command, AFRL - Rome Research Site, AFRL/Information Directorate, 26 Electronic Parkway, Rome, NY, 13441-4514 BAA ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE: Initial announcement BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT (BAA) TITLE: Artificial Intelligence and Next Generation Distributed Command and Control BAA NUMBER: FA8750-23-S-7006 PART I – OVERVIEW INFORMATION This announcement is for an Open, 2 Step BAA which is open and effective until 30 AUG 2028. Only white papers will be accepted as initial submissions; formal proposals will be accepted by invitation only. While white papers will be considered if received prior to 1600 hours Eastern Standard Time (EST) on 30 AUG 2028, the following submission dates are suggested to best align with projected funding: FY24 by 13 SEP 2023 FY25 by 15 Mar 2024 FY26 by 15 Mar 2025 FY27 by 15 Mar 2026 FY28 by 15 Mar 2027 Offerors should monitor the Contract Opportunities on the SAM website at https://SAM.gov in the event this announcement is amended. CONCISE SUMMARY OF TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENT: Artificial Intelligence (AI) holds great potential in transforming the Department of the Air Force (DAF) and Joint Force Command and Control (C2) capabilities across strategic, operational, and tactical levels by enabling decision makers to effectively assess the battlespace, rapidly explore, create, and select the best plan, and direct and monitor forces at pace and scale in a distributed setting. This BAA is interested in exploring new and advancing existing AI and distributed C2 concepts. By accelerating the research & development of novel AI-based and distributed capabilities to support Joint All Domain C2, the DAF can achieve a strategic decision advantage, where AI becomes a key and prevalent component to future C2 systems. With the rise of AI-based applications also comes new challenges to include the ability to effectively manage, monitor, and adapt deployed AI capabilities and effective C2 in a distributed and contested environment. Distributed operations is a critical component of Next-Generation C2. Key to the DAF transitioning from a single monolithic C2 node to multiple distributed C2 nodes is the ability orchestrate operational processes, while optimizing for limited resources. Through the development of distributed C2 capabilities the DAF can achieve an agile, fully mobile, distributed, and virtualized C2 operational capability. This BAA is interested in key areas for advancing C2 capability for the DAF to include but not limited to development and application of AI to C2, new concepts and techniques for the battle management and orchestration of AI at pace and scale, how the use of AI by adversaries can be considered in the C2 planning and execution process and distributed and collaborative C2 to enable C2 anywhere and anyplace. BAA ESTIMATED FUNDING: Total funding for this BAA is approximately $99M. Individual…