for technology’s sake rather than for a mission. Second, OE-I realized that its proj- ect teams, typically led by technol- ogy innovators, lacked the informa- tion needed to develop and execute a strategic technology transition plan that demonstrates transition confi- dence and technical maturity to de- liver a needed capability. These teams needed actionable activities to guide them toward successful transition. For example, which PEOs should they contact? How could they get in touch? What should they discuss once con- nected? OE-I needed resources and tools to empower innovators that deliver impactful capabilities to the Warfghter. Finally, OE-I lacked an efficient, data-driven means of reporting tech- nology maturation and mission im- pact to its leadership and Congress. The FY 2021 National Defense Au- thorization Act (NDAA, Sec. 324) added urgency to these challenges. It man- dated OE-I to develop and utilize a tool that could (a) track technology maturation from applied research to transition to use and (b) provide in- formation needed by all stakeholders for technology acceptance. The Transition Maturity Framework In early 2023, OE-I, in collabora- tion with MITRE, convened a multi- disciplinary team of subject matter experts drawn from key stakeholder groups within the defense acquisition ecosystem: technology innovators, acquisition program managers, the re- quirements community, and operators (Warfghters and Warfghter-training specialists). They created the TMaF. The TMaF integrates fve readiness dimensions into a single framework designed to capture technology ac- ceptance criteria across all acquisi- tion stakeholders. Of the fve TMaF readiness dimensions, three already existed: TRL, MRL, and Transition Confdence Level (TCL). TRL, MRL, and TCL primarily ac- count for the priorities of technology
innovators and acquisition programs but do not fully capture the needs of the requirements community and operators. They leave open the pos- sibility for S&T teams to lose sight of the Warfghters and their needs. To close this gap, the TMaF team created two additional readiness dimensions. First, the Requirements Readiness Level (RRL) measures a technologi- cal solution’s alignment to a validated, funded requirement, i.e., to a War- fghter capability need. Requirements alignment alone, however, does not guarantee that a Warfghter is will- ing and able to employ a technol- ogy. Therefore, an operator-focused dimension, the Warfghter Readiness Level (WRL), was introduced. WRL measures the extent a tech- nology has been Warfighter-tested and adopted. It considers the tech- nology’s role in addressing capability gaps by evaluating solutions across D octrine, O rganization, T raining, M a- teriel, L eadership and E ducation, P er- sonnel, F acilities, and P olicy Analysis (DOTMLPF-P) to ensure use of the most efective and holistic approach. By complementing existing readiness dimensions with RRL and WRL, the TMaF ensures that OE-I S&T teams develop technologies the Warfghter wants and needs while resolving the transition measurement challenge posed to OE-I by the FY 2021 NDAA. Beyond measurement and report- ing, however, OE-I sought a tool that was actionable—i.e., that could pro- vide its project teams with strategic technology transition guidance. To this end, for each readiness dimension
and level, the TMaF concisely outlines critical activities needed for progress to the next level. For example, one of four critical activities to enable prog- ress from WRL 5 to WRL 6 is to “in- volve warfghters in shaping policies and procedures to ensure practicality and acceptance.” This example exhib- its essential characteristics of TMaF critical activities. It indicates which stakeholders to engage (“warfight- ers”), when to engage them (“when shaping policies and procedures”), and the engagement’s goal (“ensure practicality and acceptance”). The TMaF levels provide project teams with a set of transition mile- stones. Critical activities ofer them a starting point to develop a plan to strategically address transition chal- lenges as they move through those milestones. In this way, the TMaF gives OE-I the ability to efficiently provide each project team transition guidance tailored to their project’s maturity. Executing critical activi- ties helps a project team mature its technology while creating a record that allows efective program man- agement and satisfes congressional reporting requirements. The Transition Maturity Framework Rolls Out Leading up to its FY 2025 call for proposals, OE-I integrated the TMaF into its proposal solicitation, selec- tion, and execution management processes. It established minimum TMaF entry and exit levels and re- quired that proposal teams complete a TMaF self-assessment with the
16 | DEFENSE ACQUISITION | September-October 2025
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