DARPA Calls for Industry Help to Build Gigantic Mass‑Casualty Medical Simulators

On May 15, 2026, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), operating through its Biological Technologies Office, put out a public request for information (RFI) that reads almost like a challenge from a sci‑fi movie. Titled “Realistic Mass Casualty Medical Simulation Capabilities,” the notice (RFI DARPA‑SN‑26‑79) invites anyone – from defense contractors to university labs, from start‑ups to civilian emergency‑prep groups – to suggest how to stage a full‑blown medical disaster with dozens, even hundreds, of patients.

What makes this ask different from a regular training drill? DARPA wants an event that feels as close to reality as possible, compressed into a single operation that lasts less than three days. Think of a scenario with 25, 50, 100 or even 200 casualties, each needing triage, lifesaving interventions, and ongoing care, all while the clock ticks down. The agency specifically calls out live actors or standardized patients – including kids – alongside high‑tech manikins that can mimic real physiology. Add to that a cache of Class VIII consumables – tourniquets, hemostatic dressings, needle‑decompression kits, cricothyrotomy sets, IV/IO lines, blood and fluid administration devices – and you’ve got the ingredients for a truly immersive exercise.

Why now? The pandemic showed how quickly medical supply chains can be stressed, and the military’s own experience in overseas operations has highlighted gaps in large‑scale trauma care. DARPA hopes that by crowdsourcing ideas, it can fast‑track technologies that let responders rehearse everything from airway management to mass‑blood‑transfusion logistics without the usual cost and risk of live‑fire drills.

The point of contact for the effort is retired Army Colonel Dr. Jeremy Pamplin, who once led the U.S. Army Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC). TATRC, based at Fort Detrick in Frederick, Maryland, was a key player in the nation’s COVID‑19 response and now serves as a bridge between the Department of Defense and civilian health innovators. Colonel Pamplin can be reached at MASCAL_RFI@darpa.mil for anyone who wants to submit a three‑page white paper.

Interested parties have until May 31, 2026, noon EDT to get their proposals in. Submissions should spell out the technical concept, the expected fidelity of the simulation, any required infrastructure, and a rough cost estimate. DARPA says it will evaluate ideas on how well they enable realistic triage, treat life‑saving interventions, and capture data that can be fed back into training curricula.

In short, the agency is looking for the next generation of “war‑games” for medics – exercises that are as gritty and chaotic as a real disaster, but safe enough to run over and over. If you’ve been tinkering with AI‑driven physiology models, building modular simulation platforms, or developing rapid‑deployment medical kits, this is the moment to let DARPA hear your voice.