Photo By Kelly Burkhalter | JPM CBRN Medical has pivoted its portfolio to “go all in” on developing this...... read more read more
Written by Melissa Myers, JPM CBRN Medical Strategic Communications
On the modern battlefield, some of the deadliest threats aren’t seen - they are inhaled, touched, or absorbed. These invisible dangers don’t wait for traditional acquisition cycles, and the U.S. Army has decided that it won’t either; the “slow” way of developing defenses against these unseen adversaries is over.
As part of this drive, the Joint Project Manager for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Medical (JPM CBRN Medical), a component of the Capability Program Executive for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (CPE CBRND), hosted a virtual industry day event in November last year that brought together over 100 participants from 27 companies and other government partners to begin a critical dialogue on accelerating the development of chemical agent prophylactics.
“We just don’t have the time for 10-year development programs anymore, and we need what we do deliver to be relevant to the warfighter today,” opened Jeffrey Zerhusen, deputy JPM for the JPM CBRN Medical, emphasizing the critical need for a new direction and urgency of the problem set.
Nerve agents are highly toxic, man-made compounds that disrupt the body’s nervous system. They are able to instantly shut down the nervous system’s ability to communicate with the body’s muscles, and pose a lethal threat, creating a critical need for the development of prophylactic “shields” to protect our Soldiers. This new race for a chemical shield is a core part of America’s broader national defense plan, allowing our Soldiers to better withstand chemical attacks and keep fighting.
"Our overarching goal, and guiding principle, is to maintain the functionality of military personnel in a CBRN contested environment, keeping them in the fight,” said Amy Sands, assistant program manager for the JPM CBRN Medical.
event marked a fundamental shift in the race to equip the warfighter against chemical threats. The need for a chemical agent prophylactic is more important than ever and to meet this urgent need, so the JPM CBRN Medical has pivoted its portfolio to “go all in” on developing this prophylactic temporary shield for the vital enzymes that nerve agents attack.
This new strategy focuses on two synergistic programs within the JPM CBRN Medical: the Broadening Enabling Acquisition of Chemical Operational Needs (BEACON) program and the Prophylactic Technology Systems (ProTecS) program. The BEACON program accelerates the identification and screening of chemical threat medical countermeasure (MCM) candidates using a data-driven approach and rapid analysis to build a pipeline of promising MCM candidates, ensuring innovation and flexibility in response to evolving threats. Meanwhile, the ProTecS program enhances warfighter protection against nerve agent threats by expediting the development of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved prophylactic, leveraging candidate identification from the BEACON program.
key innovation underpinning this strategy is Metis, a data-driven evaluation framework. Metis will objectively assess MCM candidates based on traditional metrics such as cost, schedule, performance, and regulatory readiness as well as on relevance and projected performance in an operational environment. Protections are built into the Metis system to ensure proprietary data remains secure. This transparent framework provides continuous feedback to industry, ensuring all partners are aligned toward the common goal.
Industry Day event—which was tied to a Request for Information (RFI) to solicit prophylactic MCMs designed to enable warfighter lethality in environments contaminated with nerve agents—drew a total of 36 submissions and provided a necessary platform for open communication. Leadership emphasized that this event was not a one-way brief, but the start of a meaningful partnership.
This is the beginning of an ongoing dialogue," said Michael Levandusky, joint product manager for JPM CBRN Medical. "Our main goal is to work together to deliver a chemical agent prophylactic capability to the warfighter. We see this as a two-way conversation to shape our acquisition strategy and capability goals." Zerhusen reinforced the call for collaboration, stating, "We're looking for industry input. So, if you see a better way to do something, that's really what we're looking for. We're in this together."
the virtual event, the JPM CBRN Medical held one-on-one sessions, which gave companies the opportunity to present their scientific capabilities to the team. Moving forward, the JPM CBRN Medical will refine program requirements based on industry feedback, review submissions to select appropriate BEACON candidates, and release a Request for Prototype Proposal (RPP) in the third quarter of Fiscal Year 2026. A separate, dedicated, industry engagement will then be held to discuss the Metis evaluation framework in detail. The event concluded with a look toward the future. "We appreciate you making time to listen to and engage with us," said Sands in her closing remarks. "We look forward to your one-on-one conversations with us so we can get to know more about your capabilities."
This collaborative initiative marks a decisive step toward increasing warfighter survivability and mission success, ensuring the U.S. military remains ready for the challenges of any environment.
| Date Taken: | 07.01.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 07.01.2026 10:46 |
| Story ID: | 569137 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 27 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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