The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD) has announced the next round of projects to receive funding via the Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (APFIT) pilot program. The program aims to expeditiously transition technologies into production and accelerate the fielding of needed technologies to the warfighter, with priority given to technologies developed by small businesses and nontraditional defense contractors. The benefits of this pilot program include delivering war-winning capability earlier than scheduled and contributing to the viability of small business and nontraditional defense contractor vendors. APFIT is an additional tool the DoD can use to propel innovative capabilities across the "Valley of Death" and accelerate fielding into the hands of warfighters. The program was established under the National Defense Authorization Act of FY22 and has been funded by the U.S. Congress for $150 million in FY23.