For Replicator to succeed, the DOD will need to adapt acquisition methods and evolve its current unmanned system doctrine, strategies, and CONOPS.

Challenges in Current Doctrine and Strategies

Existing operational strategies are not designed to support the volumes and types of unmanned systems that Replicator envisions. To inform development priorities, the DOD should collaborate with industry stakeholders and warfighters to identify and account for gaps.

The Importance of Industry and Warfighter Collaboration

• By including industry stakeholders in the assessment of existing unmanned systems strategies, the DOD will not only ensure that defense industrial base is brought up the learning curve alongside the customer but will also be able to learn in real time the art of the possible in terms of current technical capabilities and future development possibilities
• By including end users in the assessment of existing unmanned systems strategies, the DOD will ensure that the identification of development priorities will be informed by what warfighters face and that development of DOTMLPF-P elements will align to warfighter needs

BCE’s DOTMLPF-P Maturity Framework

To assess emerging capabilities and concepts like Replicator, BCE has developed and deployed a DOTMLPF-P Maturity Framework to help clients assess concept evolution and identify key investment areas to support full scale production, fielding, and utilization. Industry and end users can help the DOD evaluate Replicator maturity across eight criteria*:

Doctrine

How we employ capabilities, such as by emphasizing maneuver warfare or running combined air and ground operations

Organization

How we organize forces to fight

Training

How we prepare to fight tactically (from basic training to advanced individual training, unit training, joint exercises, etc.)

Materiel

All the “stuff” our troops need that doesn’t need to be made from scratch (weapons, spare parts, test sets, etc., that can be bought “off the shelf” or made by the government)

Leadership and Education

How we prepare our leaders to lead the fight

Personnel

Having enough qualified people for peacetime, wartime, and different emergency operations

Facilities

Land, buildings, and factories owned by the government, such as factories that make ammo

Policy

Any DoD, interagency, or foreign policy that affects the other seven non-material elements

Once the DOD has collaboratively assessed the current state of readiness for adoption of Replicator, the customer community will have a clear understanding of areas for investment to mature key DOTMLPF-P elements.

Creating a Roadmap for Investment

This analysis can then be used to inform a road map of next steps and investment priorities that ensures the DOD deploys resources to the highest priority areas and can measure progress against its initial baseline assessment.

BCE’s initial analysis of the level of maturity across DOTMLPF-P elements relative to the levels needed to support adoption of Replicator unmanned systems at scale highlights key gaps that will require attention.  BCE’s global aerospace and defense team will continue to monitor DOD’s progress while supporting industry stakeholders’ Replicator strategies.

*DOTMLPF-P element definitions per the Defense Acquisition Encyclopedia

Joe is a principal in BCE Consulting’s Global Aerospace & Defense practice based in Boston, MA. Joe joined BCE in January 2018 after working at Audax Group, a private equity firm, and is responsible for leading one of the firm’s Fortune 200 defense clients. Joe has led concept development through engagement delivery across mission areas, domains, customers, and geographies. His recent work ahs focused on JADC2, C5ISRT, the space and undersea domains, unmanned systems, and integrated air and missile defense.