The Replicator initiative is DoD’s effort to accelerate delivery of innovative capabilities to the warfighter at speed and scale through senior leader focus on solving a specific operational challenge.

Replicator

The first iteration of Replicator (Replicator 1), announced in August 2023, will deliver all-domain attritable autonomous systems (ADA2) to warfighters at a scale of multiple thousands, across multiple warfighting domains, within 18-24 months, or by August 2025. Replicator 1 is augmenting the way we fight, using large masses of uncrewed systems which are less expensive, put fewer people in the line of fire, and can be changed, updated, or improved with substantially shorter lead times.
In September 2024, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III announced the second iteration of Replicator. Replicator 2 will tackle the warfighter priority of countering the threat posed by small uncrewed aerial systems (C-sUAS) to our most critical installations and force concentrations. Replicator 2 will assist with overcoming challenges we face in the areas of production capacity, technology innovation, authorities, policies, open system architecture and system integration, and force structure.

Overview

  • The DoD, through the Replicator initiative, is developing an accelerated process that identifies key capabilities with significant operational impact and delivers them to the warfighter at speed and scale.

  • The result is a warfighter-defined investment funnel comprising novel operational concepts, prototyping and experimentation, and expeditious acquisition pathways aimed at creating on-ramps for new capabilities, systems and industry partners.

  • By leveraging non-traditional technology ecosystems, alongside more traditional sources of defense capability, the DoD is adapting to integrate emerging technologies and methodologies to add the most military value while working to diversify and expand the base of American industry and technology companies. 

  • The Replicator effort has demonstrated that a whole-of-Department approach, combined with concentrated and sustained senior leader  attention—across the breadth of policy, concept, and system development, integration, and sustainment efforts—can get needed capability into the hands of  our warfighters faster.

Role of Commercial Sector

  • Commercial companies are driving emerging technology solutions that have significant military value. This is particularly true for the portfolio of attritable, autonomous capabilities.

  • Replicator is strengthening collaboration between DoD and the commercial autonomy sector. More than 500 companies have participated in Replicator-1 through a variety of onramps including the Commercial Solutions Openings, and more than 30 have received contracts, supported by over 50 major subcontractors. About 75% of the companies currently involved in supplying Replicator-1 capabilities are non-traditional defense contractors.

  • After years of investment by both the public and private sectors, these commercial technologies are now ripe for scaling. 

  • Replicator provides the commercial sector with a demand signal that allows companies to make investments in building capacity, strengthening both the supply chain and the industrial base.

  • Replicator investments incentivize traditional and non-traditional industry players to deliver record volumes of all domain attritable autonomous systems in line with the ambitious schedule set forth by the Deputy Secretary of Defense.

  • As a process, the Replicator initiative does not introduce new standards, but provides a partnership between the government and vendors to ensure secure supply chains to mitigate risk through existing technical solutions.

Related Links

Questions & Answers

The Replicator initiative is a specific example of how the Department will accelerate delivery of innovation to the warfighter at speed and scale through senior leader focus on a specific operational challenge to remove systemic roadblocks. This initiative is purposefully designed to overcome challenges faced by commercial partners inside and outside the Department, ensuring the Department can organize its demand signal and communicate that to the commercial sector in order to ultimately acquire ‘ready to scale' capabilities.

Both traditional and non traditional companies have a role in Replicator. DoD will use both existing efforts that are already on contract, as well as continuing to diversify the base of American industry and technology companies that are interested in working with DoD through new efforts including Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) Commercial Solution Openings(CSOs).

Replicator 2 was announced in September 2024 to tackle the warfighter priority of countering the threat posed by small uncrewed aerial systems (C-sUAS) to our most critical installations and force concentrations, complementing and advancing the significant C-sUAS work already underway in the Defense Department in delivering modular and mutually reinforcing solutions to sensing, AI-enabled decision support, and defeat capabilities appropriate to the range of environments that host our most critical installations and force concentrations. 

Like Replicator-1, the Department will follow a deliberative process to identify capabilities that are ready to scale, as well as areas where we need to source new or novel technology solutions via DIU CSOs or other mechanisms. The Department will continue to work closely with Congress to identify funding pathways for Replicator-2 and share contracting opportunities once funding is approved. 

In a clear reflection of its 3.0 strategy and positioning as a direct report to the Secretary of Defense, DIU has an important role in helping to lead the Replicator effort across the Services. 

Replicator is an initiative that is run through the Deputy’s Innovation Steering Group (DISG) and the supporting Defense Innovation Working Group (DIWG). DIU is both a member of and the principal staff support to DISG, and also chairs the DIWG, coordinating components from the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), Joint Staff, Combatant Commands, and Services to accelerate delivery of innovative capabilities.

In addition to its role “quarterbacking” the process for the Department, DIU plays a critical role in identifying and bringing aboard technologies from the commercial tech sector, and coordinating and catalyzing others across the Department’s innovation community to do the same.  

The Replicator team is currently working with stakeholders across the Services, OSD and Combatant Commands to refine the demand signal for high priority needs. By conveying to the vendor community the need, how much money is associated with it, and over what time frame.

Replicator is providing an opportunity to remove systemic barriers and break through silos across the Department of Defense. Leadership attention and a whole-of-Department approach combined with support from Congress has accelerated Service-led efforts and created opportunities for enhancing scaling for both suppliers and sub vendors. Specifically, we are seeing contract awards for autonomous, attritable systems being increased in size and pulled forward.