ONHS Report: FA875023S7007

ADVANCING SYSTEMS OF SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGIES FOR RAPID ADOPTION (ASTRA)

Solicitation ID: FA875023S7007

Agency: AFRL/Information Directorate

Type: Presolicitation

Deadline: 2028-07-24T17:00:00 ET

Eligibility: Maybe (Dual Approval Required)

Funding: Total funding is approximately $350M. Individual awards will normally range from $1M to $25M, with the potential for awards up to $99.9M.

Doc Type: BAA

Clearance: TS/SCI

Program Manager: Gerard Wohlrab

Last Updated: 2025-11-24 13:19

Analyzed File: 23-07 Amend 5 ceiling increase and 2nd repub.docx

Eligibility Reasoning

Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs)... are subject to applicable direct competition limitations and cannot propose to this ARA in any capacity unless they meet the following conditions: FFRDCs must clearly demonstrate that the proposed work is not otherwise available from the private sector; and FFRDCs must provide a letter on official letterhead from their sponsoring organization citing the specific authority establishing their eligibility to propose... and their compliance with the associated FFRDC sponsor agreement’s terms and conditions.

Note: This is an AI-generated summary...

Summary

The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is soliciting innovative research under the 'Advancing Systems of Systems Technologies for Rapid Adoption (ASTRA)' Advanced Research Announcement (ARA), FA8750-23-S-7007. The program, with a total estimated funding of $350 million, seeks to mature, prototype, demonstrate, and evaluate algorithms, methodologies, and capabilities for the rapid integration of Systems of Systems (SoS). A central goal is to enhance the 'System-of-systems Technology Integration Tool Chain for Heterogeneous Electronic Systems (STITCHES)' and enable the auto-generation of tests. Technical focus areas include developing and enhancing STITCHES tools for modeling system interfaces and composing mission capabilities (e.g., kill chains, electronic warfare), and creating a supporting DevOps Government cloud-based platform for the STITCHES Warfighter Application Team (SWAT). The solicitation is a two-step process, starting with white papers, and is open until July 24, 2028. Awards may be FAR-based contracts or Other Transactions (OTs), with individual awards potentially reaching up to $99.9M.

Overall Technical Areas

System of Systems (SoS) IntegrationSTITCHES Toolchain DevelopmentAlgorithm Development & EvaluationAutomated Test GenerationHeterogeneous Electronic SystemsOpen System Architectures (OSA)System Interface ModelingSoftware Prototyping & DemonstrationDevOps & Cloud Platform IntegrationMission Capability ArchitectingResilient Information ManagementSecure Cloud HostingHardware/Software IntegrationSystem Monitoring & Auditing

Probable LBNL Areas

BSACSAEESALD

Focus Areas

Example Priorities:

Focus on the development, demonstration, and evaluation of technologies to enhance the STITCHES code base.
Apply the tools and technologies to explore and model existing and emerging system interfaces and functional models.
Encapsulate systems in interface code to allow them to be composed in multiple mission configurations.
Develop and demonstrate STITCHES connecting a variety of subsystems on different messaging interfaces to allow for machine-to-machine exchange of information for a mission thread provided by the government.
Architect system of system compositions to support specific mission capabilities (e.g., kill chains, electronic warfare, detection and tracking, communications).
Analyze mission compositions for capability gaps and develop missing capabilities.
Execute the rapid integration of platforms using open system architectures and enable system heterogeneity to reduce common cause vulnerabilities and provide system adaptability.

Specific Technical Skills:

System of Systems (SoS) EngineeringInterface ModelingOpen System Architectures (OSA)Mission Thread AnalysisSystem CompositionElectronic WarfareSoftware DevelopmentSystem IntegrationMessage-based MiddlewareResilient Information Management

Potential PIs for this Area:

Name	Score	Organization
Gregory Lemieux	0.70	EESA \| CESD \| Earth System Sciences
Stefan Lasiewski	0.69	CSA \| NERSC \| HPC Technology Department
Sean Peisert	0.69	CSA \| SciData \| Data Science Applications
Khaled Ibrahim	0.69	CSA \| AMCR \| Computer Science
Karlo Berket	0.69	CSA \| SciData \| Data Science Applications
Danielle Svehla Christianson	0.69	CSA \| SciData \| Data Science Applications
Vinay Sawal	0.68	CSA \| NERSC \| Data Center Department
Shawn Tornga	0.68	LD \| LD \| ONHS
Damian Rouson	0.68	CSA \| AMCR \| Computer Science
Alexander Sim	0.68	CSA \| SciData \| Data Science Research

