War Department refocuses on AI, hypersonics and directed energy in major strategy overhaul

UNIQUE The War Department is narrowing its research and maturation strategy to six Critical Hardware Areas bureaucrats say will speed up innovation and strengthen America s military edge Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering Emil Michael commented the plan will deliver faster more focused results to the warfighter by merging overlapping programs and steering funding toward technologies that will shape future conflicts As the Department of War s Chief Mechanism Officer I am statutorily charged with the mission of advancing equipment and innovation for the armed forces Michael wrote in a Nov memorandum to senior Pentagon and combatant command leadership The previous list of fourteen CTAs did not provide the focus that the threat setting of nowadays requires The six areas Applied Artificial Intelligence Biomanufacturing Contested Logistics Technologies Quantum and Battlefield Information Dominance Scaled Directed Vitality and Scaled Hypersonics will be advanced through rapid sprints designed to move emerging technologies from prototype to production ARMY SECRETARY REVEALS HOW RANGERS SIDESTEP PENTAGON RED TAPE TO COUNTER EXPLODING DRONE THREATSecretary of War Pete Hegseth announced the streamlined approach will keep the United States ahead of its rivals Our nation s military has inevitably been the tip of the spear Hegseth declared Under Secretary Emil Michael s six Critical Device Areas will ensure that our warriors never enter a fair fight and have the best systems in their hands for maximum lethality The initiative also aligns with President Donald Trump s Artificial Intelligence Action Plan which directs the War Department to become an AI-First organization Personnel say the shift will reshape how intelligence is processed how logistics are managed and how weapons systems are deployed In alignment with President Trump s Artificial Intelligence AI Action Plan the Department of War must become an AI-First organization Michael wrote When adopted rapidly AI will fundamentally transform the Department from the enterprise-level to intelligence synthesis and to warfighting WAR DEPARTMENT PUSHES BACK ON 'FALSE' NARRATIVE OF INTERNAL STRATEGY SPLITMichael s plan emphasizes resilience and self-sufficiency on the battlefield Biomanufacturing will create bio-based materials to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers while Contested Logistics Technologies will help U S forces sustain operations in contested or denied environments The goal he disclosed is to ensure troops can fight and resupply even when traditional lines are cut Each new mechanism area is meant to reinforce that capability Future warfare will likely be characterized by contested environments in which the Joint Force is challenged to surge operate into and within the operational theater and resupply reconstitute and recover forces Michael wrote This CTA will enable the demonstration validation and scaling of novel approaches and technologies HEGSETH SHREDS SOVIET-STYLE BUREAUCRACY AND 'FIVE-YEAR PLANS' GOVERNING PENTAGONOther priorities include quantum computing for secure battlefield communications scaled directed ability systems such as high-energy lasers and high-power microwave weapons and the expansion of hypersonic capabilities for both offensive and defensive missions Each effort depends on close coordination between the Pentagon private industry and allied militaries to ensure the technologies reach the field hurriedly Executing these sprints will require unprecedented coordination between the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering military departments combatant commands and other Office of the Secretary of War components Michael explained I am committed to working with you and our partners inside and outside of the Department on these efforts