Joint Directed Energy Consortium (JDEC)

The Joint Directed Energy Consortium (JDEC) accelerates the development, integration, and fielding of advanced directed energy capabilities in support of national defense priorities.

About JDEC

The Joint Directed Energy Consortium (JDEC), established in 2026 and powered by NSTXL, serves as the primary Other Transaction (OT) agreement vehicle for the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering, Critical Technologies, Scaled Directed Energy (OUSW R&E (CT) SCADE), advancing critical mission areas in directed energy and related technologies. Recognized as a Critical Technology Area (CTA), JDEC drives innovation at the tactical edge, focused on scaling high-energy lasers and microwave technologies to provide low-cost, high-impact solutions against emerging threats.

Go Further With OTAs

From advancing directed energy capabilities to strengthening domestic innovation ecosystems, the JDEC OTA is reimagining what’s possible. The JDEC team offers unmatched service with 24/7 member support, project success, networking events, teaming opportunities such as Innovator NETWORX and Industry Days, and much more.

Benefits of Using an OTA

OTAs provide flexible teaming and rapid acquisition pathways, allowing Government, industry, and academia to collaboratively research, prototype, experiment, test, evaluation, and scale solutions, from early-stage exploration through advanced development and follow-on production. Using an OTA reduces risk and accelerates the transition of innovative capabilities into operational use.

Lower Barriers to Entry

Creates pathways for non-traditional vendors and small businesses to participate in national defense projects.

Rapid Acquisition

Accelerates next-gen tech by leveraging multiple authorities for research, prototyping, and experimentation.

Innovative Partnerships

Fosters collaboration across government, industry, academia, and allied international partners to deliver defense capabilities.

Follow-On Production

Enables a seamless transition to production, allowing solutions to scale and be deployed to meet mission needs.

Strategic Superiority Starts with American Innovation

The Joint Directed Energy Consortium (JDEC) accelerates the development, integration, and fielding of advanced directed energy capabilities in support of national defense priorities. JDEC serves to unite government, industry, academia, allied international partners, and nontraditional innovators to rapidly deliver scalable directed energy technologies that enhance operational readiness, strengthen deterrence, and provide cost-effective solutions against evolving threats.

Our Program Areas

These technology areas represent the core focus areas of the Joint Directed Energy Consortium. They provide a framework for organizing research, development, and collaboration across government, industry, academia, allied international partners, and nontraditional innovators to accelerate the development, maturation, and transition of directed energy capabilities.

Foundational Research leverages leverages fundamental scientific research from academia to support potential future directed energy weapon systems. Efforts focus on investigating scalable high-energy laser and high-power microwave technologies for military applications while monitoring global advancements.

HEL Technology Development advances applied research in high-energy laser technologies that support system integration and laboratory-based proof-of-concept demonstrations. Efforts focus on improving laser sources, beam control, adaptive optics, beam directors, and other critical component technologies to mature capabilities for integration into fieldable directed energy systems.

HPM Technology Development advances applied research in high-power microwave technologies to mature agile microwave sources, advanced antennas, pulsed power, and waveform generation for integration into fieldable directed energy systems. Efforts leverage laboratory-based development and proof-of-concept demonstrations to validate next-generation capabilities and support system-level prototyping.

Mission-Driven Lethality and Survivability collects lethality and survivability data on prioritized threats to identify vulnerabilities and critical aimpoints. Efforts develop standardized vulnerability models through a joint process for use across the services and agencies.

Demo, Test, and Evaluation validates directed energy technologies through field testing, operational analysis, and mission studies. Efforts assess lethality, survivability, and system performance while refining requirements, engagement models, and command-and-control capabilities to support rapid fielding.

Mission Engineering updates engagement models with vulnerability data to support directed energy weapon system integration. These models help inform future force development, design studies, and employment strategies.

Manufacturing efforts assess industrial base readiness, validate current manufacturing capabilities, and identify technology gaps to support advanced production of directed energy weapon systems.

JDEC Mission Areas

  • Non-Kinetic Strike
  • Directed Energy Counter Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (DEcUAS)
  • Counter Cruise Missile
  • Counter-C5ISRT
  • Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD)
  • Special Operations
  • Expeditionary
  • Intermediate Force Capabilities

Powered by NSTXL, Built for Mission Success

JDEC is managed by National Security Technology Accelerator (NSTXL), a proven OTA consortium leader driving innovation, speed, and impact across the national security space. Interested in becoming a member?