DOD invites industry to Thunderstorm 24-4

The Pentagon is inviting industry investors and business advisors to Thunderstorm 24-4 -- the latest in its experimental event series -- which will feature technologies meant to enable military operations in contested or remote environments, according to a Friday announcement.

The Thunderstorm event series, coordinated via the innovation and modernization office within the office of the under secretary of defense for research and engineering, serves as a sandbox for industry, academia and government organizations to test emerging technologies and receive “immediate feedback to accelerate maturation of innovative capabilities,” according to the Defense Department.

The notice comes just over three months after a request for information on “innovative solutions for expeditionary operations” from OUSD(R&E)’s innovation and modernization office.

The June RFI sought solutions that would “emphasize low size, weight and power (SWaP) approaches to reduce the burden on small and mobile forces” in contested and remote environments.

Thunderstorm 24-4, titled, “Expeditionary Operations,” will take place Nov. 7-8, near Fredericksburg, VA. The invitation-only event will see the innovation and modernization office partner with the U.S. Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, according to the notice.