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  • May

    Severl energy panels setup for a military exercise

    ERDC, LEMA Power the Fight During FLEX 2026

    As unmanned surface vessels carved through the waters off Key West, Florida, and autonomous aerial systems scanned the horizon for illicit trafficking targets, a quieter but equally critical mission was unfolding behind the scenes at U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. Fourth Fleet’s Fleet Experimentation (FLEX) 2026 exercise. Inside a network of command trailers operating advanced unmanned systems, researchers from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (ERDC-CERL) and industry partner LEMA were proving that the future of expeditionary operations depends not only on autonomous platforms and artificial intelligence, but also on resilient, unmanned energy systems capable of providing uninterrupted power in austere environments.
  • Soldiers walking in the woods.

    ERDC, U.S. Forest Service make historic agreement to accelerate forest capabilities

    Thanks to a historic agreement between the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) and the U.S. Forest Service, a foundational dataset has been created to bolster the nation’s forests.

  • March

    ERDC-GSL’s Port Damage Repair team, in collaboration with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Ground Vehicle Systems Center, recently transitioned three ERDC-developed PDR kits into a tri-service training environment. (U.S. Army Photo by Austin Hopkins, U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center)

    ERDC Advances Joint Port Damage Recovery Capabilities Through Tri-Service Training

    The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) is strengthening expeditionary logistics capabilities through the development and deployment of innovative Port Damage Recovery (PDR) kits, designed to rapidly restore damaged maritime infrastructure in contested environments.
  • The team that ensured proper delivery, placement, and installation of the nanogrid at Fort Bliss, Texas. From left: SFC Aileen Keemer, 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss; Patricia Cutler, wildlife biologist at U.S. Army Garrison White Sands; Carlos Molina, energy manager at Fort Bliss Directorate of Public Works; Benito Perez, research engineer at the Engineer Research Development Center’s Construction Engineering Research Laboratory

    ERDC Hydrogen Energy Node Installed at Fort Bliss Innovations Lab

    The 1st Armored Division (1 AD) Innovations Lab, located on Fort Bliss, Texas, is now at the forefront of Army energy modernization following the installation and operational validation of a cutting-edge hydrogen nanogrid, also known as an energy node, developed with industry collaboration at the U.S. Army Engineer Research Development Center (ERDC)’s Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL).

  • February

    Leveraging AI is turning complex data into actionable intelligence and a force multiplier for the nation’s Armed Forces.

    Artificial Intelligence R&D: A Force Multiplier for our military and nation

    From ensuring the resilience of America’s critical infrastructure to giving Warfighters a decisive edge on the battlefield, the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center is pioneering the use of artificial intelligence across the full spectrum of its civil and military missions.
  • CRANE’s X-65 demonstrator aircraft will be built by Aurora Flight Sciences.

    ITL finds success in DARPA partnership

    Partnerships are a cornerstone of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s mission to deliver cutting-edge science and engineering solutions for the nation. One such partnership between ERDC’s Information Technology Laboratory (ITL) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is delivering the high-performance computing power and expertise to accelerate the next generation of aerospace technology.

  • December

    The energy node, with photovoltaic (PV) panels fully deployed, at the ERDC Forward Operating Base Laboratory in Champaign, Illinois.

    ERDC advances Army readiness through resilient, off-grid power

    A small, self-contained electric power system unit called an “energy node” has been installed at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC)’s Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) to facilitate further research towards fulfilling the U.S. Army’s requirement for reliable and resilient energy to power the mission.
  • ERDC Researcher Dr. Andy Hur makes adjustments to the controls of the Heat Driven Atmospheric Water Generation (HeatDAWG) proof-of-concept experimentation apparatus located at ERDC’s Construction Engineering Research Laboratory in Champaign, Illinois.

    ERDC partners with industry to advance fuel-efficient water-from-air capabilities

    The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) recently signed two Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs) with industry partners to accelerate the development of next-generation, fuel-efficient atmospheric water extraction systems.
  • A barge floating in the river.

    Autonomous barge kits improve logistical capabilities for joint forces

    The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) has partnered with the U.S. Transportation Command to develop Scalable Autonomous Modular Propulsion kits for coastal and riverine Operational Logistics, or SAMPOL.

  • September

    Photo of a B-2 Spirit landing

    Vibration Proof: ERDC engineer helps protect B-2 bombers

    For nearly four decades, the B-2 Spirit, commonly referred to as the stealth bomber, has been the tip of the spear in the United States’ ability to project force on a global scale. The aircraft’s capabilities – developed in secret and once thought impossible – were on full display during the recent Operation Midnight Hammer, in which the aircraft was used to dismantle assets with Iran’s nuclear weapons program.

  • July

    U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 7th Engineer Brigade, 21st Theater Sustainment Command, transports Italian VBM Freccia at a wet gap crossing during exercise Saber Guardian 25 in Frecatei, Romania, June 12, 2025. ERDC researchers worked closely with Soldiers in Romania as part of an experiment focused on improving tactics, techniques and procedures for Warfighters conducting wet gap crossings.

