2009 afosr strategic plan

iiii AFOSR-TODAY’S BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE FOR TOMORROW’S AIR FORCE

Table of Contents

A Letter from the Director 1

I. Introduction: AFOSR Vision & Mission 2 II. Elements of Strategy 3

Transformational Opportunity 5Comprehensive Search 5Investment Balance 6What Other Agencies Are Funding 6

III. Portfolio: Basic Research Focus Areas 8Aerospace, Chemical and Materials Sciences 8Physics and Electronics 10Mathematics, Information and Life Sciences 11

IV. Basic Research Programs 14University Research 14AFRL Intramural Basic Research 14Small Businesses 15International Involvement 15Interagency Coordination and Alliances 16Future U.S. Technology Workforce 16

Appendix 171. Discovery Challenge Thrusts (DCT) 172. References 173. Basic Research Focus Areas 184. AFOSR Program Manager Portfolios 19

• Aerospace, Chemical, and Material Sciences Directorate 19• Physics and Electronics Directorate 20• Mathematics, Information and Life Sciences Directorate 21

1AFOSR TECHNICAL STRATEGIC PLAN

The Air Force Office of Scientific Research is the basic research component of the Air Force Research Laboratory. For nearly 60 years, AFOSR has discovered, shaped, and championed basic science that profoundly impacts the Air Force. AFOSR fulfills this responsibility by identifying breakthrough scientific opportunities, actively investing in the best of these opportunities, and transitioning the resulting discoveries to other AFRL components, to defense industries, and to other federal agencies.

A Letter from the DirectorDR. BRENDAN GODFREY, SES

This AFOSR strategic plan strives to strengthen our organization to better accomplish our basic research mission. Because AFOSR is a lean organization, each individual’s performance is crucial to our success. The AFOSR strategic plan helps guide each of us to be more effective by understanding how each job relates to the whole, to improve our performance by optimizing feedback channels, and to maintain our technical and scientific edge. I want to emphasize that our mission is indeed challenging - our strength lies in our opportunity to shape the future Air Force based on the promise of high-risk, high reward research.

I call your attention to the Air Force Strategic Plan, in which we play a critical role. The Air Force will, “focus and protect research and development investments that advance the state of the art in areas critical to continued dominance of air, space, and cyber-space…. We will protect our heritage of technological innovation and extend it into the future by ensuring the right levels of investment in important research and development efforts across the Air Force.”

AFOSR is responsible for protecting that heritage of technological innovation. We help create the future Air Force. Our strategic plan will ensure we fulfill our responsibility.

Dr. Brendan Godfrey, SESDirector, AFOSR

22 AFOSR-TODAY’S BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE FOR TOMORROW’S AIR FORCE

I. Introduction: AFOSR Vision & Mission

Today’s U.S. Air Force dominance is the direct result of a 60-year investment in the science and technologies that underlie air and space power. This broad-based investment ranges from focused research, enabling rapid development of specific systems and capabilities, to the most basic research into emerging new sciences. Our comprehensive investment strategy gives the Air Force a technological edge resulting in its preeminent air and space systems in the world today.

AFOSR is the arm of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) that focuses exclusively on the far term capabilities. Across the Air Force, there is a shared vision of dominating air, space, and cyber. The AFOSR vision and mission have the unique feature of focusing on revolutionary, transformational basic research that produces today’s breakthrough science for tomorrow’s Air Force. AFOSR has the responsibility to direct Air Force investment of basic research funds into areas that identify and explore emerging scientific concepts and to assess their applicability to tomorrow’s Air Force.

AFOSR Vision:

The U.S. Air Force dominates air, space, and cyber through revolutionary basic research.

AFOSR Mission:

We discover, shape, and champion basic science that profoundly impacts the future Air Force.

At AFOSR we have three core strategic goals to ensure we remain a constant guardian of the Air Force’s long-term technical future.

Strategic Goal 1: Identify opportunities for significant scientific advancements and breakthrough research here and abroad

Strategic Goal 2: Rapidly bring to bear the right researchers and resources on these opportunities in the interest of fostering revolutionary basic research for Air Force needs

Strategic Goal 3: Enable the Air Force to exploit these opportunities at the appropriate time transitioning revolutionary science to DoD and industry

This document focuses primarily on the first two of these three goals. It specifically considers how we identify the activities we wish to fund and the logic that underlies the allocation of resources to these activities. The third of these goals, which requires we take steps to assure that scientific advances resulting from its investment benefit the Air Force, is discussed in the 2009 AFOSR Business Plan.


II. Elements of Strategy

As a vital component of a larger organization, it is important we at AFOSR understand and align our strategies with the mission and vision of AFRL. AFRL’s mission is leading the discovery, development, and integration of affordable warfighting technologies for America’s aerospace forces. AFRL must consider all periods, ranging from rapid response to meet today’s warfighter needs to the very far term transformational research that prepares the Air Force for an uncertain future. As the AFRL Directorate responsible for directing the Air Force basic research investment to prepare for an uncertain future, AFOSR must be attuned to transformational research across the globe.

Figure 1. Our ability to predict today what will be important to the Air Force in the future decreases the

further we look into the future.

How is it possible, then, to invest in such truly high impact transformational research, when it may be impossible to identify or understand the true future

impactofthescientificdiscovery?

