Essentials: The Changing World of Defense Technology
The past decade has seen a remarkable shift: the U.S. military has learned that it can’t control or direct technology innovation the way it used to.
In the era following World War II, the federal government, led by the military, contributed two-thirds of every dollar that went to American science and technology research. The private sector contributed just one third. Those numbers have since flipped. The United States government contributes only one-third of today’s science and technology research dollars, of which half comes from the Department of Defense. Private companies—international in makeup—account for the lion’s share of science and technology research spending, today.
Every day, private companies like Google and Amazon and charismatic entrepreneurs seize territory that used to be the sole domain of the government, from robotics and cloud computing to human performance enhancement and artificial intelligence. The military has taken notice, outsourcing more and more innovation to private-sector players.
In the era following World War II, the federal government, led by the military, contributed two-thirds of every dollar that went to American science and technology research. The private sector contributed just one third. Those numbers have since flipped. The United States government contributes only one-third of today’s science and technology research dollars, of which half comes from the Department of Defense. Private companies—international in makeup—account for the lion’s share of science and technology research spending, today.
Every day, private companies like Google and Amazon and charismatic entrepreneurs seize territory that used to be the sole domain of the government, from robotics and cloud computing to human performance enhancement and artificial intelligence. The military has taken notice, outsourcing more and more innovation to private-sector players.
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