U.S. Army Paratroopers assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, fire an M252 81mm mortar system during Operation Devil Strike on Fort Liberty, North Carolina, Jan. 29, 2024. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jacob Moir)
A map shows the Strait of Hormuz on a laptop computer screen in this photo illustration in Athens, Greece, on March 3, 2026. (Photo by Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
U.S. Marines compete in wargaming during Modern Day Marine 2026 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C., April 30, 2026. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Matthew A. McDonnell)
Every operational plan in every military headquarters in the world is now obsolete. The hedge strategists said this day would come. It has arrived. The question is…
To keep our military edge, we must stop treating software like a slow-moving construction project and start delivering at the speed the mission demands.
A U.S. Navy Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC) maneuvers in the Atlantic Ocean during UNITAS 2025, the 66th iteration of the world’s longest-running multinational maritime exercise. (Official U.S. Navy photo)
The stakes are especially high because the future of U.S. military capability will depend heavily on technologies developed outside the traditional defense industry.
Screenshot of Kirsten Davies, President Donald Trump’s nominee for DOD CIO, testifying at her confirmation hearing with the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sept. 18, 2025.