Open Topic for Persistent Experimentation

The US Army Materiel Command (AMC) and Army Futures Command recognize the significant challenges in contested logistics and are actively developing plans and strategies to enhance the Army's operational flexibility and agility and enable efficient and effective force projection and sustainment. This is particularly important amid evolving threats and dynamic operational requirements in the Indo-Pacific theater, where ensuring the secure and uninterrupted flow of personnel, equipment, and supplies becomes increasingly complex. Adversarial forces may employ anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategies, such as anti-ship missiles, mines, and submarines, to impede or disrupt logistics operations. This poses risks to the Army's ability to rapidly deploy forces, conduct sustainment activities, and execute timely and effective operational maneuvers. Additionally, the diverse geography of the Pacific region, including vast distances, archipelagos, and challenging littoral environments, presents navigational and operational hurdles. Addressing these challenges requires innovative solutions, advanced technologies, adaptable platforms, and comprehensive training to ensure the Army can maintain a robust and resilient logistics capability in contested waters. To increase the US Army’s operational flexibility and resiliency in supporting contested logistics operations, PacMar Technologies proposes using a distributed network of unmanned transport sleds to supplement current watercraft operations. As an initial demonstrator that can be used in upcoming joint military exercises and experiments, PMT proposes an attritable, autonomous-capable, and scalable logistics platform called the Small Autonomous Littoral Transporter (SALT). The SALT sled is a tele-operated, beachable logistics platform with an integrated bow ramp and is currently configured to transport and deliver smaller payload packages (<11,000 lbs) as a ship-to-shore connector but can also be used to deliver payloads from air assets (sling-loaded or airdropped) or from neighboring islands. The SALT sleds can accommodate a wide range of payloads, such as JMICS, PALCONs, SIXCONs, or other specialty payloads.