CWMD CROSS-CUTTING TECHNICAL AND INFORMATION SCIENCES
This project enables the Defense Threat Reduction Agency's (DTRA’s) Catapult Information System program of record to design, develop, test and deliver mission capabilities that support the ability to aggregate and analyze data on global emerging threats, threat actors and threat networks. Catapult allows DTRA to develop, engineer, test and deploy analytical tools, data science methodologies and software applications in support of the warfighter. Catapult and its web-based suite of software tools integrate data sources that support the detection and identification of emerging threats, threat networks and actors, command and control, operations, and engagement for neutralizing, attacking and defeating both current and emerging counter weapons of mass destruction (CWMD) threats. Catapult uses its RDT&E funding to meet user needs using tools and services that reside in Catapult, a cloud technology-based data analytics platform developed and delivered by DTRA. Catapult provides an extensible continuously augmented, near real-time updated data analytic platform of information regarding threats and threat networks along with a set of discovery, access, aggregation, correlation, analysis and sharing tools and services. Catapult is fully operational and accredited on the Secret Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPRNet) and Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System (JWICS). Catapult integrates cutting-edge technologies, including machine learning and AI, to enhance data ingestion, processing, and analysis while leveraging DTRA’s enterprise DevSecOps platform that provides agile path to production environments, a standardized and automated tool chain that supports continuous integration/continuous delivery, and well-defined governance processes. This project achieves transformational mission capabilities and postures the Agency to meet emerging mission requirements through innovative technology solutions and service upgrades.
FY2027 planned work - Complete cloud migration on Non-classified Internet Protocol Router Network (NIPR) and extend and migrate Catapult on the DTRA Data Platform Secret Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPR) cloud. - Improve Catapult framework to enable multi-modal large language model (LLM) computer vision and characterization of imagery, audio and video. - Develop and field LLM foreign text translation and optical character recognition for Catapult data. - Enable Artificial Intelligence augmented computer vision capabilities for text-based search of images, audio and video. - Expand advanced data science capabilities including LLM ontology processing improvements, metadata tagging enhancements and natural…
FY2026 to FY2027 change The current President’s Budget request is an increase from the previous fiscal year. The increase is due to a realignment of funds from Budget Activity 5/0605141BR to reinvest funding in the DoW Program of Record, Catapult, and combine Agency data initiatives to advance data and knowledge management efforts.
FY2026 plans — current year - Optimize the Catapult Data Platform including analysis of Cloudera data platform alternatives and migration assessment, catapult framework improvements to add additional data types to the Catapult data lake and enhance catapult capabilities providing text translation and optical character recognition for catapult data, and implement prioritized work streams to enable mission specific use cases in isolated, secure Data Zones for exploration and analysis. - Expand advanced data science capabilities including large language model ontology processing improvements, metadata tagging enhancements and natural language processing as a service. - Innovate data analysis and data visualization…
FY2025 accomplishments - Conduct a cloud migration effort to transition Catapult "on-premise" components to a public cloud service provider according to the plan approved during the Cloud Readiness Assessment. - Assess architecture, processes, and approaches to implement Catapult capabilities required to satisfy Zero Trust Architecture requirements. - Develop and implement prioritized work streams to enable mission specific use cases in isolated, secure Data Zones for exploration and analysis. - Plan, develop, build, and deploy an unclassified Catapult data lake for use with unclassified versions of ANTS applications and tools.