# Critical Orientation of Mathematics to Produce Advancements in Science and Security (COMPASS)

Canonical: https://abierto.us/opportunities/darpaea250203

- Solicitation number: DARPA-EA-25-02-03
- Notice type: Solicitation
- Status: Closed. Deadline was May 12, 2025
- Department: Department of Defense
- Agency: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
- Contracting office: Def Advanced Research Projects Agcy (HR0011)
- NAICS: 541715 Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)
- Product or service code: AC11 National Defense R&D Services; Department Of Defense - Military; Basic Research
- First posted: January 15, 2025
- Last posted: January 31, 2025
- SAM.gov: https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/25fa27766901406eb3c6997410fdcad4/view

## Description

Mathematics is a pillar of national security. A decision-maker’s ability to synchronize military activities across five domains (i.e., air, land, maritime, space, and cyberspace), and adapt to rapidly changing threat landscapes hinges on robust mathematical frameworks and effective problem formulations that fully encapsulate the complexities of real-world operational environments.

Unfortunately, mathematical approaches in Defense often rely on “good-enough” approximations, resulting in fragile solutions that severely limit our nation’s ability to address these evolving challenges in future conflicts. In contrast, establishing robust mathematical frameworks and properly formulating problems can yield profound and wide-reaching results. For instance, the Wiener filter1 was developed during World War II to help the U.S. military discern threats in the air domain from noisy radar observations.

However, the technology’s effectiveness was limited due to its strong assumption of signal stationarity, a condition rarely satisfied in operational settings.

By leveraging a dynamical systems approach, in 1960 Rudolf Kalman reformulated the filtering problem in a more robust state-space framework that inherently addressed non-stationarity.2 Sixty years later, the Kalman filter remains a pillar of modern control theory, supporting military decisions in autonomous navigation, flight control systems, sensor fusion, wireless communications and much more.

The combination of a robust mathematical framework with the right problem formulation enables transformative Defense capabilities. Achieving this, however, requires deep mathematical insight to properly formulate the problem within the context of the specific Defense challenge at hand. To excel in increasingly complex, dynamic, and uncertain operational environments, military decision-makers need richer mathematical frameworks that fully capture the intricacies of these challenges. Emerging fields in mathematics offer the pot

## Publications

- January 15, 2025: Solicitation, due May 12, 2025. Notice 4676a4e7d5724a57aade3ab957802ad7. https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/4676a4e7d5724a57aade3ab957802ad7/view
- January 27, 2025: Solicitation, due May 12, 2025. Notice 3d59fb44c0204e2f8f9af9ca33fcc8c9. https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/3d59fb44c0204e2f8f9af9ca33fcc8c9/view
- January 31, 2025: Solicitation, due May 12, 2025. Notice 25fa27766901406eb3c6997410fdcad4. https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/25fa27766901406eb3c6997410fdcad4/view

## Points of contact

- BAA Coordinator, COMPASS@darpa.mil

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Source: SAM.gov Contract Opportunities bulk extract. Confirm deadlines on SAM.gov before responding. Cite https://abierto.us/opportunities/darpaea250203.