According to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, the U.S. Department of Defense is advancing in its work to become more agile.
DOD leaders are pushing these efforts forward to promote change within the department, the three-time Wash100 Award winner told the Defense Writers Group Tuesday.
Hicks noted the replicator initiative — a program that aims to field thousands of self-piloting ships and uncrewed aircraft over the next few years — as an example of this progress. Replicator and other similar projects that are designed to accelerate the process of moving technologies from research to fielding are the future of the DOD, she said.
Despite some setbacks, there “has been phenomenal work that’s happened across the department.”
“One of the great things about our defense system is that innovation happens all across it,” said Hicks.
Simultaneous advancements both within the DOD and in the private sector are another factor in the department’s increased agility, Hicks stated. A major part of bringing all of these elements together, she said, is “predictable, reliable and appropriately strategically driven resources.”
Hicks also highlighted the benefits of working alongside international partners. She said it is important to “leverage that alliance structure” to maintain an asymmetric advantage, offering the U.S.-Philippine defense relationship as an example of “incredible progress.” The Australia-United Kingdom-United States agreement and partnership with India are also areas in which there is “lots of really positive momentum and real gains.”
Leadership, Hicks added, is critical to moving this process forward. She said the message to individuals advancing these efforts must be consistent.