Speaking at the WSJ Tech Conference, Pentagon technology chief Emil Michael admitted the military failed to anticipate the centrality of unmanned systems in modern combat. To prevent similar gaps, the Department of Defence launched Project Meridian to analyze future operational domains like underground and space warfare alongside industry leaders like Elon Musk and Palmer Luckey. Michael also affirmed that the military maintains a conservative approach to artificial intelligence targeting, relying heavily on human judgment despite holding a narrow tech lead over China.
Key points
The United States currently holds an artificial intelligence advantage over China of appr…: The United States currently holds an artificial intelligence advantage over China of approximately six months to one year due to superior chips and data centers.
The military has halted its use of Anthropic technology after labeling the artificial int…: The military has halted its use of Anthropic technology after labeling the artificial intelligence company a national security threat.
Defense officials continue to prioritize human investigation and intelligence oversight o…: Defense officials continue to prioritize human investigation and intelligence oversight over automated artificial intelligence targeting systems during combat operations.
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The Pentagon’s technology chief Emil Michael has said the United States was unprepared for the rise of modern drone warfare and admitted that Ukraine had to develop some of the battlefield technologies it needed because the US could not provide them. Speaking at the WSJ Tech Conference, Michael said the conflict between Ukraine and Russia exposed significant gaps in America's military preparedness and accelerated efforts to expand the country's drone capabilities.
Pentagon CTO: We were caught flat-footed
Addressing the conference in Napa, California, Michael said the Pentagon had not anticipated how central drones would become to modern warfare. "We were caught flat-footed by the drone warfare in Ukraine and Russia," he said, adding that the US was not prepared because it "just didn't imagine it." He said the Defence Department is now focused on preparing for future conflicts and anticipating how warfare could evolve.
Michael acknowledged that while the United States provided substantial support to Ukraine during its war with Russia, Ukrainian forces often had to create their own solutions on the battlefield. "We helped the Ukrainians a ton, but…
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