AI and autonomous systems
Decision support, autonomy, human control, testing, reliability, targeting, logistics, and operational integration.
Research Program 04
Military Technologies
Military technology, institutions, and security
Examines how acquisition, doctrine, training, logistics, force employment, political control, and organizational learning transform technical systems into military capabilities.
Military technology acquires value through institutions and force employment.
Advanced systems affect security through acquisition, doctrine, training, logistics, command structures, organizational learning, and political control. The program examines how military institutions convert technologies into operational capability and how technological change affects deterrence, escalation, civilian protection, and international stability.
Research gives particular attention to dual-use systems and the interaction among commercial innovation, defense demand, industrial policy, export controls, alliances, and strategic competition.
Areas of inquiry
Research priorities
Drones and robotics
Uncrewed systems, swarms, sensing, countermeasures, adaptation, proliferation, and force employment.
Cyber, space, and communications
Network resilience, command and control, electronic warfare, space systems, and contested information environments.
Acquisition and defense industry
Procurement, experimentation, test and evaluation, software, commercial technology, production capacity, organizational incentives, and field adoption.
Force design, sustainment, and adaptation
Doctrine, training, readiness, logistics, maintenance, mobilization, battlefield adaptation, organizational learning, and integration of new capabilities.
Strategy, ethics, and regulation
Deterrence, escalation, arms control, law, accountability, civilian harm, and international stability.
Guiding questions
- When does technological superiority produce military effectiveness?
- How do military organizations adapt doctrine and training to new systems?
- Which controls preserve meaningful human responsibility?
- How should governments govern dual-use innovation and proliferation?