This conundrum is captured visually in Figure 1, where we consider our ability to predict what will become truly important in the future. In this graphic, the “probable” represents a straightforward projection of today’s important problems together with an assessment of the most likely direction of trends as we understand them. The “alternative” accounts for the fact that there are many different possibilities resident in those trends, which, though understandable, are not deemed to be the most likely. As time passes, it becomes increasingly likely our “best guess” as to the detailed direction of those trends will be wrong. The “plausible” accounts for

thechancethatsomescientificbreakthroughorsomegeopoliticalornaturaleventthatwasunpredictable from today’s trends will profoundly and unexpectedly change everything, including the direction of the future Air Force.

In the near to intermediate term, we expect that our understanding of today’s trends will lead us to a reasonable assessment of what the important problems will be, but it is highly likely the important problems 50 years hence are unpredicted by today’s trends. The conundrum is that the AFOSR mission balances two strategic requirements. AFOSR must, first, “discover, shape, and champion basic science” and second, assure that transformational scientific discoveries are nurtured to “profoundly impact the future Air Force.” These strategic requirements can occasionally be contradictory. Truly transfor-mational basic science affects the future in ways that cannot be predicted.


AFOSR Investment Decision Matrix

In addition, Figure 1 can be correlated with the two types of risks inherent in the AFOSR investment strategy: technical risk and relevance risk. Technical risk involves the possibility a proposed approach with well-understood promise for meeting Air Force and DoD needs may fail technically. Relevance risk applies to research so revolutionary it might succeed in some unanticipated way that proves to be of minimal importance to the Air Force. Technical risk is inherent in any basic research investment decision and is an accepted characteristic of all AFOSR basic research investments. Relevance risk relates to the conundrum described above. Investments that focus on the “probable” have minimal relevance risk; these investments address new solutions to the direct projection of today’s problems and are easily seen as affecting the future Air Force as we understand it, while investments in the “plausible” that take relevance risk are harder to clearly relate to the future Air Force. It is important to note that truly transformational research seldom occurs as a result of addressing today’s problems and requires that AFOSR take relevance as well as technical risk.

The strategic goals of AFOSR requires it seek out and support the very best, most transformational basic research with the greatest potential for impact on the future Air Force. This requires, first and foremost, AFOSR program managers be aware of and responsive to technological opportunity, wherever it may arise. It also requires the search for such opportunity to be comprehensive and informed by an understanding of Air Force and AFRL overarching strategic direction. Within the two overarching guidelines, we must balance the investment across technological areas based on its best understanding of future warfighting and technological trends. We also must consider the extent to which other agencies, inside and outside DoD, are investing in similar activities and assure that its investment is appropriately coordinated with those agencies.

COMPREHENSIVE SEARCH

SEARCH FOR TRANSFORMATIONAL

OPPORTUNITYINVESTMENT

BALANCE

WHAT OTHER AGENCIES

ARE FUNDING


The four considerations that underlie AFOSR investment decisions are described below.


Transformational Opportunity: AFOSR makes investments in new technologies beyond today’s articulation of Air Force capability needs in order to capture truly transformational scientific breakthroughs that have the potential to change the Air Force profoundly. Truly transformational advances usually occur where they are not expected, so AFOSR focuses on early recognition of disruptive technologies, rapid scientific breakthroughs, and unanticipated advances in science. To this end, AFOSR continues to assume some measure of relevance risk chal-lenges and encourages risk-taking investments on fundamentally new ideas, even when the ultimate applications are not entirely certain. It is important to note that this search for transformational opportunity is intrinsically a “bottom-up” activity and depends on maintaining a cadre of program managers who are intimately familiar with advances in their technical communities.

Comprehensive Search: Though the principal challenge for AFOSR is to seek out and support truly transformational research, it is important to recognize such change can come from anywhere. Thus, we look broadly across all perceived future Air Force needs through the telescope of transformational change. The AFRL Focused Long Term Challenge (FLTC) process has developed a capability taxonomy capturing not only today’s needs but a projection of future needs based on an understanding of today’s trends. With the organizing vision to “anticipate, find, fix, track, target, engage, and assess anything, anytime and anywhere,” AFRL has created these FLTCs to be broad enough to represent a complete view of the evolution of technology and its importance to the Air Force in the near future (see Figure 2).

AIR FORCE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY VISION

Anticipate, find, fix, track, target, engage, and assess-anything, anytime, anywhere

Universal Situational Awareness

Access and Survive in the Battlespace

Deliver Precision Effects

• Multi-layer sensing architecture with fused knowledge delivery, forensics and technical efforts

• Cyber Situational Awareness

• Space Situational Awareness

• Psycho-cultural Situational Awareness

FLTC 1 -Anticipatory Command, Control and Intelligence

FLTC 2 -Unprecedented Proac-tive Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance

• Low-collateral-damage weapons

• Ubiquitous Swarming Sensors & Shooters

• Rapid global engagement

FLTC 3 -DominantDifficultSur-face Target Engagement/Defeat

FLTC 4 -Persistent & Responsive Precision Engagement

FLTC 5 -Assured Operations in High Threat Environments

• On demand access and mission effectiveness in space

• Cyber security, forensics, and assured battlespace networks

• Self Protection

• Sustaining Warfighter Capabilities

FLTC 6 -Dominant Offensive Cyber Engagement

FLTC 7 -On-demand Force Protection, Anywhere

FLTC 8 -Affordable Mission Generation & Sustainment

Figure 2. Focused Long Term Challenges summarize the Air Force vision for science and technology.



