The Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) has announced $8 million for new projects to demonstrate and deploy technologies that improve underwater munitions response at military sites.
Past Department of Defense (DoD) testing and training activities have resulted in the presence of unexploded ordnance (UXO) at active and former sites. Removal of UXO underwater presents a complex challenge due to visibility and discrimination of UXO from debris and metallic clutter. SERDP and ESTCP projects enable faster, cheaper, and more accurate performance across each stage of underwater UXO remedial response. Newly funded projects will continue to refine these technologies and demonstrate them at real-world munitions response sites to evaluate system capabilities, develop operational concepts, and develop quality metrics.
The table below includes each project's title, principal investigator, and lead organization. Detailed project overviews will be available at https://serdp-estcp.mil/projects.
| MR25-8796 | Demonstration of Physics-based and Machine Learning Tools for Delineation of Saturated Response Areas | Laurens Beran | Black Tusk Geophysics | ESTCP |
| MR25-8606 | Establishment of a Surfzone and Very Shallow Water Munitions Response Test Range | Spicer Bak | U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center | ESTCP |
| MR25-8992 | Live Underwater Munitions Detection and Classification: Maine Bombing Range | Gregory Schultz | White River Technologies | ESTCP |
| MR25-8989 | Deploying the AUV-Based Structural Acoustic Sonar at a Real-World Remediation Site | Zachary Waters | U.S. Naval Research Laboratory | ESTCP |
| MR25-8926 | Demonstration of the UltraTEMA-4 at the San Diego Underwater Real-World Munitions Response Site | Matt Barner | Tetra Tech, Inc. | ESTCP |
| MR25-8924 | MuST Operations within Luis Pena Channel | Kevin Williams | Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington | ESTCP |
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About SERDP & ESTCP
The Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) and the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) develop and demonstrate innovative, scalable technologies that enhance military readiness, improve warfighter capabilities, and strengthen defense infrastructure. SERDP invests in basic and applied research to secure military installations, and ESTCP puts innovations to the test, fielding real-world solutions that enhance military operations. The programs report to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy Resilience & Optimization headquartered at the Pentagon. For more information, visit https://serdp-estcp.mil.
