September 24, 2021
Warning: New Technology is Not Enough to Save the U.S. Military
Too much faith in unproven concepts can leave the United States vulnerable.
by James Holmes
Here's What You Need to Know: The problem is that not every great idea works out when reduced to engineering and put to the test. The sales pitch masks this reality, encouraging customers to act long before they have full information.
Beware of minor word choices when interacting with representatives of the military-industrial complex. Syntax can shape or misshape deliberations about strategy, force design, or budgeteering. Something as simple as speaking about some potential future capability or widget in the present tense can mislead. Such phrasing implies that the capability or widget already exists, that engineers have vetted the technology under real-world circumstances, and that acquiring it involves little risk. The upshot: it constitutes a worthy investment of taxpayer dollars. QED.
Not so fast.
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/warning-new-technology-not-enough-save-us-military-194205
