Defense Acquisition Research Journal Issue 95

January 2021

Review: In defense acquisition, the government must become a better con sumer by taking advantage of technology initially developed for civilian applications, being opportunistic, and collaborating. Democratization of technology is not considered an unusual concept. Research and development (R&D) is becoming more specialized. The government will find itself investing in R&D at the later, more mature technology readiness levels. Our focus should align with the highest priorities of the DoD including the use of breakthrough technologies for national security. Consideration should be given to using other transaction authority, where appropriate, for added flexibility in government procurement and to the use of public-private partnerships to achieve innovation. Gerstein discusses the evolution of technology and points of inflection, which is where our society fundamentally changes. This inflection can be good, bad, or a mix of both. Technologies today are combinations and recombinations of other technologies, put together for practical reasons to achieve operational needs. Gerstein points out that it’s through the science and technology, R&D, innovation, and transfor mation—all of which are considered technology development—that integration, coordination, and synchronization of the system of sys tems actually occur. When technology development is connected, it relates directly to an operational need where developers work closely with operators to identify real-world problems and look for solutions. When technology development is disconnected, it is considered to have no practical purpose. Diverse talents, experience, and world views allow for more robust thinking. Different groupings of person alities can introduce nonlinear or orthogonal—also known as “outside the box”—thinking into the solution of a problem. Progress impacts our decisions, causing us to respond to technology advances before the potential impacts are fully considered. Leadership attention and additional resources, such as money, may not accelerate development to maturity, even when desired. In finding vaccines, there is a lengthy period for demonstrating safety and efficiency. Fielding not yet proven technologies under development introduces signifi cant risk. It is suggested that nations assess technology risks to their national security, economic competitiveness, and societal well-being. Gerstein posits that technological surprises will continue to occur, resulting in disruptive technologies, which change how we normally conduct business. This may result in intentional misuse and accidents but possibly other uses. Our increased knowledge and technology

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Defense ARJ, January 2021, Vol. 28 No. 1 : 98-100