The Navy After Next: The Need to Continue to Build a Culture of Innovation

摘要

Since October 2001, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have been responsible for many of the combat deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan. While the United States and its coalition partners have recovered well from the initial surprise of the IED threat, the fact is that our country was caught off guard by the extent and sophistication of this weapon on the battlefield. We should not have been. The United State's approach to its science and technology (S&T) program is in need of reevaluation and change so that our country will be better prepared for future warfare. Terrorist groups and rogue nations will continue to conduct sophisticated attacks simply by leveraging commercial technologies. This article describes the essential changes needed to S&T. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and are not necessarily the official policy of the US Navy or any other organization. The intent of this article is to foster dialogue and the changes needed to continuously stay ahead of our adversaries.