Three Emerging Technologies for Driving Military Efficiency
Odyssey’s technology was specifically designed to help DoD contractors by streamlining work processes, eliminating inefficiencies and making their businesses as competitive as possible. Likewise, the DoD is constantly evaluating and implementing the newest technologies to make our military operations efficient and maintain a competitive edge against foreign adversaries.
In the spirit of innovation and planning for future success, today we take a look at three technologies currently in operation, development or evaluation, that can help drive efficiency for the U.S. armed forces.
AI taking over the busy work
Artificial intelligence is being integrated into a number of jobs performed by the military. Generally defined by policymakers as a computer system capable of making human-level cognitive decisions, AI is augmenting or entirely replacing humans’ involvement in a number of roles including intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, logistics and cyber operations, among others. By implementing AI to perform these tasks, human operators are available to perform the more complex and cognitively challenging work, with additional benefits including decreased reaction times and better abilities to cope with increasingly large amounts of data.
The DoD’s unclassified investments in AI have grown over 45% from FY2016 to FY2022, with current totals over $874M for the department, maintaining over 600 active AI projects.
Quantum Technology promising giant leaps
Quantum computing translates the principles of quantum physics into technological applications. This space-aged, futuristic technology has not yet reached maturity. But, if harnessed correctly, quantum computing could deliver massive benefits in computing speeds and have significant implications for sensing and communications applications. If properly constructed, a quantum computer could provide advanced underwater sensing for submarines, rendering the oceans transparent, or secure message encryption and decryption beyond any enemy’s control. The sheer potential of quantum computing also raises concerns if U.S. adversaries obtain this technology first, making its development a priority for the DoD.
Today, quantum computing is limited by the fragility of the quantum state necessary for operation, as well as the power and physical space required to achieve a quantum state. Likewise, widespread adoption of quantum computing is dependent on significant advancements in materials science and fabrication.
Currently, the Secretary of Defense is tasked with coordinating the foundation of Quantum Information Science Research Centers for each branch of the military, and engaging with private sector organizations to advance quantum research.
Logistics Advancements
With foreign adversaries’ increasing investments in technologies that target, disrupt, disable and destroy key systems that enable the U.S. armed forces, military and defense organizations are facing growing pressures to advance their supply chain technology.
In a 2021 article by Fast Company, three Deloitte executives call on decision makers in the U.S. military to implement digital supply networks (DSNs), which are “interconnected, physical-digital networks that synch planning, executing, and enabling in real time.” According to the article, DSNs utilize machine learning and AI to help mitigate the risks from foreign powers seeking to disrupt our supply chain by delivering enhanced visibility, predictability, connectivity and security. A DSN-enabled smart depot could anticipate when equipment requires maintenance, provide visibility into the complete maintenance and sustainment ecosystem, produce the components critical for repair on demand, and improve tracking of part performance in the field.
The DoD is constantly upgrading its processes through new technological advancements to maintain a peak state of security and efficiency. To learn more about how Odyssey can help your business achieve high efficiency and align yourself to continue doing business with the DoD for years to come, contact us today.