Because the FLTCs are intended to cover the near, intermediate and far term, AFOSR has collaborated with FLTC leadership to define the Discovery Challenge Thrusts (DCTs) as areas for which AFOSR will provide increased funding in the coming years. (See Appendix 1) Continuous attention to the FLTCs and DCTs assures that AFOSR’s search for the best basic research investment will broadly reflect the probable evolution of future Air Force requirements.

Investment Balance:

The FLTCs provide an excellent top-level view of the breadth of science which, based on today’s projections, may be important to the future Air Force, while the DCTs provide some investment guidance. Nevertheless, these constructs provide incomplete guidance on what the balance of investment across technology areas should be and how that balance should change with time. As a result, AFOSR management must make judgments based on an understanding of military, geopolitical and technology trends. Multiple agencies, including: AFRL, the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), and others, have studied the emerging trends that seem most likely to affect the ability of DoD and the Air Force to reduce, neutralize and eliminate future threats. Though each of these studies has its own emphasis based on the mission of its sponsoring organization (see Appendix 2), all agree substantially as to the various world trends that are driving change (see Table 1).

What Other Agencies Are Funding:

Other government agencies, inside and outside DoD, fund basic research that poten-tially could impact the future Air Force. The responsibility for understanding and deal-ing with the overlap of AFOSR interests with those of other agencies resides at both the program manager level and the management level. We select program managers based on their expertise and familiarity with the breadth of research within their technical disciplines, including an understanding of who funds it. It is expected that they will coordinate with their counterparts in other funding agencies when appropriate. AFOSR management must also be aware of the priorities and funding levels of basic research within other agencies and consider those as they balance investment across scientific disciplines. It is reasonable to expect there could be areas of importance to the Air Force where AFOSR is minimally invested because other agencies have taken the lead. DDR&E coordinates basic research investment across the services where considerable overlap of interests exists. In addition to DDR&E efforts, we take steps to coordinate with other such agencies outside DoD, as described in Section IV.



Table 1: AFOSR Trends from, “Air Force Research Laboratory Capability-Based Science and Technology Strategy 2030”

Asia Rising

Projected to reach a combined population of 2.7 billion people by 2020, China and India have among the world’s highest growth rates in economic and military strength. This could portend the re-emergence of a peer competitor.

Urbanization

The complexity of the urban environment can degrade or reduce the effectiveness of high-technology weapons; communication systems; and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities.

Globalization and Interdependence

Economic, financial, industrial, and information globalization represent the leading edge of market forces driving us toward a more interdependent global framework of political and ideological engagement.

Energy CrisisInterdependence

The availability of alternate energy sources must be considered in forming military technology strategy.

Asymmetric Engagement – Hiding in Plain Sight

Those marginalized and disenfranchised as a result of globaliza-tion and urbanization will not directly confront those they perceive as oppressors.

Declining U.S.Technology Edge

Based upon the ever-increasing emphasis in technical education as a foundation for technology and national competitiveness in the growing economies of Asia, it is unlikely our nation will con-tinue to have the science and engineering edge it once enjoyed.

Space: A Critical and Competitive Military Environ-ment

The ultimate high ground is space. The unrestricted use of space as a domain that enables us to see, hear, locate, and communicate on a global scale is essential.

Cyberspace: Opportunity and Danger

Information technology, advanced ubiquitous communications, and unfettered use of the electromagnetic spectrum have been great strengths in terms of enhancing the security, connectivity, and sensory abilities of our nation - but embedded in our reliance is also a great weakness, should it be denied.

Emerging Technologies

History has shown that we usually underestimate significantly the impact of emerging technologies. This is particularly true of technologies that are so new that their impacts cannot be known.


III. Portfolio: Basic Research Focus Areas

AFOSR is organized by technical disciplines in order to most effectively facilitate our interface withthescientificcommunity.AFOSRhasthreescientificdirectorates,eachmanagedbyaSenior Executive Service (SES)-level director with 10-15 program managers (see Appendix 4). Each directorate is responsible for multiple Research Focus Areas (see Figure 3).

Aerospace, Chemical & Material Sciences

Physics & ElectronicsMathematics, Information

& Life Sciences

• Aero-Structure Interac-tions and Control

• Complex Electronics and Fundamental Quantum Processes

• Information and Complex Networks

• Energy, Power, and Propulsion

• Plasma Physics and High Energy Density Nonequil-librium Processes

• Decision Making

• Complex Materials and Structures

• Optics, Electromagnetics, Communications, and Signal Processing

• Natural Materials and Systems

• Dynamical Systems, Optimization, and Control

Figure 3. AFOSR Research Focus Areas

AEROSPACE, CHEMICAL AND MATERIALS SCIENCES

Aero-Structure Interactions and Control:

This area focuses on the characterization, modeling, and exploitation of interactions between the unsteady aerodynamic flow field and the dynamic air vehicle structure to enable enhanced performance in next generation Air Force systems. Research contribu-tions in this area are expected from, but not limited to, the following areas: turbulence and laminar-turbulent transition, flow control, unsteady aerodynamics, structural dynam-ics, and aeroelasticity. Of particular interest to this area is the synergy gained from an interdisciplinary look at multiple technologies and the integration of core disciplines of fluid mechanics, structures, and materials.

