News

NATICK, Mass. – The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center, or DEVCOM SC, recently hosted an event to encourage collaborative efforts with industry and academia. DEVCOM Soldier Center Industry Day took place recently at the U.S. Department of Transportation Volpe Center, or DOT Volpe Center, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The event showcased DEVCOM SC’s research efforts to potential industry and academic partners who are interested in supporting the Soldier Center’s mission. DEVCOM SC is committed to discovering, developing, and advancing science and technology solutions that ensure America’s warfighters are optimized, protected and lethal.

“The innovative efforts of our world-class scientists and engineers, combined with our numerous collaborations with academia and industry, enable us to work to overcome the challenges facing warfighters,” said Douglas Tamilio, director of DEVCOM SC. “Our collaborations help accelerate the process of getting the latest and best technologies into the hands of our warfighters. Industry Day provides our organization with an excellent opportunity to connect with potential partners.”

A total of 339 people from a variety of organizations – including industry, academia, Department of the Army, Department of Defense, and other Federal Government entities – participated in the DEVCOM SC event.

“Industry Day served as a platform for industry and academia attendees to gain insights into the challenges and capability gaps faced by warfighters,” said Yoojeong Kim, Ph.D., who serves as the lead for DEVCOM SC’s Innovation and Outreach Team. “It also provided an opportunity for DEVCOM SC to engage with innovators from diverse sectors, fostering collaboration and partnership.”

Brigadier General Christopher Schneider, Program Executive Office Soldier (PEO Soldier), gave the keynote address at the event. Schneider discussed potential areas for collaboration and fielded questions from interested members of industry and academia.

The event provided information and enabled discussions between DEVCOM SC and industry/academia through presentations from the director and from associate directors, as well as one-on-one exchanges on a wide variety of topics. The event also provided attendees with concrete information on how to work with the Soldier Center.

DEVCOM SC subject matter experts provided poster presentations of leading areas of research, detailing the important work being done by DEVCOM SC for the warfighter. Topics of poster presentations included simulation and training technologies; Soldier power generation and management technologies; Soldier/robotic interface technologies; human performance technologies; design, pattern, and prototype capabilities; camouflage and concealment; per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in DoD clothing and individual equipment; reversible signature management overwhite garments; personnel parachute and delivery; autonomous long-range resupply in contested environments; Close Combat Assault Ration (CCAR); small-scale atmospheric water harvester flameless ration heating technology; and the Harnessing Emerging Research Opportunities to Empower Soldiers, or HEROES, program.

DEVCOM SC’s interaction with potential partners helped inform them of the center’s goals and challenges and also provided an opportunity to share knowledge and capabilities to help advance DEVCOM SC’s science and technology efforts.

“In today’s dynamic technology landscape, the challenges confronting the warfighter demand a collaborative approach,” said Kim. “Collaboration is not just beneficial, but imperative to ensure that the warfighter remains equipped with the latest technologies and capabilities essential for success in modern warfare.”

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About DEVCOM Soldier Center: The DEVCOM Soldier Center is committed to discovering, developing, and advancing science and technology solutions that ensure America’s warfighters are optimized, protected and lethal. DEVCOM Soldier Center supports all of the Army’s Modernization efforts, with the Soldier Lethality and Synthetic Training Environment Cross Functional Teams being the DEVCOM Soldier Center’s chief areas of focus. The center’s science and engineering expertise are combined with collaborations with industry, DOD and academia to advance Soldier and squad performance. The center supports the Army as it transforms from being adaptive to driving innovation to support a Multi-Domain Operations Capable Force of 2028 and a MDO Ready Force of 2035. DEVCOM Soldier Center is constantly working to strengthen Soldiers’ performance to increase readiness and support for warfighters who are organized, trained, and equipped for prompt and sustainable ground combat.

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) outreach and mentoring the next generation of scientists and engineers are also an important part of the mission of DEVCOM Soldier Center. The mentoring of students by Army scientists and engineers benefits the students and their communities. It also increases young people’s awareness of potential Army job opportunities and helps provide the Army with potential new talent, helping to fuel innovative ideas that benefit the nation’s warfighters and the nation as a whole.

DEVCOM Soldier Center is part of DEVCOM. Through collaboration across the command’s core technical competencies, DEVCOM leads in the discovery, development and delivery of the technology-based capabilities required to make Soldiers more lethal to win our nation’s wars and come home safely. DEVCOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Futures Command.

By Jane Benson, DEVCOM Soldier Center Public Affairs