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DEFENSE THREAT REDUCTION AGENCY

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DTRA Research and

Development 101

Executive Deck

Approved For Public Release- 6176
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Agenda

• Leadership and Organization

• Mission and Functions

• RD Departments

• Chemical and Biological Technologies

• Counter WMD Technologies

• Nuclear Technologies 

• Test and Assessment

• Operations

• Wrap Up

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RD Leadership

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CHEM-BIO TECHNOLOGIES (RD-CB)

Dr. Robert Kristovich

RD-CB, Director

CWMD TECHNOLOGIES (RD-CX)

COL Jeffrey Kendellen

RD-CX, Director (Acting)

NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGIES (RD-NT)

Mr. Marc Franciszkowicz

RD-NT, Director

R&D OPERATIONS (RD-OP)

Mr. Dustin Eward

RD-OP, Chief

TEST AND ASSESSMENT (RD-TS)

Dr. Gary Hook

RD-TS, Chief

DEPARTMENT

LEADERSHIP

Ms. Amanda Richardson

RD Director

(Acting)

Vacant

RD Chief

of Staff

COL Alex

Wehmeyer

RD Deputy

Director

Mr. Carl

Brown

RD Chief of

Staff
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RD Director

Operations

(OP)

Integration (OPI)

Reachback

(OPR)

Enabling

Capabilities

(OPC)

Chemical and

Biological

Technologies (CB)

Diagnostics /

Detection (CBA)

Research

Operations

(CBC)

Digital

Battlespace

Mgmt. (CBI)

Vaccines /

Therapeutics

(CBM)

Research Center

of Excellence

(CBR)

Advanced /

Emerging Threat

(CBS)

Protection /

Hazard

Mitigation (CBT)

Warfighter

Integration

(CBW)

Countering WMD

Technologies (CX)

Target

Assessment

Technology (CXA)

Combating

Terrorism (CXC)

Advanced

Research (CXR)

Counterforce

Systems (CXS)

Urgent

Solutions (CXU)

Weapons and

Capabilities

(CXW)

Program Integration &

Requirements Office

(PIRO)

Nuclear

Technologies

(NT)

Nuclear

Assessments

(NTA)

Nuclear

Detection (NTD)

Nuclear

Effects (NTE)

Nuclear

Integration (NTI)

Nuclear

Survivability

(NTS)

Test and

Assessment

(TS)

Assessments

(TSX)

Environment & 

Safety (TSE) 

Integration &

Resources (TSI)

Test (TST)

RD Deputy

RD

Chief of Staff

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Research and Development Directorate
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RD Workforce Locations

National Capital Region

Defense Threat Reduction

Center (DTRC) / Fort Belvoir

• RD-CB

• RD-NT

• RD-OP

• RD-CX

New Mexico

Kirtland AFB

• RD-TS

• RD-NT (DTRIAC)

• RD-CXW (FOC in June 2024)

Florida

Eglin AFB

• RD-CXW (Division is currently 

undergoing relocation from Eglin

AFB to Kirtland AFB)

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Some Additional Workforce Locations

West Point, NY; Las Vegas, NV; Fort Liberty, NC; and Edgewood/Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD
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RD Mission and Functions

Provide science, technology and capability development investments that maintain the U.S. military’s 

technological superiority in countering weapons of mass destruction & emerging threats, mitigate the

risks of technical surprise, and respond to urgent technical requirements from the Joint Force.

RD-OP:

Operations

RD-CB: Chemical

and Biological

Technologies

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RD-CX: Counter

WMD Technologies

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RD-NT: Nuclear

Technologies

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RD-TS: Test and 

Assessment

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RD executes its mission by DELIVERING INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS that meet current mission 

requirements in a timely manner and by ANTICIPATING AND PREPARING FOR EMERGING AND 

FUTURE THREATS with a balance of fundamental and applied research across the portfolio.

