Defense Research Initiative

The Defense Research Initiative (DRI) of the Free Market Block was a blended public/private organization in the military-industrial complex of the Free Market Block, from its inception in 1993 through to its dissolution following the Cairo Trials. In practice, it could best be thought of as an analogue to the OEPU Special Research Force, in the sense of being an organization for military research and development.

The DRI is best known for its own Project Opus, initiated under its last director, Jessop Vale. The project was an attempt to create a next-generation Lorica command and control system by integrating human neural tissue with the electronics and computer systems used in controlling the robots. While viewed by some as a material success, the program was highly unethical, making use of captured POWs as a large part of the test subject base. For this reason, it was found at the Cairo Trials that the DRI was deeply corrupt from first principles, and part of the judgement was that the FMB would have to dissolve it.

Ironically, the Project Opus work-products lead to the creation of the Neural Prosthesis Paradigm standards and also resulted in the standardization of the (now-illegal) Lorica-N Cockpit. Project Opus survivors, like the Ghost Company, have even been grandfathered in under certain legislation to allow parts for their suits to continue to be manufactured.