As it develops the military technology of the future, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is seeking faster processes to keep pace with rapid innovation, according to a report in Defense News. Deputy Director Steven Walker noted that the innovation comes from outside the military as well as within.
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"The pace at which we can develop and field new military systems is really important for who wins the next war," Walker said. "We're focused here at DARPA on rethinking how we develop new military systems. Some of our systems today are extremely capable, the most capable in the world, but they are very complex, they're costly and they take a long time to develop and field. So at DARPA we're spending a lot of time rethinking how we might develop these systems."
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Biotechnology, undersea systems and big data are among the areas DARPA believes are crucial to America's technological progress. The agency's bi-annual "Breakthrough Technologies for National Security" report analyzes recent DARPA work and provides a guide for coming investments.
DARPA director Arati Prabhakar said things like the Defense Innovation Initiative are a result of the Pentagon trying to adapt to new realities.
"All of those are signs of a Defense Department that is taking a fresh look at the world, realizing we need to take that fresh look again after this intense period of a very particular focus on two ground wars," she said. "I think that's a very healthy and encouraging sign."
Read the full report at DefenseNews.com.
