Douglas Doan
The great debate regarding the slow pace of innovation in the U.S. military is long overdue and is perhaps the most urgent problem our military faces. Vincent Viola and John Spencer articulate this well in "U.S. Defense Reform Must Match the Speed of Modern War." Historical perspective suggests the need for faster innovation is even more acute. The army led by Alexander the Great in 330 BC conquered the world. That same army, equipped with spears, bows, and cavalry, could have appeared on a battlefield a thousand years later and performed well.
Despite some progress in metallurgy and the invention of the stirrup making mounted cavalry more effective, Alexander's army from 350 BC would have been a serious match for Robert the Bruce who defeated the English Army in 1314, more than 1,500 years later. However. as the War in Ukraine clearly demonstrates, the pace of military innovation is frighteningly fast and accelerating. The sudden weaponization of drones and the emergence of AI have shown that military technology built just a decade ago is woefully inadequate. Once, it took over 1,500 years for a military to become obsolete, now it takes less than 10.
The need for faster innovation has gained much attention but, to date, there have been few really effective breakthroughs. New defense contractors from Silicon Valley have emerged as competitors to traditional defense contractors, which is positive. However, so far at least, the tech-bros have focused most of their energy on leveraging political support and conducting PR campaigns designed to gain more government contracts. True innovation is lagging. One notable exception is SpaceX, which has been a model of innovation and technical advancement.
While acquisition reform is necessary, my experience running a venture fund suggests the problems our military faces are not primarily about outdated technology or acquisition processes, but rather cultural. The wrong people are too often making the wrong decisions. First, we must recognize that rapid development of combat solutions in Ukraine is primarily being done by active-duty service members operating close to the battlefield. We should move innovation closer to our soldiers and sailors, taking full advantage of their creativity in solving complex problems.
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