To celebrate the four-year anniversary of the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) Consortium anniversary in November, we’re taking a look back at its accomplishments. The CWMD Consortium provides rapid prototyping that creates and matures efforts to counter weapons of mass destruction, along with providing CBRNE hazard awareness. The consortium supports the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND) by providing innovative, safe, and effective solutions to counter CBRN threats and accelerate the Department of Defense’s fielding of protective safeguards for the warfighter.

Of the CWMD Consortium’s more than 400 members to date, 75 percent consist of small businesses and 87 percent are considered non-traditional defense contractors. Non-traditional organizations expand the industrial defense base by providing unique and vital capabilities, and can team up with traditional defense contractors that may have complementary or supplementary technology capabilities.

Since its inception in November 2017, the CWMD Consortium has executed 154 awards with more than $1 billion in combined value. On average, more than 30 requirements are issued annually. Eighty-five percent of awards go to non-traditionals and 54 percent of awards to small businesses. One of the consortium’s most high-profile projects earned praise as an example of efficiency of the Other Transaction consortium model. The Negatively Pressured Conex was developed to safely transport COVID-19 impacted passengers, meeting an urgent need.

The CWMD Consortium looks forward to many more years of growth, with active efforts underway to identify new non-traditional members that offer a source of previously untapped innovation. The consortium collaborates under an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) with JPEO-CBRND. The OTA consortium model helps the federal government accelerate innovative R&D and reach non-traditional partners to quickly acquire novel technologies.

About CWMD Consortium

The CWMD Consortium focuses on research and development of technologies to detect, prevent, and protect against weapons of mass destruction. The consortium is comprised of a mixture of traditional and non-traditional contractors, small businesses, for-profit and not-for-profit entities, and academia, representing the key players in the industry. The CWMD Consortium is supported by Advanced Technology International.