Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Emil Michael has announced six critical technology areas, or CTAs, aimed at advancing U.S. military capabilities.
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What Are DOD’s Critical Technology Areas?
The Department of Defense said Monday the key technology areas Michael highlighted are aimed at rapidly delivering advanced capabilities to the warfighter, allowing them to keep pace with emerging threats and achieve operational advantage on the modern battlefield. The six CTAs include:
- Applied artificial intelligence: Make the DOD an artificial intelligence-first organization to enhance decision-making and operations.
- Biomanufacturing: Leverage living systems to develop capabilities and materials at scale, reducing supply chain risks and strengthening resilience.
- Contested logistics technologies: Ensure steady resupply and operations in contested environments despite disrupted logistics.
- Quantum and battlefield information dominance: Provide tools to keep communication, precision navigation and timing, and electromagnetic spectrum control working in degraded or denied environments.
- Scaled hypersonics: Deploy hypersonic weapons at scale to deliver rapid and precise strikes.
- Scaled directed energy: Overcome cost and manufacturing limits to provide affordable, high-energy capabilities for precise threat neutralization.
“These six Critical Technology Areas are not just priorities; they are imperatives,” said Michael. “The American warfighter will wield the most advanced technology to maximize lethality.”
