WASHINGTON —
The United States military has plenty of innovators, but it doesn't have much time, the new undersecretary of defense for research and engineering told a Senate Armed Services subcommittee today.
Michael D. Griffin told the senators that the speed of innovation will become the differentiating factor.
“In a world where pretty much everyone today has equal access to technology, innovation is important, and it will always be important,” the undersecretary said. “But speed becomes the differentiating factor. How quickly we can translate technology into fielded capability is where we can achieve and maintain our technological edge.
“It is not about speed of discovery, it is about speed of delivery to the field,” he said.
The United States military is still the most technologically advanced in the world, but that advantage is eroding, Griffin said, noting that Congress created his position to re-establish U.S. overmatch. “Our mission is to, if necessary, re-establish and then maintain out technical advantage,” he said.
Competition Increasing
Russia and China have invested in technologies specifically aimed at hitting gaps in American defenses. The United States is in competition, “and the pace of that competition is increasing,” Griffin said.
His new office will look at closing the gap on current and emerging threats. It will also aim at “driving the disruptive…
