The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released its inaugural department-wide Innovation, Research and Development (IRD) Strategic Plan, outlining key investment priorities for the next seven fiscal years. This groundbreaking plan, commissioned by Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas, will serve as a roadmap for DHS to leverage research and development to address evolving homeland security challenges and keep pace with technological advancements.
Staying Ahead of the Curve: A Visionary Plan for DHS Innovation
Dr. Dimitri Kusnezov, DHS Under Secretary for Science and Technology, emphasized the significance of this strategic roadmap. “This visionary roadmap, informed by scientific efforts, will empower DHS and its components to reduce risks to the homeland through optimized innovation, research and development investments,” stated Dr. Kusnezov. He further highlighted the critical role of technologies derived from IRD investments in equipping frontline personnel with the tools they need to outmaneuver adversaries and enhance preparedness and response capabilities.
The impetus for this strategic plan came in 2022 when Secretary Mayorkas tasked the DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) with evaluating the department’s research and development (R&D) endeavors. The directive called for developing a cohesive strategy focused on areas for long-term departmental research. The resulting IRD Strategic Plan is designed to facilitate coordinated and integrated investments across the department and with its partners.
The plan not only captures ongoing IRD efforts, compiling data from every DHS component and office, but also provides a comprehensive overview of complementary efforts undertaken by federal, state, local, tribal, territorial, nongovernmental, and private sector entities.
Eight Strategic Priority Research Areas: Shaping the Future of Homeland Security
Through meticulous analysis of common research domains, the plan identifies eight Strategic Priority Research Areas (SPRAs) and outlines future capabilities required by DHS across its diverse missions. These SPRAs will streamline the coordination of R&D activities within DHS while signaling industry, interagency, academic, and international communities about potential partnership opportunities.
Let’s delve into each of the eight SPRAs identified for Fiscal Years 2024-2030:
1. Advanced Sensing: Developing next-generation sensor technologies to provide enhanced detection capabilities against a wide range of threats.
2. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Autonomous Systems: Leveraging automated technologies to deliver predictions, recommendations, and decisions across a wide array of operational environments, including developing countermeasures for adversarial AI.
3. Biotechnology: Augmenting capabilities to predict, detect, and defend against existing and emerging bioagents and biotechnologies of concern.
4. Climate Change: Exploring and implementing technologies that strengthen climate adaptation and resilience, promote equity, safeguard critical infrastructure, and reduce carbon emissions.
5. Communications and Networking: Enhancing communication and networking capabilities while ensuring security and resilience.
6. Cybersecurity: Bolstering resilience, protection, and operational assurance across data, software, hardware, and communication networks.
7. Data Integration, Analytics, Modeling, and Simulation: Developing enhanced, integrated data ecosystems, advanced analytics, and sophisticated modeling techniques to enable more accurate data-driven insights, predictions, and decisions.
8. Digital Identity and Trust: Enhancing capabilities to establish and verify individuals’ identities while ensuring the validity, integrity, and privacy of associated data.
Collaborative Implementation: Charting a Course for the Future
S&T, in collaboration with stakeholders across DHS, is actively implementing the Strategic Plan by developing comprehensive IRD investment roadmaps for each SPRA. These roadmaps will inform the department’s budget process for FY 2027 and beyond.
This strategic plan signifies a crucial step towards ensuring that DHS remains at the forefront of technological innovation, equipped to address the evolving landscape of homeland security threats effectively.