Example Priorities:

Focus on the design, implementation, and integration of a cloud-based platform to enhance the Air Force’s STITCHES Warfighter Application Team (SWAT) program.
Automated ecosystem deployment and update of software interconnects through the toolchain.
System logging, auditing, monitoring, alerting, and reporting in accordance authorities to operate (ATO) issued by the Department of Defense (DoD).
Provide system-level user identity and access management, and application-level single sign-on (SSO).
Establish a repository and backup and restore all ecosystem data.
Develop a graphical user interface system for web-based utilization of the toolchain.
Design, implement, and integrate secure cloud-based hosting in multiple levels and provide the ability for the secure transfer of files between different levels.

Specific Technical Skills:

Cloud Platform DevelopmentDevOps / DevSecOpsCI/CD AutomationAuthority to Operate (ATO)System Monitoring & AuditingGraphical User Interface (GUI) DesignSecure Cloud ArchitectureData Backup and RecoveryIdentity and Access Management (IAM)Single Sign-On (SSO)

Potential PIs for this Area:

Name	Score	Organization
Hannah Cohoon	0.69	CSA \| SciData \| Data Science Applications
Kirill Lozinskiy	0.69	CSA \| NERSC \| Data Center Department
Gazi Mahmud	0.69	BSA \| Environmental Genomics & Systems Biology \| Molecular Ecosystems Bio
Sean Peisert	0.69	CSA \| SciData \| Data Science Applications
Sufi Kaur	0.69	CSA \| SciData \| Data Science Applications
Vinay Sawal	0.69	CSA \| NERSC \| Data Center Department
Stefan Lasiewski	0.68	CSA \| NERSC \| HPC Technology Department
Cory Snavely	0.68	CSA \| NERSC \| HPC Technology Department
Sarah Poon	0.68	CSA \| SciData \| Data Science Applications
Danielle Svehla Christianson	0.68	CSA \| SciData \| Data Science Applications

Potential LBNL PIs (Overall)

Note on PI Matching: These suggestions are generated through an AI-driven semantic analysis of LBNL staff profiles.

Name	Score	Organization
Koushik Sen	0.78	CSA \| AMCR \| Computer Science · Automated Test Generation
Asir Intisar Khan	0.75	ESA \| MSD \| Material Physics · Heterogeneous Electronic Systems
Sukhpreet Kaur	0.74	PSA \| Engineering \| Electronic Engineering · Hardware/Software Integration
Angelos Ioannou	0.74	CSA \| AMCR \| Computer Science · Open System Architectures (OSA)
Tiffany Connors	0.74	CSA \| NERSC \| Data Center Department · Secure Cloud Hosting
Oscar Antepara	0.73	CSA \| AMCR \| Computer Science · Algorithm Development & Evaluation
Kaiyu Sun	0.73	ETA \| Building Tech. & Urban Sys. \| Bldg Technologies Dept · System Interface Modeling
Cees De Laat	0.73	CSA \| ESNET \| Tech Adv and Engagement · DevOps & Cloud Platform Integration
Gregory Lemieux	0.73	EESA \| CESD \| Earth System Sciences · Software Prototyping & Demonstration
Alexandre Bayen	0.73	ETA \| Energy Analysis \| Systems & Energy Tech Analysis · System of Systems (SoS) Integration

Fundamental Research Exemption (FRE)

As of the date of publication of this ARA, the Government does not anticipate work proposed under this ARA to be considered fundamental research. Proposers should indicate in their proposal whether they believe the scope of the research included in their proposal is fundamental or not. While proposers should clearly explain the intended results of their research, the Government shall have sole discretion to select award instrument type and to negotiate all instrument terms and conditions with selectees. Appropriate clauses will be included in resultant awards for non-fundamental research to prescribe publication requirements and other restrictions, as appropriate.