Secretary of Defense Ash Carter speaks with Jeff Bezos, Founder, Chairman & CEO of Amazon.com as he arrives at the Pentagon for a visit May 5, 2016.

Secretary of Defense Ash Carter speaks with Jeff Bezos, Founder, Chairman & CEO of Amazon.com as he arrives at the Pentagon for a visit May 5, 2016. DoD / Senior Master Sgt. Adrian Cadiz

Science & Tech

Essentials: The Changing World of Defense Technology

On the eve of the Defense One Tech Summit, here are a few don't-miss articles about how defense tech is evolving.

Patrick Tucker

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Patrick Tucker
By Patrick Tucker
Science & Technology Editor, Defense One

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.

The Defense One Tech Summit will feature the brightest minds in military and consumer tech to discuss the future of innovation and national security. Here’s some of our recent coverage in these areas:

‘Give Surprising New Capabilities to Old Platforms,’ Carter Tells Engineers

The World of 2020, According to DARPA

Pentagon Shakes Up Silicon Valley Outreach

As DoD Dawdles, Silicon Valley Sells Its Newest Tech Abroad

US Christens First Ghost Ship, and Welcomes the Dawn of the Robotic Navy

Skunk Works Chief: How To Keep America’s Airborne Advantage

NEXT STORY: France Launches New Terror Alert App Ahead of Euro 2016 Tournament

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