Ray Locker writes that Chinese patents for new technologies have seen a surge in the past few years and the DoD believes it important that they track these developments.
In 2012, Chinese military-related patents were up 35 percent compared to the same year in the last decade, according to the Chinese Defense Ministry.
The project is called Technology Watch/Horizon Scanning and is meant to keep U.S. technology 10-20 years ahead of where other countries are in their technological development.
According to the Pentagon, the project “will develop insight into our relative position in science and technology around the world, as well as determine potential impacts on DoD capability and future threat environments.”