FORT BRAGG, N.C.—U.S. Army Soldiers and researchers are transforming how Soldier-driven innovations are discovered, matured and quickly scaled from traditional acquisition pathways through a newly established LTG James M. Gavin Joint Innovation Outpost, or JIOP.
The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, known as DEVCOM, Army Research Laboratory Catalyst Pathfinder program, which supports collaboration between Soldiers, researchers, academia and industry, serves as a strategic partner in developing the JIOP for the U.S. Army XVIII Airborne Corp, to bridge technical gaps, prioritize and enable Soldier concepts and formal technology transitions within a year.
“Our role is to ensure promising technology solutions are matured, embedding Soldiers into the research and development process from day one,” said Dr. Arwen DeCostanza, ARL Catalyst Pathfinder program manager. “We validate the science, prove the utility in the dirt, and transition a field-ready capability for larger production in months.”
Established in 2025, the JIOP operates as a tactical enabler for the XVIII Airborne Corps and is embedded within the Army's broader innovation ecosystem. This allows them to develop solutions to the Corps Commander’s most significant and pressing issues. The U.S. Army’s Pathway for Innovation and Technology, or PIT, serves as a hub that manages, synchronizes and integrates multiple innovation enterprise organizations that includes the JIOP.
Working alongside Portfolio Acquisition Executive offices, and academic and industry partners, the JIOP identifies promising solutions emerging out of the technology innovation objectives from the XVIII Airborne Corps and division-level Design, Innovation, Research and Technology, or DIRT Labs. These efforts are co-managed by the Catalyst Pathfinder Program and the Civil Military Innovation Institute, which accelerate their development, assessment, scale and sustainability.
In collaboration with the JIOP, ARL’s Catalyst Pathfinder program designs and analyzes possible solution concepts, identifies transition pathways and potential partners, and shares critical scientific expertise and assessments with selected prototype development partners. The program continues to provide assessments as solution concepts develop and are analyzed in real-world environments. The JIOP further accelerates this process by providing innovation funding in the same year of execution.
A scalable model for Army innovation
The JIOP's pipeline supports U.S. Army XVIII Airborne Corps, with similar concepts being built with I Corps and III Corps. These units leverage the Catalyst Pathfinder software platform to allow Soldiers to submit problem statements or gaps and connect with a solution pathway.
“The model is designed to adapt to the needs of the warfighter and provides a continuous feedback mechanism,” said Mark Miltenberger, ARL Catalyst Pathfinder deputy program manager. “The JIOP innovations ensure scientifically sound, Soldier-developed solutions feed into the traditional acquisition pipeline, while having the authority to provide resources that have an immediate operational impact on XVIII Airborne Corps Soldiers."
Some JIOP achievements focused on Soldier innovations, originating in the ARL Catalyst Pathfinder program include:
With Soldier input, the ARL Catalyst Pathfinder program developed the Kraken Actuator Protection System, or KAPS, a low-cost sensor and actuator system, that enables a Soldier in the cab of a Common Bridge Transporter to launch rafts and bays into a waterway. The system replaces a process that required four to five personnel at launch sites, while improving safety at wet gap crossing operations. (Video credit: U.S. Army)
- Kraken Actuator Protection System or KAPS. KAPS is a low-cost sensor and actuator system that enables a Soldier of a Common Bridge Transporter to launch rafts and bays into a waterway. The KAPS system replaces a process that required four to five personnel, and were exposed at launch sites, improving safety at gap crossing operations. The JIOP established a transition plan with DEVCOM and Program Manager Bridging for the KAPS system.
- Modular Drone Case. Conventional drone transport cases are too bulky and rigid for airborne operations. The new solution, a 3-D printed compact, modular case with interchangeable inserts, delivers a significant reduction in volume and weight and supports multiple small drone platforms. After Catalyst Pathfinder partnered with industry to mature the design, JIOP procured and delivered 130 additional units.
- Vehicle-Integrated Camouflage System or VICS..VICS is a camouflage support system that can be bolted onto a vehicle through existing mounting points to provide more efficient, consistent method of deployment. The VICS system provides a low-cost solution, requiring no permanent vehicle modification. After the Catalyst Pathfinder program designed and validated this design with Soldiers, the JIOP obtained additional systems for armored multi-purpose vehicles.
Next steps for the JIOP
The ARL Catalyst Pathfinder team plans to work more closely with the PIT to further refine and formalize an accelerated technology transition process, leveraging novel acquisition pathways, as well as increasing awareness across the Army technology research communities.
As innovation outposts expand their Army footprint, the partnerships will work to integrate and scale these technologies, and the U.S. Army can monitor and optimize technologies at a broader level.
Learn more:
https://pit.army.mil/about/jiop/
https://pathfinder.army/
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ABOUT ARMY RESEARCH LABORATORY
DEVCOM ARL is the Army’s sole fundamental research laboratory serving as the nexus of science between the military, academia and industry. Operating under U.S. Army Futures and Concepts Command and the U.S. Army Transformation and Training Command, ARL executes globally recognized research to accelerate delivery of war-winning, disruptive technologies for tomorrow’s Army.
For information, visit the Army Research Laboratory website.
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