Commission on the National Defense Strategy Issues Somber Report

The Commission on the National Defense Strategy has issued their 2024 Report, which calls for increased investment in security innovation and industrial base.

The report says that current geopolitical pressures mean that the US faces unprecedented threats – and calls for big changes in defense strategy.  From the Executive Summary:

The United States confronts the most serious and the most challenging threats since the end of World War II. The United States could in short order be drawn into a war across multiple theaters with peer and near-peer adversaries, and it could lose…. In its report, the Commission on the National Defense Strategy recommends a sharp break with the way the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) does business and embraces an “all elements of national power” approach to national security. It recommends spending smarter and spending more across the national security agencies of government.

The report specifically points out the need for government to work with the private technology sector, lowering barriers to collaboration and helping to improve and strengthen the US industrial capacity and supply chains.  The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), the department that has developed the Blue sUAS framework which approves commercial drone platforms and components for government use, was cited as an example of effective programs.

In the current context of ongoing government efforts to limit the use of Chinese manufactured drone technology, the report makes clear the urgency of building the US’ domestic capacity.

The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), Vice President of Government Affairs Mike Smitsky made the following statement in support of the Commission’s findings:

AUVSI applauds the Commission for its recommendations which will establish stability and transparency in the defense budget and which encourage the adoption of proven technology solutions to build and field the modern force needed to meet the urgent pacing challenges posed by Russia and the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

Congress and the Department of Defense should adopt the report’s recommendation for the U.S. Navy to integrate commercially viable uncrewed maritime systems to deliver the most advanced capabilities to warfighters.

The Department of Defense’s Replicator initiative has set forward a clear process that has created a demand signal for uncrewed systems and encouraged private sector response to production needs. AUVSI supports a similar initiative to create a demand signal for the maritime industry to rapidly scale manufacturing capacity, which will inject investment in U.S. and allied shipbuilding and enable the U.S. Navy to maintain readiness in maritime theaters.

The United States’s capacity for technology innovation is unmatched. Congress and the Department of Defense must learn from the disruptive change led by Deputy Secretary Hicks, the Defense Innovation Unit, and the Office of Strategic Capital and support the fielding of vast quantities of commercial uncrewed technologies to meet the needs of today’s strategic environment.

Read more:

• Drones on the Blue sUAS List Won’t Necessarily Stay There: DIU to Hold Competitive Refresh
• Advancing National Defense: Congressman Wittman Explores Drone Innovations at RapidFlight
• Operationalizing the Defense Innovation Unit and Blue sUAS