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Reports
Emerging Technologies Institute

The Value of Experimentation, Not Demonstration

bryan_clark
bryan_clark
Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology
dan_patt
dan_patt
Senior Fellow, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology
Vanilla, an ultra long endurance unmanned aerial vehicle, awaits deployment in support of Valiant Shield 2024 on Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, June 13, 2024. (DVIDS)
Caption
Vanilla, an ultra long endurance unmanned aerial vehicle, awaits deployment in Guam on June 13, 2024. (DVIDS)

In October 2024, the 91’s Center for Defense Concepts and Technology and the National Defense Industrial Association Emerging Technologies Institute co-hosted an event to discuss the Department of Defense’s efforts in joint experimentation, and how the Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve (RDER) is bridging the “Valley of Death” in ways that transcend funding gaps to acquisition. This report outlines why experimentation is needed, how joint experimentation benefits both DoD and industry, and the role of the under secretary of defense for research and engineering and the assistant secretary of defense for mission capabilities in identifying and transitioning new technologies.