Military Modernization Blues & Cool Tech
By Practitioners, For Practitioners
Strategy Central - July 30, 2024
PRIORITY
Defense Modernization. Retired Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Arnold L. Punaro, who is the Chairman Emeritus of the Emerging Technology Institute Board, argues that to maintain the U.S. military's technological advantage and effectively provide for national defense, it is crucial to prioritize defense modernization, secure resilient supply chains for emerging technologies, and implement significant bureaucratic and structural reforms recommended by the Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) Reform Commission. Punaro highlights that both the 2018 and 2022 National Defense Strategies published lists of emerging and critical technologies for national defense. The requirements are clear, and the PPBE must follow through with swift action in execution. https://ppbereform.senate.gov
Hypersonics an Example. Stuart “Alex” Craig, PhD argues in National Defense Magazine that to maintain and advance U.S. dominance in hypersonic technologies, Congress must increase funding for basic research, which is essential for developing the skilled workforce needed for scalable production and innovation in this critical defense sector. Craig is an associate professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering at the University of Arizona. He conducts high-speed wind tunnel experiments focusing on boundary-layer stability and transition and aerodynamic heating in hypersonic flows.
Not Flying Cars, But Cool
Tractor Beam. Researchers at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems have developed a meta surface-enabled tractor beam that uses a lightweight, nanopatterned silicon layer to pull particles towards it, potentially revolutionizing non-invasive medical procedures.
AI Safety. Recent regulatory efforts, including initiatives by the U.N. and the G7, underline the necessity for responsible AI development. Education is seen as a pivotal factor in ensuring AI technologies are developed and used safely and ethically.
Quantum Computing. Researchers at the University of Chicago have developed a new error-correction framework for quantum computers that significantly enhances scalability and efficiency by reducing the number of physical qubits needed for error correction.
Magnetic Memory. Researchers discovered that nickel iodide exhibits exceptional magnetoelectric coupling, making it highly suitable for use in high-speed and energy-efficient technologies such as magnetic memories and quantum computing.
Thermonuclear Spaceships. The military and NASA seem serious about building demonstration hardware.
Scan The News
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Next-Gen Brain Implant Uses a Graphene Chip: A brain-computer interface from the startup Inbrain could help Parkinson's patients. | |
Robot Dog Cleans Up Beaches With Foot-Mounted Vacuums: Thanks to VERO, Genoa has fewer cigarette butts littering the ground. | |
Origami Helps Implant Sensors in Bio-Printed Tissue: The technique makes it easier to monitor 3D-printed living structures. | |
AI Missteps Could Unravel Global Peace and Security: To mitigate risks, developers need more training. | |
Innovative Error Correction Framework Paves the Way for Scalable Quantum Computers: Researchers have developed a new error-correction system that reduces the physical qubit requirements, enhancing scalability and efficiency. | |
Not Science Fiction: Researchers Have Developed Metasurface Tractor Beams. Researchers have developed a metasurface-enabled solenoid beam that can pull particles towards it, potentially revolutionizing non-invasive medical procedures like biopsies. | |
AI Learns To Think Like Humans: A Game-Changer in Machine Learning. Researchers are advancing neural networks to mimic human decision-making by training them to exhibit variability and confidence in their choices, similar to how humans operate. | |
How a Strange New Substance is Set to Change Technology: Researchers discovered that nickel iodide exhibits exceptional magnetoelectric coupling, making it highly suitable for use in high-speed and energy-efficient technologies such as magnetic memories and quantum computing. | |
Elastic Horizons: The Science Behind 5000% Stretchable Lithium-Ion Batteries. Researchers have developed a lithium-ion battery that is fully stretchable, using an electrolyte layer capable of expanding by 5000% and maintaining charge capacity across nearly 70 charge/discharge cycles. | |
Researchers develop framework to merge AI and human intelligence for process safety: The research uses an AI approach to process safety alongside humans rather than replacing them in operational decision-making. | |
Engineers eliminate surface concavities to produce more efficient and stable perovskite solar cells: The team has pioneered a new way of making perovskite solar cells more efficient and stable via a chemo-elimination of these grain surface concavities. | |
