Op-Ed: America’s Military Is Unprepared for Our Age of Advanced Technology
Gov. Kasich teamed up with retired Admiral William Owens to co-author this op-ed. You can read the full op-ed (here) on TIME’s website.
Read an excerpt below:
“While artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, machine learning, quantum computing, and other advanced technologies have transformed the way business and industry are conducted throughout the world, the Department of Defense and its supply-chain industries have yet to fully incorporate these tools to better defend our county. In the face of these systemic shortcomings, Americans have every good reason to scrutinize our military expenditures and ask fundamental questions about the effectiveness of our military’s defense systems.
To be clear: our purpose in this discussion is not to argue, as some do, for indiscriminate defense-spending cuts solely to reduce the federal budget or to chip away at the national debt. These are worthy goals, but our imperative in this discussion is for a smarter defense budget, one that reflects the latest technologies and acquisition systems needed to enhance our security and protect our future. And yes, a smarter defense budget should also eliminate much waste and inefficiency, but that is not its primary goal.
The necessary reforms aren’t easy. From our years of experience with military spending and procurement, we’ve seen how reluctant the Department of Defense, the armed forces and Congress have been to embrace new technologies or to adapt to uncomfortable change. We know how they prefer to make do with trusted methods, redundant facilities, and outdated systems. Inevitably, this preference for the status quo is matched with an appetite for increased spending, a craving that congressional appropriators are quick to feed.”