Book Description
The United States has a history dating back to the American Civil War of responding to perceived technology weaknesses, gaps, or unexpected technology breakthroughs. In each case an organization was formed and processes created to try and mitigate an adversary's technology lead or close the gap. This essay examines three of the more successful responses to unexpected technology breakthroughs and gaps: the National Defense Research Committee (NDRC) during World War II, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) from the Cold War and the Joint Improvised Explosive [Device] Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) from Operation Iraqi Freedom. These three organizations faced similar challenges in terms of resources, coordinating and integrating with military services, and developing a knowledge base of developing and available technologies. Recommendations are developed from these histories including the creation of a Joint Functional Command for Technology Development and ensuring that the military services use both a requirements pull and a technology push to develop new technologies.