The technology world is accelerating at faster and faster rates – a development that has major implications for the U.S. defense establishment. Many of the best military-technology innovations of the past decade have stemmed from the intersection of operational insight and technical know-how catalyzed by active combat operations. Groundbreaking technologies such as DOD’s first wide-area […]
If words were stocks and you’ve been investing in ‘innovation’ for, say, the past two decades, you may have noticed that you are sitting on a non-performing investment. The problem with ‘innovation’ is not that we have enough of it, but that its potency has progressively been degraded by gross simplification and overuse. In fact, […]
While Super Bowl XLIX served plenty of excitement for Football fans across the globe, one interesting strand of dialogue among the commentators and ‘experts’ worth further consideration was the role of ‘lady luck’ in deciding key outcomes for both teams. For example: Was it lucky that Seattle ended up with an unknown talent like Chris […]
In an environment where new media and information technology can summon the world to live in real time the fear and pain of distant communities, nefarious groups are empowered to strike in earnest for maximum impact and global exposure. Non-state actors, in particular, thrive in unstructured, unregulated, and unconfined settings. Their ability to remotely inspire, […]
The proliferation of information technologies is enabling a range of bad actors to cause significant harm through networked and remotely-guided activities. Past engagements and recent events make it increasingly clear that contemporary threats require collective awareness and persistent multilateral action. One of the key insights gained by the U.S. and its coalition partners in Overseas […]
This article outlines the innovation imperative facing the U.S. Department of Defense and details current and future plans pursued by the DOD Information Analysis Centers to develop a defense innovation operating system that sustains the United States’ military-technology edge in the face of persistent operational, technological, and fiscal volatility and uncertainty.
On December 21, 2013, a small Japanese robotics start-up called Schaft claimed top honors at the DARPA Robotics Challenge. With minimal funding, team Schaft’s robot was the only performer to successfully complete all of the challenge events and beat robots built by companies like Boston Dynamics, who delivered a competing system through a $10.8 million […]
What region is most likely to shape the military conflicts of the near future? Is it China, or the Middle East? North Korea? Maybe Russia? Try Silicon Valley. On today’s battlefields, the Department of Defense (DoD) must contend not only with the friction and fog of tactical engagements, but also with the complexities of a […]