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RD Strategic Partnership

RD partners with other U.S. Government agencies (such as National and

Service Laboratories), and international S&T organizations to develop

CWMD capabilities that address prioritized CCMD / Joint Force gaps.

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RD-CB: Chemical and Biological Technologies Department

Detection and Diagnostics

Research Operations

Digital Battlespace Management

• Develops minimally invasive sampling methods to

predict the severity of disease, and advanced 

sequencing technology

• Manages daily operations of CB

• Data fusion and analytics supporting

situation awareness, decision-making, and

threat management

Vaccines and Therapeutics • Investments to support medical countermeasure

products, and enable recovery from current and 

emerging biological threats

Research Center of Excellence

Advanced and Emerging Threats

Protection and Hazard Mitigation • Develops the next generation of Department of

Defense (DoD) scientists

• Conducts research in areas of interest to the

Chem-Bio Defense Program and enhances Joint

Force protection, and mission capabilities.

• Develops and transitions products and

information to address current. and emerging CB

threats

• Develops full-spectrum physical protection

and hazard mitigation technologies

Warfighter Integration • Provides technology, education, and develops the

CB workforce

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RD-CB anticipates future threats & delivers capabilities that enable the Joint Force to survive, fight & win in 

chemical, and biological contested environments through a coordinated effort designed to neutralize

adversarial CB threats
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RD-CX: Counter WMD Technologies Department

RD-CX develops, demonstrates, and transitions innovative technologies and capabilities to actively counter 

the full spectrum of adversary activities across the WMD continuum

Target Assessment Technology

Combating Terrorism 

• Develop, apply, and transition innovative

technologies to characterize and assess

WMD threats and Hard & Deeply Buried

Targets (HDBTs) in partnership with the

Intelligence Community in support of 

Combatant Commands

• Provide Combatant Commanders 

improved offensive capabilities in support

of counter-terrorism and counterproliferation missions to combat WMDs

Counterforce Systems

• Develop, integrate, demonstrate and

transition CWMD advanced sensors,

surveillance

• Defeat target planning technologies in

support of Joint Force operations

Advanced Research 

Urgent Solutions

• Couples long-range fundamental and applied research 

with physical, life, and computational sciences to

enhance the Offensive CWMD Capability Framework

activities in combating emerging WMD threats

• Execute collaborative research and timely 

capability development to illuminate threat

WMD posture and capabilities

• Develop options to deter, disrupt, prevent

WMD development / use

• Exploit adversary weaknesses

• Ensure the Joint Force prevails in conflict

Weapons and Capabilities

• Offensive weapons and other capabilities

to combat WMD while mitigating collateral

contamination

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RD-NT: Nuclear Technologies Department 

RD-NT researches, develops, and transitions nuclear weapons effects, survivability, detection, and 

monitoring capabilities to support and enable an effective nuclear deterrent

Nuclear Survivability

Nuclear Technologies Integration

Nuclear Weapon Effects

Nuclear Assessments

Nuclear Threat Detection 

• Modeling & simulation tools for nuclear targeting

and consequence of execution assessment

• Use existing test data to certify new nuclear

capabilities without nuclear testing

• Test concepts, capabilities, and plans through

rigorous assessment and war gaming

• Integrate war gaming tools into exercises

• Nuclear Arms Control Technology Program and

the U.S. International Monitoring System

• Sensors for characterization of the nuclear battlefield

• Technologies to collect, analyze, exploit, and attribute

nuclear detonation data and signals

• Provide cloud-ready nuclear modeling interfaces and applications 

• Deliver timely electronic access to nuclear

testing archives

• Enable the Joint Force to visualize the

nuclear battlefield through an integrated Common Operating Picture

• Develop nuclear environments, protection

standards, and handbooks

• Operate large pulsed-power machines to

produce intense bursts of radiation simulating a

nuclear weapon

• Mission-critical systems analysis to characterize

nuclear survivability shortfalls

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RD-TS: Test and Assessment Department 

