Concealment, Deception, and Obscuration (CCDO)

Camouflage, Concealment, Deception, and Obscuration (CCDO) technologies have long been crucial in military strategies, offering significant tactical advantages in modern warfare. These methods allow military forces to enhance survivability by avoiding detection, confusing adversaries, and making accurate targeting difficult for enemy forces. A recent collaboration between the U.S. Army Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC) and To The Stars Academy (TTSA) under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) highlights ongoing efforts to innovate in these areas. The partnership’s goal is to explore advanced materials and technologies that could reshape the battlefield, creating new opportunities for effective CCDO implementation.

The CRADA, signed in 2019, focuses on investigating advanced materials that might have potential military applications. TTSA, known for its research into aerospace technologies and its public interest in UFO phenomena, presented UFO materials that had future and advanced capabilities relevant to the Army’s needs. In return, the Army provided technical resources, such as scanning electron microscopes, to assess the materials. The collaboration aims to enhance CCDO techniques by exploring how these advanced technologies can offer significant advantages in areas like active camouflage, concealment, and military deception. This type of research allows the Army to test the potential of these technologies at a relatively low risk, leveraging TTSA’s UFO samples and innovations without extensive resource commitments.

Camouflage has always been a fundamental military tactic that helps personnel, vehicles, and structures blend into their surroundings to avoid detection. Historically, the Army has used a range of camouflage methods, from simple color schemes to more complex, adaptive technologies. Through this partnership with TTSA, the focus has shifted towards evolving these traditional methods into dynamic, technology-driven solutions capable of real-time adaptation to environmental conditions. Much like how animals in nature adapt their appearance to blend into their habitats, this research explores how military assets could use similar approaches for better concealment in the field.

Concealment goes beyond blending in and focuses on hiding assets from enemy observation altogether. It often involves physical barriers or technologies that obscure visibility or disrupt radar detection. Research under this CRADA explores new materials that could improve the concealment of ground vehicles and military operations, reducing their chances of being detected by enemy forces. The potential to use these materials to enhance concealment could offer critical tactical advantages in environments where stealth and surprise are paramount.

Deception, a long-standing military strategy, is another area of interest within this partnership. Deception techniques aim to mislead adversaries about a force’s movements, intentions, or capabilities. This could include decoy systems or more advanced signal manipulation devices that create false readings on enemy sensors. TTSA’s materials show promise in augmenting these deception capabilities, possibly through improvements in radar or electromagnetic concealment. Such advancements would allow the Army to manipulate the enemy’s perception of reality, further enhancing its operational effectiveness.

Obscuration is another critical aspect of CCDO technologies. Traditionally, military forces have deployed smoke, fog, or aerosols to obscure vision on the battlefield. These techniques make it difficult for enemy forces to target effectively. However, the new materials tested in this CRADA could push the boundaries of what is possible in terms of manipulating environmental conditions to gain a tactical advantage. By refining and expanding on existing methods of obscuration, military forces could better protect their assets and personnel during engagements.

The testing of materials provided by TTSA under the CRADA has been a focal point of the partnership. The U.S. Army conducted these tests using the GVSC’s Scanning Electron Microscope, a tool that allows scientists to examine the materials at an extremely detailed level. One key takeaway from these tests is that the materials were described as “miniscule,” indicating their small size. Despite their small scale, the Army successfully evaluated the materials for potential military applications. However, the results of these tests have remained undisclosed due to the sensitive nature of the research. Army officials have stated that the detailed findings will be made public after the conclusion of the CRADA, but for now, they remain classified.

Given the high level of public interest in TTSA’s involvement—largely due to the company’s ties to UFO research and its founder, Tom DeLonge—media attention has been significant. This interest is evidenced by a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed by John Greenewald of The Black Vault, a site known for its release of government documents related to controversial topics. The Army’s response to the FOIA request highlighted the sensitive nature of the research. Under Exemption 5 of the FOIA, the Army protected predecisional and deliberative materials from disclosure. This exemption is typically applied to internal discussions and recommendations to ensure military leaders can engage in open, candid discussions without public interference. Additionally, Exemption 6 was used to protect the privacy of individuals involved in the CRADA who are not public-facing employees or senior officials. This ensures that personal contact details and communications between personnel remain confidential.

Public interest in the CRADA has been driven not only by the Army’s research objectives but also by TTSA’s public profile. TTSA, known for its interest in UFO phenomena, raised eyebrows when it first announced its agreement with the U.S. Army in 2019. Many media outlets highlighted the sensational aspect of a UFO research company collaborating with the military, prompting a cautious response from the Army. Emails between Army officials reveal the need to carefully manage this narrative, with one communication referring to “punting” media queries about the CRADA to other offices, such as the Office of Naval Intelligence, which had its own vested interest in related research. This careful management underscores the Army’s desire to keep public attention focused on the legitimate military research while avoiding unnecessary speculation about UFO-related topics.

Looking ahead, the conclusion of the CRADA in the coming months is expected to yield important findings for the future of military CCDO technologies. The materials tested under this partnership could lead to significant advancements in how the Army approaches camouflage, concealment, deception, and obscuration. While the Army remains tight-lipped about the specifics of the results, public updates will be provided once the CRADA closes. At that point, the Army will decide which results can be shared with the public without compromising national security or ongoing defense projects.