Unmanned, unmatched: How APG is transforming military operations

Photo By Joan Messenger | Cover for the Summer edition of The Proof  

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MARYLAND, UNITED STATES

08.01.2025

Story by Ann Gonzalez 

U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command

The battlefield is consistently changing, and the Army must be ready. Continuous Transformation is the Army's constant, coordinated effort to optimize the force, ensuring our Soldiers have the tools they need to win our nation's wars and safely return home. There are a variety of programs across the services to modernize capabilities, and this is especially evident in the rapidly expanding world of unmanned systems at Aberdeen Proving Ground.

Across our laboratories, test ranges, and development centers, teams are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible by creating, fielding, and maintaining systems and solutions that increase lethality while reducing risk to our warfighters.

Army researchers perform fully autonomous tests using an unmanned ground vehicle test bed platform, which serves as the standard baseline configuration for multiple programmatic efforts within the DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory. The innovative work across APG organizations spans multiple domains. Research in AI and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear sensor integration delivers enhanced capabilities that lower risk to Soldiers in the field. Meanwhile, comprehensive testing programs ensure both manned and unmanned vehicles meet the highest standards of safety and effectiveness. APG’s robotics test area promotes collaboration across the extended research community to deliver the best capabilities possible to our warfighters. The installation has also integrated unmanned systems into everyday operations, including a prescription dispensing robot that improves healthcare delivery efficiency and patient services at the health clinic.

At APG, the future of unmanned military operations isn’t just being imagined; it’s being built, tested, and deployed today, transforming how the Army fights.

DEVCOM ARL The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, Army Research Laboratory opened the Robotics Research Collaboration Campus, or R2C2, in 2021. The campus is located on the Graces Quarters peninsula in Baltimore County on land that belongs to APG.

Once used as a munitions and armaments testing site, the area is now dedicated to researching autonomous systems, AI, and robotics.

According to the R2C2 website, the Army’s goal for the campus is to provide a setting for focused collaborative research and situated experimentation, accelerating the use of autonomous systems technology to help Soldiers fight, defend, and protect.

An article published on April 9, 2025, by DEVCOM ARL, titled “Army advances research in robotics, AI and autonomy,” describes a recent ARL breakthrough in integrating generative AI with robotics for battle damage assessment operations. ARL robots are now capable of understanding and responding to natural language, offering the Soldier human-like interactions.

“We are bridging the gap between humans and robots, making them more intuitive, responsive, and, ultimately, more useful for the Soldier,” Phil Osteen, a DEVCOM ARL lead researcher for the Artificial Intelligence for Maneuver and Mobility program, said. “ARL researchers have demonstrated an interactive bi-directional communication system that enables real-time exchanges between humans and robots.”

DEVCOM CBC The DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center is at the forefront of autonomous chem-bio defense solutions designed to improve accuracy and reduce risk for the warfighter. DEVCOM CBC is developing and fielding a variety of tools incorporating technologies such as AI to enhance unmanned and robotic systems.

Unmanned aerial vehicles are being equipped with biological sensors that can detect airborne threats remotely, reducing chemical and biological hazard exposures. Rapid communication between system and operator allows warfighters to make data-based decisions quicker than ever before while keeping them further from the threat. DEVCOM CBC’s Autonomous Equipment Decontamination System combines multiple intelligent technologies to facilitate vehicle decontamination. This system reduces the time, logistics, and personnel required for complex decontamination operations, thereby reducing warfighter burden and increasing readiness.

These technologies allow the Army to advance into a new era of chem-bio defense in increasingly complex environments.

U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center As the demands of next-generation Army systems evolve, the U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center is poised to support Army transformation goals. ATC serves as the DOD’s lead for manned and unmanned ground, amphibious, and tactical vehicle testing, offering a comprehensive suite of capabilities and expertise tailored for testing joint operations in multi-domain environments.

“Our technicians, scientists, and engineers are experts in manned and unmanned vehicles to include hybrid fuel, high voltage electric vehicles, and systems equipped with artificial intelligence,” their website states. This expertise allows ATC to efficiently and thoroughly test Army systems equipped with autonomous features, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.”