    ERDC and NATO experiment advances engineer survivability

    The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), along with the NATO Military Engineering Working Group’s Camouflage, Concealment, Deception, and Obscuration Team of Experts, recently conducted an experiment in support of “surviving the gap” during wet gap crossing exercises in Frecatei, Romania.

  • June

    Developed by ERDC’s Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL), the Winter Route Planning (WRP) algorithm promises to dramatically reduce the risk of vehicle immobilization and increase overall efficiency when routing soldiers to desired target locations.

    CRREL Develops Winter Route Planning Algorithm

    Developed by ERDC’s Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL), the Winter Route Planning (WRP) algorithm promises to dramatically reduce the risk of vehicle immobilization and increase overall efficiency when routing soldiers to desired target locations.

  • May

    Matthew Rifkin, a physical scientist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Army Geospatial Center (AGC), has been chosen for the 2025 session of ERDC-U.

    Army Geospatial Center’s Matthew Rifkin Selected for ERDC University

    Matthew Rifkin, a physical scientist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Army Geospatial Center (AGC), has been chosen as one of five USACE participants for the 2025 session of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center University (ERDC-U).
  • American soldier sitting at a computer

    CLARITY effort aims to revolutionize operations for combat engineers

    A team from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) Information Technology Laboratory (ITL) is working with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to improve how the military plans and delivers construction materials and equipment.

  • April

    CRREL team members along with OUSD and Milrem Robotics staff with the company’s THeMIS UGV. According to Milrem Robotics, the THeMIS is a modular, unmanned platform designed for various applications, including logistics, reconnaissance, medical evacuations and operational support. Photo by Mike Parker, CRREL.

    CRREL teams up with special forces to test autonomous technology in Norway

    The U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and Norwegian Special Operations Command hosted a joint Technical Experimentation (TE) this past winter at Camp Rødsmoen in Rena, Norway, giving technology developers the opportunity to interact with special operations forces and evaluate in the field how their products potentially meet their needs.
  • As U.S. forces begin a simulated mission, ERDC's Robotics for Engineer Operations (REO) unmanned bulldozer, designed by research engineers from ERDC’s CERL, GSL, GRL and ITL, lines up with the breach lane to support maneuver operations.

    ERDC robotics team advances future of combat engineering at PC-C5

    A team from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) recently played a key role in a major Army exercise called Project Convergence Capstone 5 (PC-C5). During this event, ERDC’s Robotics for Engineer Operations (REO) put their robotic technologies to the test in realistic, hands-on scenarios that simulate combat situations, showing how systems perform and hold up under pressure, making an important contribution to Army readiness.

  • March

    Participants shovel dirt at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new Watercraft and Ship Simulation Facility located at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory in Vicksburg, Miss., March 27, 2025.

    ERDC breaks ground on new Watercraft and Ship Simulation Facility

    The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new Watercraft and Ship Simulation Facility located next to its Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL) in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

  • February

    ERDC-CRREL research physicist Dr. Anthony Fragoso demonstrates CRREL mobility laboratory vehicles to snow sciences workshop attendees.

    CRREL workshop advances Army’s snow science research

    The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) hosted a snow sciences workshop to advance the understanding of the topics, unique aspects, and elements in common among Army-funded snow research contracts. Special emphasis was placed on why the Army cares about snow, what impacts it has on Warfighter functions and operational planning, and how the Army may operate in the future.

  • September

    Soldiers from the 82d Chemical Reconnaissance Detachment analyze biological agents "discovered" during a three-day, multi-agency exercise that took place at ERDC’s Permafrost Tunnel Research Facility in Fox, Alaska. One of the main objectives of the exercise was to help Soldiers familiarize themselves with Far-Forward Advanced Sequencing Technology (F-FAST), which was developed by DTRA and U.S. Army DEVCOM to quickly detect, analyze and sequence biological agents while still in the field.

    ERDC Permafrost Tunnel hosts biological agent exercise

    A three-day, multi-agency exercise took place at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) Permafrost Tunnel Research Facility in Fox, Alaska. The 82nd Chemical Reconnaissance Detachment, along with representatives from ERDC’s Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL), Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), U.S. Army Development Command Chemical Biological Center (DEVCOM), U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), 11th Airborne Division Command Surgeon, 103d Weapons of Mass Destruction-Civil Support Team, and Naval Research Laboratory, conducted the exercise to test Soldiers' ability to quickly and accurately sequence bacteria in extreme cold and arctic conditions.

  • July

    ERDC-CERL, USDA Forest Products Laboratory and Joint Munitions Command teams preparing to begin field work studies in Earth Covered Magazines (ECMs) at Crane Army Ammunition Activity

    ERDC researchers combat corrosion and mold at Crane Army Ammunition Activity

    In Crane, Indiana, researchers from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) are assisting in a critical battle against time and nature. Within the vast expanses of Crane Army Ammunition Activity (CAAA), lie thousands of Earth Covered Magazines (ECMs) — crucial semi-buried bunkers that safeguard the nation's munitions and explosives.