“Hastening the pathway from joint concept to experimentation to fielding systems through the Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve.”

“The Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve (RDER) activities are a continuous campaign of Joint Experimentation. We have taken the Joint Staff’s Joint Warfighting Concepts & utilized vetted scenarios to seek prototype solutions and experiment with them in a realistic environment. We have already gone through the detailed planning for 3 Sprints. Working closely with INDOPACOM is absolutely essential!”

“The Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve, which was stood up last year, is a collaboration between the military services, combatant commands, industry and coalition partners with the aim of discovering new and innovative warfighting capabilities.”

Secretary of Defense speaking into microphone.

"Innovation is central here. Last year, for instance, we established the Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve, which funds different parts of the department to work together to fill critical joint warfighting gaps. And our fiscal year 2023 budget request included more than $130 billion for research, development, testing and evaluation — that's the largest R&D budget number in DOD history."

Secretary of Defense making public speech.

"Last year, the Department launched the Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve to quickly get promising technology and prototypes into the hands of our warfighters. And we’re working even more closely with trusted partners as we test game-changing technologies together."

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Latest News

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Recent Events

RDER Industry Day

Photo credit: JHU APL

How to Participate

***Please note the FY23 RDER Industry Call Letter is currently on hold awaiting passage of a FY23 Defense Appropriations Bill. Once approved, the Industry Call letter will be posted on Sam.gov with additional details and dates. At this time, we do not have an expected timeline for FY23 budget approval.***

Proposal requests will begin in FY23

Proposals from industry and other interested parties will be requested and screened for RDER participation. The call for industry proposals will be posted on SAM.gov.

Please use the templates below and submit unclassified proposals to:

UNCLASSIFIED

osd.pentagon.ousd-r-e.mbx.joint-experimentation-proposal-submiss@mail.mil

If your submission is classified, please email the appropriate RDER inboxes:

SIPR

osd.pentagon.ousd-r-e.mbx.joint-experiment-proposal-submiss@mail.smil.mil

JWICS

osd.pent.ousdr-e.mbx.joint-experimentation-proposal-submiss@osdj.ic.gov

Templates

01

Industry White Paper

Image of blank document template

click here to download

02

Industry Quad Chart

Image of quad chart template.

click here to download

Capabilities. Alignment. Innovation.

RDER Provides Critical Benefits to the DoD

soldiers looking ahead

01 Accelerate Joint innovation

02 Expand International Partnerships and Multi-lateral engagement

03 Focus Service joint experimentation

04 Quickly demonstrate and assess innovative ideas

05 Provide feedback to future Warfighting concept development

Rapid Modernization

Pronounced “Raider,” RDER is an initiative that will facilitate more rapid modernization by focusing prototyping and experimentation efforts on multi-Component missions.

How RDER WORKS

The Secretary of Defense will create a budget  for allocation in the FY 2023 President’s Budget request to expand multi-Component experimentation in a structured, multi-year campaign of learning.

The Secretary will select among proposed experiments based on alignment to Joint missions and potential to yield demonstrable warfighting utility.

Demonstrations and experiments will be conducted at key exercise venues.

Successful demonstrations and experiments will be quickly transitioned to the Components for fielding as new systems or approaches.

Lifecycle costs will be considered for any RDER initiative
that has the potential to result in a new capability.

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The Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301

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