Strategic Direction: Micro air vehicles and their promise of exquisite and persistent ISR are a potential answer to the challenges presented by operations in the urban environ-ment. This area emphasizes a wide range of fundamental scientific challenges for such micro air vehicles. An additional focus is to extend the fundamental understanding of turbulence and laminar-turbulent transitions at hypersonic velocities to the aerothermal materials environment where chemistry, fluid physics, and materials sciences overlap. Additional areas of focus are flow control for vehicle maneuverability and improved efficiency and structural dynamics of hypersonic and flexible wing aeroelasticity.


Energy, Power and Propulsion:

This area focuses on underlying processes associated with the production, storage, and utilization of energy specifically for Air Force systems. Examples include developing novel energetic materials as well as understanding and optimizing combustion processes. Novel propulsion methods for aircraft and spacecraft are being explored as are new ways in which energy can be produced, collected, stored, and utilized. In addition, fuels modeling research in cooperation with other agencies is emphasized. The research includes theoretical and experimental approaches to advance macro and micro chemical propulsion, nano/micro/macro electric propulsion research, rarefied ultraviolet, infrared, and optical signature characterization, including the chemistry of plumes, surveillance of LEO and GEO processes, high-sensitivity sensing and detection (mass spectrometers), satellite contamination prediction, and ionospheric chemistry. This crosscutting, multi-disciplinary focus area seeks to harvest technological innovations and develop potentially revolutionary technologies by integrating core disciplines of combustion, plasma dynamics, chemistry, hybrid simulation, structures, and materials.

Strategic Direction: Overall, this is a growing area. Energy is an urgent national priority and concern to DoD and Air Force. Other agencies, particularly DOE, are concerned with this problem, so AFOSR focus will be on alternate energy science specific for Air Force needs-from Fischer-Tropsch com-bustion to improved energy harvesting and storage. Turbine engine combustion research, long an AFOSR emphasis area, is being directed towards scientific advances with implications for enhanced energy efficiency. Space micro/nano space propulsion, including plume dynamics for satellite contamination and space surveillance, will be emphasized as will propulsion research for advanced lift and research into novel energetic materials.

Complex Materials and Structures:

This topic focuses on future materials and structures composed of different classes of materials and may be able to change functionality or performance characteristics to enhance the mission versatility of future air and space systems, with a key goal of increasing functionality, while decreasing weight and volume. Particular emphasis will be on research enabling the development of micro air vehicles and space structures. The focus will be on complex materials, microsystems, and structures by incorpo-rating hierarchical design and functionality from the nano-scale through the meso-scale, ultimately leading to controlled, well-understood material or structural behavior capable of dynamic functionality and/or performance characteristics to enhance mission versatility. This cross-cutting, multi-disciplinary focus area seeks to develop revolutionary complex materials and exploit the interaction between the envi-ronment and the material interface by developing hybrid materials of dissimilar materials, tunable materi-als properties, adaptive morphing structures, active materials with on-demand shape and phase change, reconfigurable structures, and real-time, integrated on-board health monitoring.

Strategic Direction: Due to revolutionary advances in the manufacture and understanding of traditional materials and because of limited funding, we are migrating away from our long-standing investment in characterizing and optimizing traditional materials toward opportunities associated with the development of revolutionary new materials of complex design and function. Particular emphasis will be on the discovery of novel, thermally robust materials and new techniques for characterizing, predicting, and controlling thermal phenomena in complex material systems to include surface physics, especially tribology and energy transport across dissimilar materials and the development of innovative measurement techniques to characterize extreme environments. Emphasis will be on self-healing materials, lightweight structures, active vibration suppression, precision deployable structures, and software controlled multi-functional surfaces.



PHYSICS AND ELECTRONICSComplex Electronics and Fundamental Quantum Processes

Plasma Physics and High Energy Density Nonequilibrium Processes:

This area includes a wide range of activities characterized by processes that are sufficiently en-ergetic to require the understanding and managing of plasma phenomenology and the non-linear response of materials to high electric and magnetic fields. This includes such endeavors as space weather, plasma control of boundary layers in turbulent flow, plasma discharges, RF propagation and RF-plasma interaction, and high power beam-driven microwave devices. It also includes topics where plasma phenomenology is not necessarily central to the activity but is nonetheless an important aspect, such as laser-matter interaction (including high energy as well as ultra short pulse lasers) and pulsed power. This area pursues advances in the understanding of fundamental plasma and non-linear electromagnetic phenomenology, including modeling and simulations, as well as a wide range of novel potential applications involving matter at high energy density.

Strategic Direction: This area is a crosscutting enabler for a number of capabilities and continues to be a strong AFOSR investment area. In particular, space weather, a key aspect of space situ-ational awareness, will be enhanced as will research into ultrashort pulse laser matter interaction. Some aspects of power systems that involve materials at high energy density as well as plasma effects on combustion and control surfaces will also receive enhanced attention.

This burgeoning area has grown out of 50 years of research into condensed matter and quantum physics. It includes exploration and understanding of a wide range of complex engineered materials and devices, including non-linear optical materials, optoelectronics, metamaterials, cathodes, dielectric and magnetic materials, high-energy lasers, semiconductor lasers, new classes of high-temperature superconductors, quantum dots, quantum wells, and graphene. Research into new classes of devices based on quantum phenomena can include new generations of ultra- compact or ultra-sensitive electronics to improve conventional devices for sensing or information processing and such new concepts as quantum computing.

