The US Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) is seeking an artificial intelligence (AI) powered image-based system to automate stockpile inventory, eliminating manual recordkeeping with no detectable radio frequency emissions.
A special notice published by the military said it requires a “secure, zero-signature automated armory that relies exclusively on optical recognition and computer vision,” consolidating depot registrations of tactical capabilities.
The command specified that the proposed system would identify and log weapons, equipment, and serial numbers using digital images as materiel enters or leaves an arsenal.
MARSOC noted that the platform must not rely on radio frequency identification, Bluetooth, or other frequency-enabled transmitters to prevent data breaches.
The resulting solution is expected to replace paper-based processes and repetitive data entry that are “labor intensive, susceptible to human error, and consume significant man-hours while increasing accountability risk.”
Evaluations by December
As part of the program, MARSOC will host an industry event in mid-September to explore commercially available technologies in collaboration with Florida-based nonprofit SOFWERX.
MARSOC said that the collaboration event will allow industry, academic institutions, and national laboratories to engage with MARSOC personnel before a formal assessment phase opens in late October.
Selected participants will present their innovations during an assessment phase in December.
Successful proposals could lead to prototype agreements, acquisition contracts, or other research and development partnerships.
Requests to attend the collaboration event are due by August and are limited to American industry and citizens only.
