Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work has identified the “very rapid†technological advances not just of nation-states but also regional actors and transnational terrorists as among the greatest threats to national security, Defense News reported Wednesday.
In an interview with Vago Muradian, the Pentagon number two official said the agency’s recently-launched Defense Innovation Initiative seeks to redistribute capability to tackle all three sources of attack, in collaboration with industry.
“The focus of innovation is really in the commercial sector – biotechnology, nanotechnology, robotics, atomics,†Work told Defense News.
“We have to be able to get that innovation.”
Muradian’s interview also brought up the defense budget, which Work said DoD is committed to refine as it continues its readiness balancing act versus the current threat landscape.
“This is the first chance where I’ve really had to look across the broad defense portfolio. So, there are changes we have to make without question, and we hope to be able to start making some of them in the FY16 budget, and certainly a lot more in the FY17 budget once we have a better sense of what our strategy should be,†Work said.
