"The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team." — Phil Jackson

“Logistics wins wars when data leads the fight.”
— Lt. Gen. Mark Simerly, Director, Defense Logistics Agency

I’m Rashid Miraj, D.Sc., founder of Miraj Consulting LLC, working to bridge academia, primes, and government agencies via CRADAs, BAAs, and OTAs. This biweekly briefing curates Department of Defense (DoD) priorities, university breakthroughs, global tech watch, collaborative opportunities, upcoming events, and foundations for talent pipelines.

SBIR/STTR reauthorization advances: Senate unanimously passed S. 3971 on March 3, 2026; House passed March 17, 2026 (345-41 vote). The bill now awaits President's signature for full enactment through September 30, 2031, with reforms including strengthened due diligence, “strategic breakthrough” awards up to $30 million, and commercialization focus. Existing awards continue; new solicitations expected to resume shortly after signature.

Edition #5 continues our rotation through DoD’s six Critical Technology Areas (announced November 17, 2025 by USD(R&E) Emil Michael). We focus on Contested Logistics Technologies (LOG) — overcoming disruptions in contested or denied environments to ensure reliable resupply, operational continuity, and force sustainment.

Link to Edition #4 (AAI overview): https://www.mirajconsulting.com/p/miraj-tech-transition-pulse-4

Let’s accelerate America’s tech edge — together.

Please note shared URLs are current as of March 24, 2026; search the site if moved.

DoD designates Contested Logistics Technologies as a core Critical Technology Area to harden supply chains and sustainment against peer threats in disrupted/denied environments (CTA one-pager: https://www.cto.mil/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/CTA-One-Pager-Option-Nov2025.pdf).

Key DoD goals for LOG in 2026 include:

LOG is led by Senior Official Dr. Robert Mantz, who brings over four decades of federal service, including senior roles at the Army Research Office and DARPA focused on energy storage, advanced power systems, and technology transition. The emphasis is on data-driven resilience, precise requirements generation, protected networks, and distributed sustainment that can survive and adapt under attack.

Senate passed S. 3971 unanimously on March 3, 2026. House passed the bill on March 17, 2026 (345-41). The bill now awaits the President’s signature for reauthorization through September 30, 2031.

Reforms include strengthened due diligence, new “strategic breakthrough” Phase II awards up to $30 million, a stronger commercialization focus, and reduced administrative burden.

Programs have been lapsed since October 1, 2025; existing awards continue. New solicitations are expected to resume shortly after enactment.

Immediate Next Steps for Technologists

Recommended Action

Reply to [email protected] if you need a rapid review of how to align your LOG work with the upcoming reforms or OTA alternatives while waiting.

Universities are advancing LOG via resilient decision architecture, AI-enabled sustainment, and autonomous resupply modeling.

Case Study Spotlight

University of Arkansas C4 Decision Architecture — Integrates Vendor-Managed Inventory, postponement, cross-docking, and human-in-the-loop autonomy into a single operational logic for contested sustainment. Practical takeaway for Researchers: Adapt the four “C” principles (Command, Commit, Coordinate, Compress) when drafting white papers or OTA proposals to demonstrate reduced decision volatility and lower targeting risk in Indo-Pacific scenarios. Impact: Equips logisticians with resilient, data-driven tools when traditional supply lines are disrupted.
https://walton.uark.edu/initiatives/supply-chain-research/posts/c4_decision_architecture_for_contested_sustainment.php

Active or Recently Open Research Programs (as of March 2026)

Logical Lab Partners

OTAs & Consortia (frequent LOG calls and rapid prototyping pathways)

Quick Recommendation

Start with SOSSEC and NCMS — they offer the strongest direct alignment with LOG CTA priorities for resilient supply chain demos, autonomous resupply, and sustainment in contested domains. NSTXL and DIU provide excellent complementary rapid paths for mature prototypes.

Technologist Tip

When approaching SOSSEC or NCMS, lead with a one-page capabilities brief that explicitly maps your technology to one of the four LOG priorities above (resilience, AI/autonomy integration, expeditionary sustainment, or precise requirements). Many successful transitions start with a short CRADA discussion via these consortia.

Other Federal Agency Quick Starts

China

Expanding Indo-Pacific and Arctic logistics capabilities for contested operations, including deepened cooperation with Russia on the Northern Sea Route (NSR) to create resilient alternative shipping lanes less vulnerable to interdiction. This includes dual-use infrastructure development under civil-military fusion, with sharply increased NSR traffic and joint planning for sustainment in high-threat environments (2025–2026 PLA modernization and Arctic strategy documents). Recent analyses highlight China’s focus on precision joint logistics and informationized sustainment to support potential Taiwan scenarios or multi-domain campaigns.

Key References Related to China and LOG

Russia

Leveraging AI-enhanced loitering munitions (e.g., upgraded Lancet-3 with autonomous targeting modules based on Nvidia Jetson systems) to systematically target adversary logistics nodes and supply convoys in Ukraine. Simultaneously advancing Arctic shipping routes in partnership with China to build redundant sustainment pathways and offset Western sanctions.

These tactics demonstrate the vulnerability of traditional logistics in contested environments and the growing role of attritable autonomous systems in disrupting enemy resupply.

Key References Related to Russia and LOG

These developments underscore the strategic urgency for U.S. leadership in LOG — resilient, data-driven, and distributed sustainment is no longer optional; it is the decisive factor in great-power competition.

LOG requires interdisciplinary talent (supply chain engineers, data analysts, autonomy experts). Our Talent Bridge initiative endeavors to develop pipelines from HBCUs, MSIs, veterans, and first-gen students to meet the DoD’s workforce requirements related to resilient logistics.

Professional Societies Related to LOG:

Leading College Programs in LOG:

Supply Chain 2026 Opportunities:

Reply to this email ([email protected]) to start matching talent.

Ongoing:

Monitor DLA/DoD contested logistics industry days and GRI updates.

Edition #6 (Early April 2026) will focus on Quantum and Battlefield Information Dominance (Q-BID) — DoD’s push for communications and PNT in denied environments.

Which LOG-related project or capability in your lab is ready to bridge? Reply today with a short description — I’ll help map it to the right PM, OTA, or lab partner.

Let’s keep moving — take one action from this edition today.

Rashid Miraj, D.Sc. | Miraj Consulting LLC | [email protected] |
@MirajConsult | www.linkedin.com/in/rashid-miraj | 571-201-7594