The U.S. Army is opening up military test ranges to private defense companies and promising "concierge" access aimed at dramatically cutting the time it takes companies to test new weapons and technologies.
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll told reporters in a call on Friday that companies will be able to secure testing opportunities within 30 days of submitting a request, compared with a typical wait of roughly 18 months.
"We just had to get out of our own way," Driscoll said. "And so the 30-day clock starts today. So if somebody goes to testrange.army.mil, submits it in the next hour, we will have you on a range within 30 days."
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The move is part of a broader Army effort to speed up the development and delivery of technologies including drones, counter-drone systems, long-range fires and low-cost interceptors.
"If you look at what is occurring all over the world today, if you look what Ukraine has done so incredibly well, it's this innovation through necessity and it's innovation at the speed that is near or close to matching the commercial sector," Driscoll said. "And so what we, the Army, are trying to do is break down every single barrier that we have put up over the last 20 and 30 years."
The Army is opening four stateside locations to industry: Dugway Proving Ground in Utah, West Cibola Range at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center in Mississippi and Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center in Michigan.
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The Army is also working with U.S. Africa Command and partners to provide industry access to the Multidomain Training Area in Morocco, according to an Army press release. Companies will be able to request test range time through a new online portal and will be assigned a dedicated "concierge" to help navigate the scheduling process. Companies do not need an existing federal contract or prior relationship with the U.S. government to apply.
"A company with a good idea shouldn’t need a team of lawyers and a program of record just to prove their equipment works," Driscoll said.
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The ranges are intended to give companies access to realistic environments where they can rapidly test and refine emerging technologies, including under conditions resembling those encountered on modern battlefields.
The Army cautioned that submitting a request does not guarantee a company its preferred location or testing date because of capacity constraints, but said its concierge team will work with applicants to identify available testing windows and locations.
