JATF Autonomous Warfare Proving Ground

USSOCOM, working with SOFWERX and the Joint Acquisition Task Force, is seeking industry, academic, and national lab participation for the JATF Autonomous Warfare Proving Ground initiative. The effort is aimed at establishing a modern autonomous systems warfare center at NASA Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, with improved range space, laboratories, facilities, IT infrastructure, and multi-domain experimentation capabilities for unmanned systems and electromagnetic warfare. The work is structured as a multi-phase collaboration, submission, downselect, and assessment process, with technical merit as the primary evaluation emphasis and possible awards ranging from research agreements and OTAs to FAR-based contracts. It notes that awardees may need to comply with NIST SP 800-171. Requests to attend the Collaboration Event are due by 24 June 2026, with the Collaboration Event on 15 July 2026, submissions to the Assessment Event open 18 August through 18 September 2026, and the Assessment Event scheduled for 20 to 22 October 2026.