and vibration reduction. VTD makes ground combat vehicles lighter, more reliable, safer, and more fuel efficient. Air combat vehicles such as the helicopter are studied to decrease the vibrations caused by the rotors. Metallic materials are engineered to increase strength and decrease corrosion through the use of composites. The divisions of VTD are Loads & Dynamics, Structural Mechanics, Engine & Transmission Systems, Engine Components, and Unmanned Vehicles. Weapons and Materials Research The U.S. Army Research Laboratory Weapons and Materials Research Directorate (WMRD) is the principal U.S. Army organization for research and development in weapons and materials technologies. The directorate is charged with making bullets pierce farther and ballistic vests stronger. Although these interests may seem opposed, the goal is to increase the survivability of the soldier. In the WMRD, traditional armaments are studied, as are advanced ballistic defense systems. This directorate is especially linked with VTD in order to produce safer vehicles, transports, and aircraft. One aspect of this directorate's analysis duty is to evaluate military technologies from an economical standpoint in order to reduce overall system costs. Federated Laboratories Beginning in 1996, the Army Research Laboratory entered into innovative cooperative agreements with industrial and academic partners to form "federated laboratories," or "FedLabs", to perform research in broad areas important to the U.S. Army where the ARL could extract significant leverage from work being performed in the commercial and academic arenas. The first three FedLabs were in Advanced Displays, Advanced Sensors, and Telecommunications. Each FedLab was a large consortium of companies, universities, and non-profit organizations, with both an overall industrial leader and an ARL leader. The cooperative agreements forming the FedLabs were somewhat unusual in that the ARL was not a mere funder of research, but an active consortium participant. The first three FedLabs won a National Performance Award in 1999 from then-Vice President Al Gore. Collaborative Technology and Research Alliances Collaborative Technology and Research Alliances is a term for partnerships between Army laboratories and centers, private industry and academia for performing research and technology development intended to benefit the US Army. The partnerships are funded by the US Army. Cyber Security Collaborative Research Alliance (CSCRA) Materials in Extreme Dynamic Environments Collaborative Research Alliance Multi-Scale Multidisciplinary Modeling of Electronic Materials Collaborative Research Alliance Distributed Analytics and Information Science International Technology Alliance (DAIS ITA) See also Internet of Battle Things (IoBT) Collaborative Research Alliance (CRA) Smart Weapon End-to-End Performance Model References