This area also includes generating and controlling quantum states, such as superposition and entanglement, in photons and ultra-cold atoms and molecules (e.g. Bose Einstein Condensates). In addition to research into underlying materials and fundamental physical processes, this area considers how they might be integrated into new classes of devices, seeking breakthroughs in quantum information processing, secure communication, multi-modal sensing, and memory, as well as high speed communication and fundamental understanding of materials that are not amenable to conventional computational means (e.g., using optical lattices to model high-temperature superconductors).

Strategic Direction: This area is opportunity-driven with possibilities associated with new sens-ing modalities, new classes of reconfigurable states, and secure communication. The Quantum Information Science aspects of this area have been called out by OSD as a breakthrough op-portunity worthy of special consideration. New superconducting materials for power systems are being emphasized, as are materials for eye and sensor protections from laser light. New directions in computational ability, such as “spintronics” and photonics, are essential as the limitations based on CMOS integrated circuits have been reached. We are deemphasizing investment in characterizing bulk semiconductor materials as this area matures.


Optics, Electromagnetics, Communication, and Signal Processing:

This area considers all aspects of producing and receiving complex electromagnetic and electro optical signals, as well as their propagation through complex media, including adaptive optics and optical imaging. It also covers aspects of the phenomenology of lasers and non-linear optics. This area not only considers the development of physical devices to enable such activities, but also includes sophisticated mathematics and algorithm development for extracting information from complex and/or sparse signals This crosscutting activity impacts such diverse efforts as space object imaging, secure reliable communication, on-demand sensing modalities, distributed multilayered sensing, automatic target recognition, and navigation.

MATHEMATICS, INFORMATION, AND LIFE SCIENCES

Strategic Direction: This crosscutting enabler for virtually all Air Force capabilities will remain an AFOSR emphasis area. In particular, networked systems of sensors, as envisioned for swarming semiautonomous micro air vehicles will require advances in the theory and application of data extraction from complex, multi-modal sensors as well as protection of networked elec-tronics from RF weapons. A particularly strong emphasis area is optical imaging, electromagnetic sensing, and solar observations and modeling for Space Situational Awareness. Some aspects of the theoretical and computational aspects of interaction of extremely short-pulsed lasers with the atmosphere and condensed phase media are included in this area.

Information and Complex Networks

This area, which has been substantially enhanced during the past three years in response to the AFOSR-commissioned National Academy of Sciences study, Basic Research in Informa-tion Sciences and Technology for Air Force Needs, focuses research required to enable reli-able and secure exchange of information and predictable operation of networks and systems. Though it includes traditional aspects of information assurance and research into reliable systems, the emphasis is on the mathematics that underlies fundamental new secure-by-design architectures of networked communications and decision-making platforms. Subareas that support this scientific focus are system and network performance prediction, design, and analysis, information operations and security, and modeling of human-machine systems.

Strategic Direction: This area continues to be substantially enhanced in response to the wide-spread (Air Force, OSD, and others) realization that the emerging importance of cyberspace poses new opportunities and new risks for the Air Force of the future. Research will be performed in areas where Air Force requirements drive the need for new mathematical methods: the analysis of system and network properties to assure stability and security with minimal information; the prediction of the behavior of networks and complex systems as they dynamically change state and configuration; the anticipation of the nature of future information system attacks; and the assessment of the effect of actions, malicious or otherwise, on a network or information space.



Decision Making:

This thrust focuses on the discovery of mathematical laws, foundational scientific principles, and new, reliable and robust algorithms, which underlie intelligent, mixed human-machine decision-making to achieve accurate real-time projection of expertise and knowledge into and out of the battle space. It includes both efforts to advance the critical knowledge base in information sciences and information fusion and models of individual and group cognitive processing and decision-making. Subareas that support this scientific focus are information fusion, robust human-machine decision-making, socio-cultural modeling, and mathematical analysis and models of individual human cognition and collective behavior.

Strategic Direction: This area is being enhanced in response to an understanding that asymmetric engagement and urbanization require new paradigms promoting symbiosis between man and machine for decision-making under conditions of uncertainty and unexpected changes in environment and goals to improve robustness and efficiency in the OODA Loop. We are enhancing research in the area of socio-cultural modeling to forecast the impact of cultural differences on decision-making and identify possible future courses of actions, partly in response to Secretary of Defense direction, which promises to help identify and predict cultural differences in decision-making.

Natural Materials and Systems:

This area focuses on multidisciplinary approaches for studying, using, mimicking, or altering the novel ways that natural systems accomplish their required tasks. Nature has used evolution to build exquisite materials and sensors that often outperform manmade versions. This scientific thrust discovers how to mimic existing natural sensory systems and adds existing capabilities to these organisms for more precise control over their material production. Subareas that support this scientific focus include biomimetics of materials, sensors, interfaces, physical mechanisms of natural systems under environ-mental stress (i.e., extremophiles), and bioenergy. Bioenergy includes research to understand and improve the facility of certain microorganisms to produce biofuels - specifically molecular hydrogen and algal lipids—for use in fuel cells and air breathing engines, and to utilize other complex or impure biofuels for use in compact power generation. This area also includes biomimetics for research into low speed, highly maneuverable flight.