RD-TS provides objective evaluations of new capabilities to support the DTRA mission and 

national priorities through tests and assessments

Test Division

Sensitive Assessments

Environmental & Safety 

Integration & Resource

• Eliminate or mitigate hazards in the

workplace to reduce or eliminate the

exposure of our employees to hazards

associated with testing and the 

construction environment

• Ensure effective and efficient use of

resources • Conduct rapid assessments to enable

the DoD to deter, prevent, and prevail

against WMD-armed adversaries and 

emerging threats

• Conduct Test & Evaluation to maintain U.S.

superiority in countering WMD and emerging

threats

• Mitigate the risks of technology surprise

• Respond to Joint Force’s urgent requirements

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RD-OP: Operations Department 

RD-OP integrates RDT&E operations, activities and investments (OAI) across the RD Departments

and the Agency, as well as with external customers

Enabling Capabilities 

Technical Reachback 

Integration

• Works across all RD departments and

investments to ensure effective integration

in areas including:

• Directorate-wide acquisitions

• Data visualization

• Customer request management

• International S&T Cooperation

• Small business (SBIR/STTR)

• Provides 24/7 manned CBRNE decision

support capability for planning, operations,

and post-event analysis

• Serves as the technical focal point for

National CWMD Technical Reachback

Enterprise analysis, modeling, and simulation

• Manages DTRA’s basic research program 

and provides computational services, support,

and coordination for the Directorate

• Includes supporting software development, 

through the DTRA Experimentation

Laboratory (DEL), brokering access to High 

Performance Computing (HPC), and

coordinating across programs harnessing

Artificial Intelligence (AI).

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RD-OP: Technical Reachback

Technical Reachback provides 24/7 CBRNE subject matter expertise, decision support capability for

planning, operations, and post event analysis to OSD, the Combatant Commands, and other U.S.

Government partners.

Modeling Tools used by Reachback:

• Atmospheric Plume Modeling

• Waterbourne & Natural Hazard Modeling

• Operational support

• Enabling activities 

• Epidemiological modeling

• Nuclear modeling

• Post event analysis

Reachback Priorities:

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Provide technologies, standards,

historical data, and testing to ensure

forces can survive and fight

Equip forces to operate effectively on

the nuclear battlefield Deliver tools that enable effective

targeting of U.S. weapons and inform

the consequences of attacks

Test concepts and plans 

through rigorous wargaming

M&S to enable

planning and 

training

Nuclear Effects

Deliver integrated, cloudready, AI-enhanced

applications and data analysis

Situational

Awareness Tools

MERLIN / VIPER

Standoff Radiation

Detection

Mobile Field Kit-CBRN

automates collection,

sharing, and display of

data

Prophylactic and medical

countermeasure treatment

options unburden and

protect the U.S. Joint

Force

Conventional Effects

Test bed

structure to

support fullspectrum

testing

24/7 technical analysis 

of CBRNE questions

24/7 Access to DTRA M&S

tools & experts to interpret

results

Developing Capabilities to Fight and Win on the

CBRN Battlefield

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Protect the U.S. Joint

Force with advanced

medical

countermeasures and

early warning 

capabilities

Rapid Analysis of Threat Exposure technology allows data from wearable devices to warn of

COVID-19 infections prior to the onset of

symptoms
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DTRA R&D Summary

DTRA Provides:

• Science, technology, and capability development investments that maintain the

U.S. military's technological superiority

• An integrated and coordinated portfolio that leverages the DoD, Interagency,

and international partners providing support to our U.S. Joint Forces.

• Comprehensive R&D investment to increase agility, respond to new or changing

Combatant Command requirements, as well as national, and DoD CWMD

priorities

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For more information, please visit us at

www.dtra.mil

Contact Information: RD Engagements Team

dtra.belvoir.rd.list.rd-opi-engagements-team@mail.mil

Visit us – Keyword: DTRA

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