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.
U.S. Army Soldiers, assigned to the 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, and the Artificial Intelligence Integration Center, conduct drone test flights and software troubleshooting during Allied Spirit 24 at the Hohenfels Training Area, Joint Multinational Readiness Center, Germany, March 6, 2024. (U.S. Army photo by Micah Wilson)
Developed by startup Defense Unicorns, the UDS Registry functions as an app store where warfighters can quickly select and download software specific to their missions.