Strategic Direction: Though this area, which promises to provide the next revolution in material science, is largely opportunity driven, we place specific emphasis on biofuels, biomimetics for materials and sensing, and extreme environment survivability. We are deemphasizing some aspects of biological research for which the Army is the lead, such as toxicology, safety, and standards. Beginning in about three years, we will also deem-phasize sensory system research, which has produced many valuable discoveries over the past two decades.


Dynamical Systems, Optimization, and Control:

This area emphasizes mathematical research for discovering new scientific concepts supported by rigorous analysis for advancing the science of autonomy and promoting the understanding necessary to analyze and design complex multi-scale systems as well as provide guaranteed levels of performance. It includes novel adaptive control strategies for coordinating heterogeneous autonomous or semiautonomous aerospace vehicles in uncertain, information rich, dynamically changing, adversarial, and networked envi-ronments. This thrust also includes work on rigorous new methods and algorithms for robust and efficient multidisciplinary design and optimization as well as the extremely challenging problems of quantifying and understanding the effects of uncertainties in a wide variety of computational analysis problems arising in the characterization of the behaviors of complex systems.

This area also studies a variety of natural systems (e.g., dragonflies and bats), which have incredible capabilities beyond the reach of current technology, with the aim of discovering and understanding fundamental new engineering principles that could enable the design and operation of agile autonomous systems with revolutionary new capabilities. Subareas that support this scientific focus are robust adaptive control of complex hybrid systems, embedded optimization, dynamical systems theory, computa-tional and discrete mathematics, management of the effects of uncertainties, and reliable scalable algorithms.

Strategic Direction: Intelligent and highly responsive adaptive control and optimization (particularly embedded optimization) are pervasive issues and critical enablers for the Air Force of the future to operate safely and effectively in crowded heterogeneous battlespaces. Research enabling efficient reliable operation of large networks of semi-autonomous agile micro air vehicles and sensor systems will be required to make possible extremely challenging missions that occur in highly uncertain terrain (e.g., urban canyons, cave, and mountainous areas) in the presence of large natural and adversarial distur-bances. Moreover, research done in this thrust will be extremely useful for the adaptive integrated sensing and processing that will be important to the secure and reliable operation of DoD networks.


IV. Basic Research Programs

For almost 60 years, AFOSR has expanded the horizon of scientific knowledge by iden-tifying, supporting, and exploiting basic research opportunities. AFOSR has sponsored 57 scientists and engineers who have earned worldwide recognition as Nobel Laureates in physics, chemistry, medicine, and economics. AFOSR basic research investments are executed primarily with U.S. universities, but critical portions occur within the other nine AFRL Technology Directorates, businesses, international organizations, and other Federal agencies. This section provides an overview of the mechanics of the AFOSR research investment.

UNIVERSITY RESEARCH:

Single Investigator Grants:

Grant awards to single university researchers seek revolutionary scientific breakthroughs in the AFOSR Research Focus Areas. University researchers typically are university professors leading small teams of graduate students and postdoctoral associates. Businesses are also eligible for single-investigator contracts.

Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI):

MURI grants complement single-investigator awards by investing in research intersecting multiple science and engineering disciplines. Such multidisciplinary research teams, often involving multiple universities, accelerate research progress through the cross-fertilization of scientific disciplines.

Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP):

The DURIP provides equipment grants to universities to enhance current research capabilities or develop new ones to support research of Air Force interest. We at AFOSR are especially interested in equipment that benefits multiple investigators.

AFRL INTRAMURAL BASIC RESEARCH

Laboratory Research Independent Research (LRIR) Program:

AFOSR invests in basic research at the nine AFRL Technology Directorates to address significant scientific challenges and to develop the AFRL in-house technical workforce. Investment in basic research within AFRL Technical Directorates and other Air Force entities is limited to 30 percent of the AFOSR core budget. Laboratory researchers typically are single investigators or senior investigators leading small teams of government scientists, postdoctoral associates, and on-site research contractors.


Resident Research Programs:

AFOSR manages and co-funds the National Research Council Resident Research Associates (NRCRRA) program and the Summer Faculty Fellowship Program (SFFP). The NRCRRA provides postdoctoral (<5 years since Ph.D.) and senior scientists and engineers (>5 years since Ph.D.) one to three year research fellowships at Air Force research sites. The SFFP supports academic faculty to conduct on-site research in col-laboration with Air Force researchers during the summer months. These two programs provide opportunities to bring new expertise to AFRL and enhance professional relationships among Air Force and university researchers.

SMALL BUSINESSESAFOSR manages the Air Force Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program. The STTR program is designed to transition ideas from research institutions to the commercial market, where the technology can benefit the Air Force and the nation as a whole. This program is similar to the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program but requires official collaboration with a U.S. university, Federally Funded Research and Development Center, or non-profit research institution.

INTERNATIONAL INVOLVEMENT

“The Sun Never Sets on AFOSR”The Air Force’s technical competitiveness increasingly depends on its ability to be fully cognizant of international scientific and technological breakthroughs and advances. The Air Force must maintain a constant vigilance of the evolution of science across the globe and be prepared to exploit any scientific advances when appropriate. This requirement becomes increasingly critical to the future Air Force as the quantity and quality of research performed outside the U.S. continue to increase. At AFOSR, we maintaintheAsianOfficeofAerospaceResearchandDevelopment(AOARD)inTokyo,theEuropean Office of Aerospace Research and Development (EOARD) in London, and the recently established Southern Office of Aerospace Research and Development (SOARD), located in Santiago, Chile, to support direct interchanges with the interna-tional scientific and engineering community.

