Within the last four decades, U.S. adversaries have developed more advanced and lethal long-range weapons than ever before, including ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles capable of striking our homeland with either conventional or nuclear warheads. To combat these and future threats, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is relentlessly focused on maintaining a decisive advantage in this rapidly evolving missile threat landscape. Just as we are committed to protecting the nation by continuously modernizing critical missile defense capabilities and delivering them to the warfighter, the acquisition vehicles we use must also evolve. Committed to growing a culture of speed and efficiency, MDA is driving a fundamental shift in how we approach acquisition by embracing agility and innovation in order to beat the challenges of today, while anticipating those of tomorrow.

“We are focused on delivering advanced, reliable, resilient capabilities on accelerated timelines to meet warfighter needs,” said MDA Director Lt. Gen. Heath Collins.

Key cornerstone elements of this transformation include the recent announcement of two new acquisition initiatives: Nimble Options for Buying Layered Effects (NOBLE) (formerly Multiple Authority Announcement, or MAA) and Multiple Award Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract.

These latest MDA acquisition solutions are groundbreaking initiatives designed to unlock the potential of a new generation of industry partners.

“The combination of a competitive environment with simplified procurement processes and continued leverage of MDA’s unique acquisition authorities will strengthen our ability to accelerate overall timelines and deliver operational capability to the warfighter,” added Lt. Gen. Collins.

Unlocking Innovation with NOBLE

MDA's Nimble Options for Buying Layered Effects (NOBLE) is a flexible strategy and framework designed to cast a wide net and attract a new generation of industry partners. Released on March 27, NOBLE is open for a five-year period. It streamlines access to a diverse toolkit of non-traditional procurement methods, including Broad Agency Announcements, Other Transaction Agreements, Commercial Solutions Openings, Procurement for Experimental Purposes, Cooperative Research and Development Agreements, Grants, and Cooperative Agreements.

NOBLE serves as a central hub for relevant notices and provides a comprehensive acquisition strategy focused on disruptive technologies and accelerated capability development. NOBLE is available to all MDA components as well as other Department of Defense (DoD) Agencies to use. By implementing this agile approach, MDA is now ready for rapid response to evolving defense priorities, including recent Executive Orders on acquisition reform and the dynamic threat landscape looking towards technologies or concepts needed for the Next Generation of Missile Defense.

This framework paves the way for future solicitations that will expedite the maturation, transition, and deployment of applied research, advanced technologies, prototypes, and experimental systems. A solicitation can evoke use of one or more of the authorities for any resulting awards. This streamlined and competitive environment, coupled with the strategic use of MDA's unique acquisition authorities, will dramatically accelerate timelines and deliver critical operational capabilities to the Warfighter faster than ever before.

Interested parties can find the full solicitation on SAM.gov under HQ0860-25-S-0001. All communication regarding this announcement should be UNCLASSIFIED and submitted via email to MDA-NOBLE@mail.mil.

The first action under NOBLE is the Advanced Capability Concepts (ACC) solicitation, an open call for white papers that provide industry innovators an ongoing opportunity to present the government with cutting-edge Science & Technology concepts and ideas for the Next Generation of Missile Defense. The ACC welcomes white paper submissions for applied research, advanced technology development, prototype, demonstration, limited production, and experimentation and testing efforts, leveraging Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), Other Transaction (OT), and Procurement for Experimental Purposes (PEP) authorities.

Posted on May 9, the ACC is open until May 8, 2030. White papers can be submitted anytime during the five-year solicitation period. MDA anticipates using a mix of FAR and non-FAR methods for any resulting awards under this solicitation. Interested parties can find the full solicitation on SAM.gov under Solicitation No. HQ0860-25-S-C001. Inquiries about the ACC solicitation may be sent to MDA-ACC-WP@mail.mil.

Flexible Enterprise Vehicle: Multiple Award Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ)

MDA is excited to have unveiled SHIELD multiple-award IDIQ RFP, announced on Sept. 10. This contract opportunity delivers an advanced, multi-domain defense system for the next generation of missile defense.

As a long-planned strategy, SHIELD allows MDA and other DoD entities to rapidly issue task orders under one flexible enterprise vehicle. Competing orders under SHIELD utilizing FAR 16.5 is expected to significantly trim down procurement administrative lead times allowing for faster delivery of a solution(s). The contract has a ceiling of up to $151 billion and a 10-year ordering period.

The IDIQ encompasses a broad range of work areas, including Research & Development, Prototyping, Architecture Development, Modeling & Simulation, Systems Engineering, Weapon Design & Development, Integration & Assembly, Production & Fielding, Test & Evaluation, Operation & Sustainment, Modernization, and Cybersecurity, among others. As with NOBLE, MDA is interested in the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning, where appropriate, to enhance system performance and responsiveness. The use of digital engineering, open systems architectures, model-based systems engineering, and agile processes will support the next generation of the Missile Defense System. While SHIELD encompasses a broad scope, it also specifically excludes advisory and assistance services, systems engineering and technical assistance (unless an exception applies), and common information technology.

MDA intends to award to all offerors who meet the solicitation criteria. SHIELD fosters a collaborative environment with our industry partners as they develop and deploy these crucial defense capabilities. The official solicitation release can be accessed at HQ085925RE001.

To learn more and explore partnership opportunities with MDA, visit the new Partner With Us One-Stop Shop on the MDA public website.

All communication regarding this announcement should be UNCLASSIFIED and submitted via email to mda.schriever.cts.mbx.shield-idiq@mail.mil.