Is the United States at risk of losing its technological edge?

2015-07-29T04:53:28-04:00

China is doing the best job of any nation at countering U.S. military capabilities and acquiring technology to keep the American military out of the western Pacific, a top Pentagon official said Tuesday.

“What they’re buying is a suite of capabilities that are designed to keep us out of their part of the world,” said Frank Kendall, undersecretary of defense for acquisitions, technology and logistics.

“That suite of capabilities includes capabilities to control space and deny us our space-based communications and sensing capabilities … it includes the capabilities to attack us with cyber weapons in various ways, it includes long range cruise and ballistic missiles … designed to attack our high value assets, particularly carriers and air fields,” said Kendall, who added that he receives daily briefings on what equipment and weapons systems other nations are purchasing.

“If you take all of these things and put them together you have a very formidable layered defense system that makes it very hard for us to project power forward,” he said.

Speaking at the Directed Energy Summit hosted by defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton and think-tank the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, Kendall said the Asian nation is starting to develop air-to-air missile and electronic systems that are on par with the U.S.

“I’m not suggesting that war with China’s likely,” he said. “But I am suggesting that … it is very likely for us to have friction points out there.”

Plus, he added, it is possible that China could sell its technology to groups or nations that the U.S. is more likely to face in combat.

The U.S. must not get complacent in its technological innovation, he warned.

“We are so used, however, to the assumption of U.S. technological superiority that often when I bring this up with people they dismiss it,” he said. “They don’t think of China as a formidable opponent.”

Read more at ...

http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/tech/2015/07/28/pentagon-officials-cite-challenges-maintaining-technological-edge/30792603/

Pentagon officials cite challenges in maintaining technological edge

Response by MSgt Brian Welch made Jul 29 at 2015 5:25 AM

2015-07-29T05:25:23-04:00

...and they are buying it off our interest payments.

Response by SGT Jeremiah B. made Jul 29 at 2015 4:40 PM

2015-07-29T16:40:03-04:00

I'm not sure we can spend enough to keep up with China. They have an enormous economy and an autocratic government. They just steal everything from us anyway. I would be thoroughly unsurprised to discover they have full schematics and documentation on the F-35 already.

Response by SFC Michael Hasbun made Jul 29 at 2015 5:04 PM

2015-07-29T17:04:47-04:00

Any country convinced of it's own superiority that fails to continue to innovate will eventually fall behind. We've been on a downward spiral for a minute now..

Response by CPO Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 29 at 2015 5:05 PM

2015-07-29T17:05:48-04:00

Some countries are very close. Its funny you pictured the F-35. That right there is a Huge waste of technology. I know the Raptor was expensive but it works. As far a Naval technology goes... we are still living with 80s and 90s technology for alot of our major systems with some new age enhancements. On the flip side, our slightly older tech is backed up by tactics that far exceed other countries. Thats what keeps us strong.

Response by Capt Richard I P. made Jul 29 at 2015 5:21 PM

2015-07-29T17:21:51-04:00

Dang pesky regional powers. Attempting to reduce the ability of the global hegemon to project force into all locations at all times.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Aug 3 at 2015 3:54 PM

2015-08-03T15:54:19-04:00

This is the exact reason we need to find new technologies. The new stuff that becomes a revolution in military affairs.

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Oct 16 at 2015 10:18 AM

2015-10-16T10:18:29-04:00

It has been at risk in some areas for many years as our economic allies and some of our foes have overtaken us in some fields GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad.
Our environmental requirements and other regulations have driven some business assets overseas. While these are not military or defense high priority business assets it presents a troubling trend.
Critical assets and infrastructure is "protected" more closely than less than critical assets.
There are advanced communication developments going on in multiple countries and efforts to interfere, eavesdrop, alter those communications as well. This is part of the broader "arms race.

Response by PO3 Steven Sherrill made Oct 16 at 2015 10:25 AM

2015-10-16T10:25:38-04:00

LTC Stephen F. First of all China cannot afford a war with the US. We owe them too much money.

Second, Technology can only take a country so far. Eventually it comes down to boots on the ground. Bullets meeting flesh, and in that situation the fighting spirit of a nation's military is more important than technology. Give me a thousand free men who volunteered to serve, trained to fight, and have pride in themselves, their unit, and their nation over an army of conscripts every day.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 16 at 2015 11:41 AM

2015-10-16T11:41:16-04:00

I think we are losing our tech edge. When we sell or sometimes give technology away what shoulf we expect? In my humble opinion, we should keep our tech close to the vest.

Response by SGM Mikel Dawson made Oct 16 at 2015 12:08 PM

2015-10-16T12:08:45-04:00

One can only stay on top for so long until someone comes to knock you off the post. This is a fact of recorded history and I don't think we can change what will eventually come. What we can do is focus on what we have, and know what "they" got. We can forget the political correct BS and start acting like we've still got a pair. The things we got going for us right now is we have a professional armed force. At least until now, before the latest, what I call "purge of our military leaders" we've been able to have military leaders with experience, knowledge and the guts to stand up and say what they think. Lately I've gotten the impression many of the new ones are here to "toe the party line" in order to keep a job. Are we loosing our tec edge? I really can't answer that question as I'm out of the main loop. I do know that other countries are doing what they see fit to keep the balance. There are new members of the carrier countries. Russia is stepping forward where we have failed. I hope we can maintain until some good solution is found. I also hope our National Strategy is better than our Diplomacy has been.

Response by CW3 Eric W. S. made Oct 16 at 2015 2:30 PM

2015-10-16T14:30:20-04:00

I am not so sure we have not already lost our edge. We can't even keep our clearance databases secure any longer. We, as a nation, are much too apt to accept what is easiest. All of our computers are constructed with foreign parts or in a foreign country. I may be overly pessimistic in this, but I firmly believe that any nation that wants into our databases has nearly unrestricted access. Is there any guarantee that our electronic transmissions are not completely compromised? We utilize academia to develop much of our emerging technologies and expect them to control all aspects of their development without any compromise and expect the universities and contract companies to conduct the vetting processes. I think we are just putting ourselves out there too far. US companies and government agencies that are hacked on a daily basis, I am not so sure that we can detect everything that is happening.

Response by MAJ Hugh Blanchard made Dec 5 at 2015 11:26 AM

2015-12-05T11:26:17-05:00

Yes...we are already losing overmatch in many technologies now... We need to turn out more American scientists, mathematicians and engineers, and not just educate scientists and engineers from overseas. Also, we badly need more far-thinking CEO's and companies who invest in R&D and worry about longer time-frames than the next 1 or 2 quarterly statements.