It is unrealistic to imagine that AFOSR’s international offices can directly assess all international basic research activities. So our principal strategy is to foster scientific research relationships with a broad range of key international scientific researchers and communities. These relationships enable a sustained awareness of the increasingly broad range of international research. AFOSR utilizes three main programs: 1) Window on Science (WOS), which brings foreign researchers to meet and share their research with AFRL scientists and engineers; 2) Conference Support, which promotes AFRL access to worldwide scientific dialogues; and 3) research grants and contracts, which provide modest support to foreign researchers on specific topics of Air Force interest.


INTERAGENCY COORDINATION AND ALLIANCES

IV. Basic Research Programs

AFOSR’s basic research investment is a small fraction of the nation’s overall basic research investment. Within DoD, the entire basic research investment is formally coor-dinated through the Reliance 21 process, established to facilitate sharing of information to enhance high-quality research with increased efficiency and greater effectiveness. Strengthening AFOSR interactions with non-DoD scientific organizations, such as the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the Department of Homeland Security ensures investments are fully coordinated and opportunities for leveraging are exploited. Expanded interaction beyond DoD is critical to support our Strategic Goal 1 to, “Identify opportunities for significant scientific advancements and breakthrough research here and abroad.”

FUTURE U.S. TECHNOLOGY WORKFORCE

The technological superiority of the Air Force depends on the availability of well-trained scientists and engineers. Each year, approximately 2,000 graduate students and post-doctoral associates work on AFOSR basic research grants under the mentorship of outstanding university researchers. We also manage the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG) program and the Awards to Stimulate and Support Undergraduate Research Experiences (ASSURE) program on behalf of the entire DoD. The NDSEG program provides three year fellowships to U.S. citizens or U.S. nationals pursuing Ph.D.s in science and engineering disciplines of DoD importance. The ASSURE program provides meaningful research opportunities for undergraduates, emphasizing the involvement of students who might not otherwise have such opportunities.

At AFOSR, we recognize that America’s research and workforce challenges are best addressed by a diverse application pool from which to select the best and brightest researchers. Through our Historically Black Colleges/Universities and Minority Institu-tions (HBCU/MI) program, we not only support quality research but also increase the number of minority graduates in the fields of science, engineering, and mathematics. ASSURE also contributes substantially in this regard.

In response to the American Competitiveness Initiative, AFOSR established a Young Investigator Program in FY2007 to increase opportunities for new investigators to participate in Air Force basic research. This program provides research support to scientists and engineers who have received a Ph.D. or equivalent degree in the last five years and show exceptional ability and promise for conducting basic research. This program fosters creative basic research approaches and enhances early career development of outstanding new investigators. Research awards are made to principal investigators who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents.


1. Discovery Challenge Thrusts (DCTs)Integrated Multi-Modal Sensing: Processing & Exploitation: Enables performance-based, multi-modal sensors that can autonomously determine which mode(s) are best for providing real-time decision-making information about potential targets and threats in complex, dynamic environments

Robust Decision-Making: Investigates and allows for new computational and mathematical principles of cognition to create symbiosis between human and machine systems to optimally coordinate and allocate responsibility between these entities for comprehensive situational awareness and anticipatory command and control

Turbulence Control & Implications:Pushestheboundaryofflowcontrolresearchtoenableoptimalaerodynamicandpropulsion performance across a wide range of Mach numbers

Space Situational Awareness: Develops concepts for not only detecting, tracking, and identifying space objects, but also for predicting future capabilities, actions, and positions of these objects (at all altitudes with known accuracy and precision)

Complex Networked Systems:Enablesnetworkperformancetobepredictableandquantifiableoverawiderangeofoperating conditions, assures probability of information transfer on a complex network as opposed to data transmission, and enables detection and mitigation of conditions for network failure or compromise that avoid catastrophic performance degradation

Reconfigurable Cellular Electronic Systems: Develops real-time tuning of electrical and optical properties to enable devicestobetailoredandoptimizedforspecifictasks,andallowsdevicestoreconfigureandrecoverfromdefectsordamage(such as radiation effects)

Thermal Transport Phenomena & Scaling Laws: Analyzes modeling, analyzing, and understanding thermal phenomena at multiple time and length scales to enable future AF technologies, such as high speed processing, high power electronics, and hypersonic thermal protection and propulsion systems

Radiant Energy Delivery & Materials Interactions: Enhances understanding and control of the generation, propagation and deposition of radiant energy at all wavelengths with applications to such things as antenna design, imaging/sensing, and directed energy weapons

Socio-Cultural Modeling of Effective Influence: Helps develop fundamental understanding of social, demographic, and culturalinfluencesthatformtheoperationalenvironmentinallphasesofmilitaryactivityacrossair,space,andcyberspacedomains

Super-Configurable Multifunction Structures:Providesthescientificbasisfornewmorphingaerospaceplatformscapable of altering their shape, functionality, and mechanical properties in response to changes in surrounding environments or operating conditions

Prognosis of Aircraft and Space Devices, Components, and Systems: Enables basic research to predict when a unique device, component, or system is reaching a state where it must be repaired, upgraded, or replaced (under changing requirements/conditions)

