Department of War Invests $22.1 Million to Boost Radiation Testing for Defense Microelectronics

The U.S. Department of War (DOW) today announced a $22.1 million, 24-month contract awarded to Michigan State University, Trusted Strategic Solutions LLC, and Nucleon. This significant investment aims to expand and enhance domestic radiation testing infrastructure, which is crucial for qualifying radiation-hardened microelectronics for defense applications. The initiative is funded through the Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy's Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) program.

Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy, the Honorable Michael Cadenazzi, said, "This strategic partnership delivers a crucial capability for our national security and defense readiness." He added that by expanding the domestic radiation test infrastructure at Michigan State University's Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, the DOW is securing a critical testing pipeline and ensuring the resilience of advanced defense systems. This investment directly strengthens national defense by increasing domestic access to high-energy heavy ion beam single event effects (SEE) testing.

The project, named Optimized Radiation Beam Infrastructure for Testing Systems (ORBITS), will involve constructing a dedicated SEE testing beamline and experimental end-station at Michigan State University's superconducting radiofrequency Facility for Rare Isotope Beams. Once operational, the facility is projected to provide up to 2,000 hours of SEE testing capacity annually. Its advanced beam parameters will extend beyond current domestic capabilities, offering heavy ions with energies up to 150 MeV/u and light ions up to 300 MeV/u.

Since its inception in 2014, the IBAS program has seen the Department of War's Office of Industrial Base Policy invest over $5.1 billion across 219 projects to bolster the defense industrial base. The Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy works to sustain a robust, secure, and resilient industrial base, aligning with the 2026 National Defense Strategy and presidential executive orders that call for a strong and responsive national industrial base.