ARM Institute’s Post

The Honorable Dr. Aprille Ericsson, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology (ASD(S&T)), and U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) recently visited the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s laboratories in Vicksburg, Mississippi. During the visit, the dignitaries were presented demonstrations and presentations on several ERDC research programs and projects, including those focused on robotics, advanced materials and the research on blast effects to humans, and the weapons effects complex. The visit also included a tour of the U.S. Army’s Watercraft and Ship Simulator and discussions on the importance of Department of Defense’s (DOD) High-Performance Computing Modernization Computing Program. United States Department of Defense HPCMP - High Performance Computing Modernization Program US Army US Army Corps of Engineers #army #military #science #technology #scienceandtechnology #senate #ussenate #mississippi #robotics #advancedmaterials #blasteffects #highperformancecomputing #computing #modernization #engineer #engineering #innovation #research #researchanddevelopment #PowerofERDC

My top takeaway is that some innovation favors the second mover, not the first mover. This may be especially true with military innovation where something is developed in peacetime while the other party can counter, match, or leapfrog it at scale before conflict. This can completely wreck the first party’s investment in the tech in the first place. The problem is that China has a massive advantage in industrial capacity and capability even if the US has an edge in original research and development. So China could set us up for this trap and reap the second mover advantage.

  Event alert: Please join Naval Post Graduate School Professor Greg Reilly who will discuss "Offset Strategies and Emerging Technologies" April 10, 12:30 pm EDT, at the Stewart Center, #306 and online . RSVP by April 5 as space is limited.   Technology has altered military strategies. The concept of offset strategy -- countering an advantage by finding new and innovative ways to counter a threat -- leverages new technology to gain asymmetrical advantages over adversaries. The effectiveness of offset strategies depends on technological advancements, organizational structures and strategic planning. We need new offset strategies that integrate artificial intelligence, autonomous systems and other technologies across all warfare domains -- but there are obstacles in all domains to maintain asymmetry. Developing effective policies and strategies built on offset strategies is critical for ensuring military superiority in a complex security environment.    About Professor Greg Reilly    Reilly joined the Joint Maritime Operations department of the Naval War College faculty in 2017 after retiring from 30-years of service as an armor officer in the Army.  

The US Army DEVCOM and the National Science Foundation (NSF) have recently entered into a partnership that started with the Army DEVCOM Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC) at the Detroit Arsenal. We met with all the NSF division directors last year, and last week, NSF came out to visit GVSC. We talked with multiple divisions about shared areas of use-inspired research, and toured the Army labs. Areas of collaboration in Materials, Robotics, Autonomy, the Environment, and Digital Engineering were identified to move forward on, as well as sharing scientists. Many thanks to Almena Ryans and Cosima Boswell-Koller for organizing the gathering. With the NSF and Army leveraging resources, we will move much more quickly getting after joint research issues and transitioning solutions to products. #digitalengineering #partnerships #NSF #army #research #useinspiredresearch Cosima Boswell-Koller Almena Ryans Dr. David Gorsich

Here's a bit of #history about our favorite tool, the E6-B! Once you know how to use the #E6-B, you where #unstoppable. #aviationhistory #aviation #E6B

“A military’s ability to adapt on a grand scale - to demonstrate a world-class competence in disruptive innovation - will be crucial to its ability to gain a competitive advantage over its rivals.” We are in the early stages of an evolution, or possible revolution, of the character of war. Krepinevich argues we are likely in a period closer to the latter characterization. He argues that AI, ML, hypersonic weapons and quantum computing provide opportunities for much more than evolutionary changes from the most recent revolution, the Precision Warfare revolution. Using four case studies (Fisher’s Navy, German mechanization, American Aircraft Carriers and Air Force precision warfare), Krepinevich outlines the common characteristics exhibited by military organizations that successfully harnessed disruptive technologies. My TOP takeaways: (1) Destroying old ideas is just as difficult, if not more so, than creating new ones. (2) Properly harnessing disruptive technologies requires a vision that focuses on actual operational problems you are trying to solve. (3) Make small bets to start, experiment and then go big big on the elements that actually produce results. U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS) | The Army University | Marshall Scholars at the US Army School of Advanced Military Studies | U.S. Army Combined Arms Center | Army Futures Command | US Army TRADOC | Army University Press

Sometimes #simple is best to #solveproblems. Find a problem, design a simple and durable solution, that appeals to a broad audience and can last through decades. Sounds like #leadership. In the early days of #aviation there were many problems to solve. What was needed was a simple device that can calculate times, distances, headings, correction angles, speed, etc. Phillip Dalton born in 1903, invented this durable device, eventually called the E-6B. This young leader studied engineering at #Cornell, was a Lt in field artillery, completed his master’s degree in physics at #Princeton and also studied at #Harvard. As a field artillery soldier, he wanted a way to fire artillery faster and with more accuracy. He saw an #opportunity to make things better, a better way to hit a target. Solving a problem. He resigned his Army commission and entered the U.S Navy, eventually earning his wings at Pensacola. In 1931 he was #flying reconnaissance missions, flying off ships over water and had to rely on dead reckoning—similar to knowing where you are headed by know where have been. He needed a better way to navigate with little landmarks. He later perfected the E-6B Flight computer and received a patent for it in 1938 working closely with LCDR Weems, widely known as the “Father of Naval Aerial Navigation.” Lt Dalton died in plane crash in 1941, but his invention is still used, continues to solve problems and is durable. As #leaders, you likely have many #challenges and problems to solve. Find simple solutions, make it better for the many, make the solution last and translatable across generations. Victory Strategies This week’s #wednesdaywisdom is below and thanks to Lt Phillip Dalton Leadership is solving problems – Colin Powell You can’t really know where you are going until you know where you have been - Maya Angelou If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else – Yogi Berra

Deployable CATT - training at the point of need. Progress indeed.

In a recent discussion at an Axios event, retired Army Gen. Mark Milley, the 20th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, predicted that by 2039, up to a third of the U.S. military could be robotic. This projection is driven by rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and unmanned technology, which Milley believes will enable militaries to make more intelligent and quicker decisions in future conflicts. Milley made a clear distinction between the "nature" and "character" of war. While the nature of war, involving human activity and political objectives, remains constant, the character of war—encompassing tactics, technologies, and training—is undergoing what Milley calls the most significant transformation in history. He likened this shift to the evolution from muskets to rifles during the Civil War, a change that drastically altered military strategy. To maintain its status as the world's most powerful military, the U.S. must not only adopt these emerging technologies swiftly but also adapt in ways that could fundamentally change military operations. Current U.S. policy mandates human oversight in the use of military robots, especially concerning lethal decisions, due to the ethical considerations humans bring. However, Milley acknowledged the possibility of a future where AI-enabled machines could independently make decisions, raising questions about the desirability and implications of such a reality. (Military Times, Riley Ceder)

It's not every day when we have the opportunity to host a 3-star general...much less two of them, and both of them are Texas A&M University Former Students from different branches of the U.S. military. We were humbled to have the opportunity to host United States Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Dimitri Henry (TAMU '88), Director of Intelligence and United States Air Force Lt. Gen. Leonard Kosinski (TAMU '94), Director for Logistics from the The Joint Staff during their visit to #Aggieland as part of #SCONA 69. We were able to showcase Texas A&M University System and Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) efforts and facilities here on Texas A&M-RELLIS dedicated to accelerating national security research in critical areas such as #hypersonics, #robotics, #autonomy, and #counter-UAS capabilities---along with efforts to support testing and evaluation of such technologies. #nationalservice #nationalsecurity #AggiePride