2. References

Appendix 1-4

1. Air Force Research Laboratory Capability-Based Science and Technology Strategy 20302. Army Science and Technology Master Plan 3. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Strategic Plan4. Defense Intelligence Agency Strategic Plan5. Defense Threat Reduction Agency Strategic Plan6. Department of Defense Basic Research Plan 7. Department of Energy Strategic Plan8. Global Trends 2025: A Transformed World (National Intelligence Council)9.NavalS&TStrategicPlan:DefiningtheStrategicDirectionforTomorrow


3. Basic Research Focus Areas

Mapping of FLTCs to Basic Research Focus Areas: This appendix addresses the completeness question by first considering how AFOSR Research Focus Areas map to the AFRL Focused Long Term Challenges (FLTCs). Since the focus areas are based on technical disciplines rather than operational capabilities, it is natural that these areas cut across many FLTCs and that problems in each of the FLTCs are addressed by multiple areas. Finally, it should be recalled that the Discovery Challenge Thrusts described in Appendix 1 were constructed as part of the FLTC process to explicitly identify basic research of particular importance to the FLTCs. They too are part of the AFOSR effort to assure its search for innovative research broadly addresses future Air Force problems.

AFR

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Affo

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and

Sus

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-m

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Aero-Structure Interactions and Control x x x x xEnergy, Power, and Propulsion x x x x x xComplex Materials and Structures x x x x x xComplex Electronics and Fundamental Quantum Processes

x x x xPlasma Physics and High Energy Density Nonequilibrium Processes

x x xOptics, Electromagnet-ics, Communication, and Signal Processing

x x x xInformation and Complex Networks x x x xDecision-Making x x xDynamical Systems, Optimization, and Control

x x x x xNatural Materials and Systems x x x x


4. AFOSR Program Manager Portfolios

Mapping of Current AFOSR program manager portfolios to Basic Research Focus Areas: In what follows we complete the mapping by showing how individual program manager port-folios relate to the Basic Research Focus Areas in each of the AFOSR Directorates. Note that all of the activities of any individual portfolio are mapped to only one focus area. While this is mostly true, it is important to note that it is part of AFOSR culture for program managers to interact closely in order to identify and support cross-disciplinary activities. It is possible, and even encouraged for program managers to have collaborative projects outside their usual disci-pline. No attempt has been made to capture such exceptions here.

Aerospace, Chemical, and Material Sciences DirectorateAero-Structure

Interactions & ControlEnergy, Power &

Propulsion Complex Materials &

Structures

Mechanics of Multifunctional Materials & Microsystems Dr. Les Lee XMulti-scale Mechanics & Prognosis Dr. David Stargel XSurface and Interfacial Sciences Maj. Michelle Ewy XThermal Control Dr. Joan Fuller X Low Density Materials Dr. Charles Lee XTheoretical Chemistry Dr. Michael Berman X Molecular Dynamics Dr. Michael Berman X High Temperature Aerospace Materials Dr. Joan Fuller X Polymer Chemistry Dr. Charles Lee XHypersonics and Turbulence Dr. John Schmisseur X Flow Control and Aeroelasticity Dr. Douglas Smith X Space Power and Propulsion Dr. Mitat Birkan X Combustion and Diagnostics Dr. Julian Tishkoff X


Physics and Electronics DirectorateComplex Electronics & Fundamental Quantum Processes

Plasma Physics & High Energy Density Non-equilibrium Processes

Optics, Electromagnetics, Communication & Signal Processing

Electro Energetic PhysicsDr. Bob Barker X Atomic & Molecular PhysicsDr. Tatjana Curcic X Physical Mathematics and Applied AnalysisDr. Arje Nachman XElectromagnetics Dr. Arje Nachman XLaser & Optical PhysicsDr. Howard Schlossberg X Remote Sensing & Imaging Physics Dr. Kent Miller XSpace Sciences Dr. Kent Miller X Quantum Electronic SolidsDr. Harold Weinstock X Adaptive Multi-Mode Sensing and Ultra-High Speed Electronics Dr. Kitt Reinhardt

X Semiconductor & Electromagnetic MaterialsDr. Don Silversmith X Optoelectronics: Components, Integration & Information Processing and Storage Dr. Gernot Pomrenke

X Sensing, Surveillance & NavigationDr. Jon Sjogren X


Mathematics, Information, and Life Sciences DirectorateInformation &

Complex Networks

Decision Making

Dynamical Systems, Optimization, &

Control

Natural Materials

& Systems

Bioenergy Dr. Walt Kozumbo XComplex Networks Dr. Bob Bonneau X Computational Mathematics Dr. Fariba Fahroo

X Information Fusion Dr. Doug Cochran X Dynamics and ControlDr. Bill McEneaney X Mathematical Modeling of Cognition & Decision Making Dr. Jun Zhang

X Natural Materials, Systems & Extremophiles Dr. Hugh De Long

XOptimization and Discrete Mathematics Dr. Don Hearn

X Sensory Information Systems Dr. Willard Larkin

XChronobiologyDr. Willard Larkin X Collective Behavior & Socio-Cultural ModelingDr. Terry Lyons

X Systems & SoftwareDr. David Luginbuhl X Information Operations & Security Dr. Bob Herklotz

X

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2009 afosr strategic plan

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