GRACE'S QUARTERS, Md. – The U.S. Army Combat Capability Development Command Army Research Laboratory, DEVCOM ARL, hosted the Lab Commanders Sync workshop that brought together more than 50 participants from across the services, industry and academia. The group discussed challenges and research opportunities related to sustaining and supporting military operations in environments where adversaries actively attempt to disrupt, deny or degrade the supply chain and logistical support systems.
This two-day event, titled "Contested Logistics in Challenging Operations,” was held at the end of August at ARL’s Robotic Research Collaboration Campus (R2C2) in Grace’s Quarters, Maryland. Attendees included representatives from DEVCOM, the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Office of Naval Research and the U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center, as well as partners from industry and academia.
“By uniting key stakeholders from government, industry and academia, the event underscored the importance of collaboration in addressing the pressing challenges of maintaining operational effectiveness in contested environments,” said Dr. Rajneesh Singh, associate chief of the Science of Intelligent Systems Division at ARL. “As adversaries continue to evolve, events like the workshop ensure that the DOD remains at the forefront of innovation, ready to meet the demands of the future battlefield.”
The Lab Commanders Sync workshop is a quarterly initiative designed to foster strategic partnerships across military organizations by leveraging collective expertise and resources. Through collaboration, the event seeks to share knowledge, identify overlapping areas of research and development, eliminate redundancies and promote joint initiatives to ensure effectiveness in increasingly complex and adversarial environments.
This year, participants were divided into three teams to explore critical topics, including defining the role of military labs in advancing responses to contested logistics issues, ensuring focused research efforts (both joint and service-specific) and identifying opportunities for collaborative research and partnerships. The teams worked to develop forward-looking strategies, examining logistical challenges over the next five to 10 years.
Participants of the workshop will produce a two-page summary of preliminary findings within 30 days, followed by a detailed report within 90 days.
In addition to the collaborative discussions, ARL organized exhibits and demonstrations showcasing cutting-edge research and technologies. Visitors engaged with advancements in autonomous systems, agentic artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing and bio-production. The event concluded with a tour of the R2C2 campus, providing attendees with a firsthand look at ARL’s state-of-the-art facilities and ongoing projects.
The workshop highlighted several opportunities for closer integration between ARL and the broader contested logistics community.
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The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory, known as DEVCOM ARL, is the Army’s research laboratory. Nested strategically within DEVCOM and the Army Futures Command, ARL’s mission is to Operationalize Science. ARL identifies and executes disruptive research leading to scientific discovery and emerging technologies for Army continuous transformation. A hallmark of ARL’s mission is collaborative partnerships to broaden Army access to expert talent and accelerate transitions of science-enabled capabilities. For information, visit https://arl.devcom.army.mil/.
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