ATC’s capabilities and processes encompass a broad spectrum of modern capabilities, including testing using virtual environments, hardware-in-the-loop testing, agile software test and analysis, cyber and electromagnetic effects testing, radiation hazards assessments, and radio frequency monitoring.

ATC’s multi-domain operations live virtual constructive testing environments allow for realistic simulations of how the Army will fight — and win — in the joint environment. The ATC modeling and simulation capabilities used daily are vital to providing valuable data that accelerates acquisition, informs fielding decisions, and supports the Army’s transformation efforts.

The ATC team is dedicated to delivering innovative solutions that provide Soldiers with the advantage they need on the battlefield.

The CSIRP initiative: advancing Soldier safety through robotics The CBRN Sensor Integration on Robotic Platforms, or CSIRP, program is a forward leaning initiative aimed at modernizing military operations by integrating CBRN sensors into robotic systems. CSIRP is part of Joint Program Executive Office-CBRND Joint Project Manager CBRN Sensors.

This effort addresses the urgent need to reduce human exposure in high-risk environments by deploying unmanned systems equipped with advanced sensors. These robots, often expendable, can enter hazardous zones where human Soldiers would require extensive protective gear, thereby enhancing safety and operational efficiency.

“The robot kind of mitigates the problems of sending a person into high-risk situations,” CSIRP team leader Timothy Krakowski said.

Initially, when CSIRP was formed in 2019, it focused on adapting existing explosive ordnance disposal robots for CBRN missions. Over time the program expanded to include unmanned aerial systems, or UAS, which offer greater mobility and autonomy.

Driven by global conflicts and the need for agility, Krakowski said Army leadership is pushing to modernize and is willing to take more risks. He describes this effort as “go fast, get it out.” CSIRP plans to start fielding autonomous UAS by next year leveraging existing capabilities.

UAS can be programmed to autonomously search areas, map threats, and even identify chemical sources, significantly reducing the need for manual piloting. The integration of autonomy and sensor payloads represents a significant leap in capability, enabling faster and safer reconnaissance and threat detection.

The development cycle for CSIRP technologies typically spans three years, including two years of development and one year of rigorous testing.

“We are taking more risk by getting the technology out there, but there is lower risk because it is not a person flying it,” Krakowski said.

The team emphasizes open architecture and plug-and-play compatibility to ensure flexibility and ease of integration across various platforms. This approach not only accelerates deployment but also reduces long-term costs and dependency on proprietary systems. The use of common standards like Android Team Awareness Kit, or ATAK, and Integrated Sensor Architecture, or ISA, further supports interoperability and scalability.

CSIRP’s work is part of a broader modernization push influenced by recent global conflicts, such as the war in Ukraine, which highlighted the need for more agile and mobile military capabilities. The program collaborates with multiple agencies and programs, including Product Manager Robotic and Autonomous Systems and Project Manager UAS, to ensure that both ground and aerial robotic systems are equipped with the latest sensor technologies. Future developments include the use of quadruped robots, larger UAS for resupply missions, and hyperspectral imaging for advanced chemical detection.

Ultimately, CSIRP enhances Soldier readiness by removing personnel from direct exposure to threats and enabling faster, more informed decision-making. By leveraging robotics and sensor integration, the program not only saves lives but also streamlines operations and reduces the logistical burden of decontamination. As the military continues to prioritize speed, mobility, and modernization, CSIRP stands at the forefront of transforming how threats are detected and managed on the battlefield.

Robotics at KUSAHC At APG, robots are also used to make the lives of Soldiers, veterans, and their family members a little easier. Since 2020, Kirk U.S. Army Health Clinic pharmacy has used ScriptPro, a machine that provides highly accurate robotic prescription dispensing.

Supervisory pharmacist Lisa M. Boehm-Buhite said this technology is becoming more common in military treatment facilities, making them “a little more advanced” than most civilian pharmacies.

“This is the up and coming way to go,” she said.

At KUSAHC, 63 of the most common medications are filled by ScriptPro, excluding controlled substances. The pharmacy fills about 600 prescriptions a day.

According to Boehm-Buhite, the average wait time is around 11 minutes, and the pharmacy’s accuracy rate is 99.5 percent. Due to the helpfulness of the machine, the staff affectionately calls it “Granny.”

