Objectives of the Army Futures Command’s New All-Domain Sensing Cross Functional Team

A recent congressional report from the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission warned that China’s expanding remote sensing capabilities have raised risks to U.S. national security. In response, the DoD’s Army Futures Command has expanded its investment in remote sensing through programs such as Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node (TITAN), and High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES).

In March of 2024, the Army Futures Command released plans to establish a new cross-functional team dedicated to overseeing these projects and accelerating the alignment of integrated sensing capabilities across the U.S. military. By November, the All-Domain Sensing Cross Functional Team (ADS CFT) had begun executing its missions.  
This article will provide an overview of ADS CFT’s mission. It will highlight the CFT’s predecessor, the Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing/Space Cross-Functional Team (APNT/Space CFT), and provide a glimpse at ADS CFT’s four lines of effort.

To hear directly from personnel representing ADS CFT, register for IDGA’s first All-Domain Sensing Summit taking place this August 12-13 in Washington D.C.  

The two-day summit will provide a critical platform for the military, industry, and academia to come together to discuss the challenges of all-domain sensing. The summit will cover all critical discussions vital to advancing military sensing capabilities, from sensor architecture, data sharing, processing, and integration to interoperability and cyber risks. 

What is ADS CFT

ADS CFT was tasked by the Army Futures Command with enhancing the Army’s ability to sense, process, and act on battlefield data across multiple domains.

The ADS CFT collaborates with the Army, Joint Forces, and industry partners to accelerate capability delivery. Despite beginning missions in November, ADS CFT is not expected to achieve full operational capability until the second quarter of fiscal year 2025.

ADS CFT is headquartered in Adelphi, Maryland, with a satellite location in Huntsville, Alabama. 

Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing/Space Cross-Functional Team

Before it became the All-Domain Sensing Cross Functional Team, ADS CFT was known as the Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing/Space Cross-Functional Team, or APNT/Space CFT.

Based at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, the former team ensured that Soldiers have modern situational tools to maneuver accurately and safely across multiple domains, including land, air, sea, space, cyberspace, and the electromagnetic spectrum. APNT/Space CFT achieves this by conducting field experimentation, assessing prototypes, and developing requirements for state-of-the-art PNT solutions. These efforts included investigating alternative global positioning systems (GPS), integrating anti-jamming functions, electronic support, inertial navigation, and vision-based navigation systems. The team also collaborated with industry, joint partners, and government agencies to develop modular and scalable solutions.

In the space domain, APNT/Space CFT worked on providing resilient intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and communication capabilities in low Earth orbit, ensuring rapid and secure information sharing with tactical commanders.

ADS CFT is essentially the next-gen iteration of the APNT/Space CFT, with key personnel such as APNT CFT director Mike Monteleone, becoming director of the new CFT. By leveraging lessons learned from the APNT/Space CFT, the ADS CFT is positioned to drive continuous Army transformation, ensuring battlefield dominance through integrated, data-driven sensing solutions.

Four Key Focus Areas of ADS CFT

When the Army Futures Command first announced its intention to create the new ADS CFT, it added the unit would focus on four major lines of effort. Those include:

1. Multi-Sensor Dominance – Integrating Army sensor technologies for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, targeting, and counter-intelligence while coordinating with Joint, Allied, and commercial partners.
2. Sensing Architecture – Developing an integrated sensor network that enhances force projection, fires, and maneuvers at scale.
3. Advanced Processing and Dissemination – Leveraging cutting-edge data processing technologies to enable rapid, large-scale combat operations.
4. Operational Enablers – Supporting the development of doctrine, training, and organizational structures for sensors, electronic warfare, and positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) in contested environments. 

Learn more about the All-Domain Sensing Summit

The inaugural All-Domain Sensing Summit will take place on August 12 & 13 in the DC Metro Area, bringing together military leaders, academic experts, and industry innovators to discuss the pivotal role of sensors, networks, and data in shaping modern warfare capabilities. As near-peer adversaries advance their sensing capabilities, the global threat landscape is evolving rapidly, highlighting the need to collect, process, share, and act on data across multiple domains.

Learn More