The Transformative Power of 3D Printing in the Collision Industry: Saving Cost and the Environment. This innovation not only brings economic benefits to repair shops and insurers but also has a positive environmental impact. | |
The Deadliest of all Dead Ends in the 3D Printing Industry: The end of June saw the execution of North America’s biggest additive manufacturing trade show of the year, RAPID + TCT, in Los Angeles, California. | |
We’re building thermonuclear spaceships again—this time for real: The military and NASA seem serious about building demonstration hardware. | |
NASA and SpaceX Reveal Modified Dragon Spacecraft to Deorbit ISS: The United States Deorbit Vehicle will feature a whopping 46 Draco engines. | |
Autonomous kite-powered boats promise faster, cheaper, greener shipping: CargoKite wants to disrupt the diesel-guzzling giants of global trade. | |
Human Teams Can Often Beat Individual Results and AI Teams Can Also Improve Results: If Large Language Models debate their answers, they can reach better answers. | |
We Need More Than Just Data—We Need Knowledge: When it comes to using AI in the medical device industry understanding and accounting for potential biases in the data is one of the most important aspects to consider. | |
Surgical Robots and Mobile Bots Drive Supplier News: We’re also looking at automated machine tending, end-to-end production of hairpin stators, and camera components. | |
Study finds reducing children's screen time to just three hours per week improves mental health: A team of psychologists and mental health specialists has found that reducing screen time for children to just three hours per week can result in significant improvements in their mental health. | |
Blood proteins predict the risk of developing more than 60 diseases, study finds: Research on thousands of proteins measured from a drop of blood demonstrates the ability of proteins to predict the onset of many diverse diseases. | |
Beyond-line-of-sight comms for multi domain operations: Satellite constellations in proliferated LEO and a new emphasis on mature capabilities like troposcatter is creating network resilience. | |
NGAD redesign: Air Force Secretary cracks door for unmanned option. He suggested the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter decision is farther off than estimated. | |
US to send Tomahawks, hypersonics, other long-range fires to Germany: The U.S. will start deploying long-range fires units to Germany in 2026, according to a joint statement from the U.S. and German governments. | |
Ukraine industry chief sees bumper year for land-based drones: The head of Ukraine’s strategic industries declared 2024 “the year of land systems”. | |
Details Of Israel’s Long-Range Strike That Decimated Yemeni Port Emerge: Israeli fighters used man-in-the-loop guided weapons to destroy the Houthi-controlled port of Hudaydah's only large overhead dock cranes. | |
U.S. Navy Tests Underway VLS Reloading Mechanism: The U.S. Navy's Transferrable Rearming Mechanism (TRAM), a system capable of reloading missile cells while underway, successfully completed its first ground-based test last week. | |
DOD ‘monitoring’ networks in wake of CrowdStrike outage: Several components at the Defense Department told DefenseScoop that their systems have been unaffected by the disruption to Microsoft systems. | |
U.S. Navy missile integrates with LTAMDS and IBCS during exercises: During the recent Valiant Shield 24 exercises in the Pacific the Navy integrated the U.S. Army's Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS), the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS), and the Standard Missile-6 (SM-6). | |
Warfare Commander Says AI Will "Dominate" Future "Hyperactive Battlefield": "Artificial intelligence is going to be on the next major battlefield, and you don’t want to get there second," Ret. Gen. John Murray. | |
CrowdStrike outlines just what went wrong with its update — as many systems around the world are now back up: The CrowdStrike update that crashed the world | |
This Plant Is So Extreme Scientists Think It Could Thrive on Mars: Mosses are among Earth's great terraformers, turning barren rock into fertile soils, and now scientists are proposing these non-vascular plants could do the same on Mars. | |
If You Believe You Can Spot AI, It Could Be a Dangerous Mistake: With no obvious tells, AI-generated media can easily fool viewers. | |
Nvidia Plans Custom AI Chip for Chinese Market Amid Export Restrictions: The company is developing a chip series, tentatively named “B20,” which would comply with US export controls. | |
This camera protects your privacy by replacing you with a stick figure: Engineers have created a camera designed to hide people in identifiable media, increasing privacy in a world where everything seems to be recorded and uploaded on the Internet in seconds. | |
Windows 11 Cheat Sheet: Everything You Need to Know: This comprehensive guide offers details about Microsoft Windows 11, including new features, system requirements and more. |
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