Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory/Futures Directorate Partners With MD5 to Create an Adaptive Threat Force

17 Jan 2018 | Matt Lyman The Official United States Marine Corps Public Website

The Marine Corps Warfighting Lab / Futures Directorate identifies future challenges and opportunities, develops warfighting concepts, and uses wargames and experiments to comprehensively explore solutions and inform the combat development process.

MD5 is the Department of Defense’s national security technology accelerator.

MD5 provides a platform to cultivate the people and ideas necessary to build technology-based ventures that align national economic, security and social objectives for the good of the nation.

The memorandum of agreement between the two is designed to support the Adaptive Threat Force Cadre to enhance future experimentation. MCWL has demonstrated that creative, predictive and relevant innovation occurs in an environment where Marine experimental forces are challenged by a realistic, thinking and adaptive threat force.

“Through this agreement, MD5 will create experimental security threats to the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory to test the lab’s readiness when it comes to future security threats,” said Morgan Plummer, Director of MD5. “This work is not only critical to test the lab’s preparedness in the event of security threats, but also mimics the dedication and innovation of the foes to our national security.”

According to Lieutenant Colonel Dan Schmitt, Field Testing Branch Head, Experiment Division, MCWL/FD, challenging future concepts with experimental organizations and emerging technologies requires an authentic enemy who reflects the capabilities of real life adversary. This “sparring partner,” he said, is best employed throughout the experimentation process.

“Successful adversaries have proven to assume unexpected asymmetric stances to avoid our strengths,” Schmitt said. “Predictive understanding of potential adversary irregularities can be identified through these experimental situations.”

The memorandum is effective immediately and will remain in effect for two years.