Michael Brown, the director of the Defense Innovation Unit, has said the Department of Defense needs shorter budget cycles to keep up with China, DOD News reported Friday.
Brown said at a Hudson Institute event that China’s development systems enable the nation to accelerate efforts in areas like 5G, biotechnology, artificial intelligence and autonomy. The DOD also needs to have more flexibility on spending authorities, he added.
"It's a completely mismatched system for what the competition with China calls for," said Brown. "You can learn a lot by adapting to what the private sector has already perfected."
China is progressing in efforts to integrate activities between the government, academia and industry, according to Brown.