April 14, 2021

Artificial Judgement: A Case for Rethinking the Future Vector of Military Technological Innovation

The United States (US) military is falling behind in the global race for military technological superiority. This lag is due to a number of factors, which include: a cumbersome acquisition system, budget constraints and uncertainty, a focus on the counterinsurgency fight, a culture that is adverse to failure, and a pervasive lack of focus on innovation and invention. The Service secretaries and chiefs, among others in the Department of Defense (DOD) and defense industrial base, have made a marked push to reverse course. Now that the counterinsurgency fight has subsided, the DOD budget forecast is more robust, and a concentrated effort to devise a rapid acquisition process has begun, the Services have signaled full speed ahead for innovation and risk tolerance. In a future faced with contested domains across the spectrum of warfare (particularly air, space, and cyber), the US must not only catch up with technology, but leap ahead to regain a competitive advantage.