Pentagon acquiring ‘National Protection Science and Technology’ tactic: Memo – Breaking Protection Breaking Defense


Heidi Shyu (center), then-assistant secretary of the Military for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technological innovation, throughout a go to to Fort Bliss in 2015. (Image courtesy of US Army/ Sgt. Jessica Littlejohn)
WASHINGTON: The Pentagon’s research and progress enterprise has started developing a “National Defense Science and Technological know-how strategy” aimed at 14 essential matter regions like hypersonic weapons, directed strength and quantum science.
“Successful competitors needs imagining our navy functionality as an ever-evolving collective, not a static stock of weapons in advancement or sustainment,” Heidi Shyu, the senior civilian in cost of study and engineering, wrote in a Feb. 1 memo obtained by Breaking Defense.
“In lots of conditions, powerful opposition advantages from sidestepping symmetric arms races and as a substitute will come from the imaginative software of new principles with emerging science and technologies,” she ongoing.
The new S&T tactic will be knowledgeable by the 2022 Countrywide Protection Approach and will “strengthen [the US military’s] technological superiority amidst a global race for technological benefit,” according to the memo.
The memo lays out 14 technologies the Pentagon considers essential and areas them into 3 wide categories. The 1st group is labeled as “seed regions of rising opportunity” these types of as biotechnology, quantum science, long run technology wireless technologies and sophisticated elements.
The 2nd class is “effective adoption spots,” or in other words and phrases, engineering currently out there in the commercial sector. Individuals capabilities include things like artificial intelligence and autonomy, integrated community technique-of-techniques, microelectronics, area engineering, renewable vitality generation and storage, sophisticated computing and application and human-equipment interfaces.
The 3rd matter area is characterised as “defense-particular areas” this sort of as directed vitality, hypersonic weapons and built-in sensing and cyber.
“The OUSD(R&E) will develop important systems, swiftly prototype them, and conduct
continual campaigns of joint experimentation to improve on individuals systems and deliver
abilities,” Shyu wrote, utilizing the acronym for her workplace, the business of the undersecretary of protection for research and engineering.
Shyu also alludes to acquisition reforms, stating her place of work will help alterations to the Pentagon’s “resource allocation processes and will pursue novel mechanisms and alternative pathways to promptly area systems.”
The memo does not get into specifics of what these reforms could possibly involve, but the military and lawmakers have used numerous hearings speaking about acquisition reforms, recognized any range of exclusive solutions of contracting this kind of as other transaction authority and frequently declare the want for the products and services to purchase technological innovation extra swiftly than it now does.
Shyu’s memo also does not set any timeline for the method, or the ensuing variations, to choose area.
“By focusing attempts and investments into these 14 essential engineering places, the Section will accelerate transitioning important abilities to the army providers and combatant commands,” according to Shyu. “As the Department’s technology system evolves and systems improve, the Department will update its crucial technology priorities.”