The US Army has launched “Reveille Forge” at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, a permanent integration facility to accelerate the testing and distribution of next-generation defense systems.
Officially called the Integrated Development Environment, the center will combine industry and academic solutions with government-owned platforms to field more effective equipment across operational theaters.
The hub, supervised by the military’s Portfolio Acquisition Executive (PAE) Fires, builds on lessons from Operation Jailbreak, an initiative that brought together more than 50 industry partners and 600 participants to connect more than 74 previously isolated capabilities.
It also complements the service’s API Marketplace, launched in May to help vendors securely share software interfaces.
“Operation Jailbreak proved what’s possible when industry, government, and academia stop working in silos and start working as one team,” said Lt. Gen. Frank Lozano of PAE Fires.
Integrate-First Approach
Washington said that the Reveille Forge establishes an optimized process that allows companies to demonstrate interoperability with army architectures before moving to capability reviews and formal testing.
Technologies that pass benchmarks could advance to additional evaluations and potential acquisition activities.
“For too long, system integration began late in the developmental cycle,” said Jeannie Sommer, director of integrated fires at PAE Fires.
“With Reveille Forge, system integration is the first thing we do, not the last… which may ultimately get new technology into Soldiers’ hands faster.”
