Patrick Shanahan: Pentagon to Advance Efforts in Missiles, Cyber, Space Areas in 2019

Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan has said the Pentagon plans to focus its 2019 national strategy on cyber, missiles and space areas in order to maintain the country’s military advantage.

Shanahan wrote in a Defense News article published Monday that the Department of Defense will leverage developments in missile defense systems, hypersonics and long-range precision fires in 2019 to protect U.S. and international assets from adversary missiles.

“These capabilities will be part of a modular and cost-effective architecture, allowing us to take advantage of commercially available systems and economies of scale,” he added.

DoD will advance a legislative measure to establish the new space force as the sixth military branch as well as form a new space development agency and a space-centric combatant command.

Shanahan noted that the department will operationalize its cyber strategy and build up the defense industrial base’s cyber protection through the newly formed protecting critical technology task force.

“In parallel, we will scale artificial intelligence throughout the department and expand joint force advantages through the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, established this past year,” he added.