“We want to decrease our wait times, but the number one thing is always patient safety; we want to be as safe as possible,” Boehm-Buhite said.

The manufacturer recently updated ScriptPro’s software, which makes it even more accurate and efficient, Boehm-Buhite added. The equipment is inspected by the manufacturer every six months. Additionally, the KUSAHC pharmacy has a ScriptCenter machine — an automated pharmacy pickup solution — available in the APG Exchange for patients. This technology provides patients with a secure, convenient, and private way to pick up renewal prescriptions at the exchange instead of the KUSAHC pharmacy.

KUSAHC Deputy Commander for Nursing Maj. Gabriel Monfiston said he hopes more KUSAHC beneficiaries take advantage of ScriptCenter because this technology gives patients the ability to pick up renewal prescriptions outside of the pharmacy’s hours. He compared ScriptCenter to an Amazon Locker.

“The ScriptCenter might look intimidating, but what it offers is that access. It is convenient and shockingly easy to use,” he said. “If people got familiar, they would see the ease of it.”

To use this service, patients are required to set up an account. For more information, call 410-278-1936.

New microelectronics manufacturing facility at CECOM TYAD U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command, headquartered at APG along with two of its five major subordinate commands, is anticipating potential UAS development and maintenance challenges and posturing to provide solutions.

Tobyhanna Army Depot, a CECOM major subordinate command located in Pennsylvania, is a recognized leader in providing world-class logistics support for C5ISR systems across the DOD.

This June, CECOM TYAD celebrated the official opening of its Microelectronics Manufacturing Facility, established to develop and repair circuit cards for complex military weapon systems. The new facility enables the DOD to maintain its existing equipment, meet new technological needs, and reduce reliance on foreign suppliers while continuously improving manufacturing and testing capabilities.

This new capability emphasizes CECOM TYAD’s value to the Army as a hub for organic industrial base modernization. Not only does it improve readiness for the Army, it also bolsters the workforce by increasing knowledge, skills, and opportunities.

Christopher Volch, TYAD UAS project manager, said the depot can expand circuit card assembly manufacturing to meet the military’s push to produce significant quantities of small UAS, as outlined in the July 10, 2025, memo signed by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, “Unleashing U.S. Military Drone Dominance.” Volch said the depot is not only poised to integrate electronic components of UAS but also postured to manufacture the internal UAS circuit card assemblies.

“We may double the footprint of that microelectronics [facility] since we demonstrated a capability here,” he said. CECOM TYAD has a history of providing solutions for the complicated challenges of UAS technology. The microelectronics facility is another example of the depot’s drive to solve tomorrow’s problems, today. In May, the Rock Island Arsenal-Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center in Illinois announced that it is currently preparing to build the capacity for large-scale production of 3D-printed drones and will collaborate with other Organic Industrial Base facilities, such as CECOM TYAD. These partnerships combine the unique strengths and expertise of various OIB sites and accelerate the development and fielding of the Army’s advanced UAS capabilities, directly supporting transformation’s goal of preserving our technological edge.

Meanwhile, CECOM Software Engineering Center is working on integrating AI into different applications to optimize capability sets. In 2023, a group of SEC data scientists won first place in the Army’s Deep Green Data Science and AI Challenge with their innovative approach to improving the perception capabilities of ground autonomous navigation systems. CECOM is a critical component of Army transformation efforts by developing solutions to support the lifecycle of unmanned and robotics systems.

Organizations across APG are delivering advancements in robotics and unmanned solutions that have an enormous impact on our ability to win in a contested environment. While technology that increases distance between a user and their task may sound counterproductive, in many situations that separation can keep the operator alive. From advancements in system hardware and software to the development and integration of sensors on those platforms, APG is dedicated to developing life-saving technologies while boosting Soldier lethality.

This dual mission — protecting our forces while enhancing their effectiveness — defines APG’s unmanned systems revolution and ensures America’s military remains unmatched on any battlefield.

• Date Taken: 08.01.2025
• Date Posted: 01.02.2026 09:07
• Story ID: 555469
• Location: ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MARYLAND, US