WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), U.S. Senator Angus King called on the Department of Defense (DoD) to fast-track its adoption of new technologies in order to allow America’s armed services to compete on the global stage more effectively. In an exchange with Jane Harman, Chair of the Commission on the National Defense Strategy, King questioned why the DoD’s budget for directed energy has significantly fallen in recent years as the low-cost technology has increasingly been utilized by foes, after highlighting the historical correlation between countries that adapt early to new technologies and their ability to succeed in global conflicts.

During his line of questioning, Senator King received strong agreement from Chair Harman about the DoD’s need to move faster than the “speed of bureaucracy.”

“The first country to adapt new technologies generally wins wars; Genghis Khan and the stirrup, the long bow at the battle of Agincourt, the tank in World War I, radar in World War II. We are systematically missing technologies — it is one of the great failures of the last 10 or 15 years in our defense structure. Directed energy, hypersonics, AI, cyber, information warfare, we're woefully behind in every one of those,” said Senator King. “We are shooting down $20,000 Houthi missiles with $4.3 million missiles of our own — that’s ridiculous The budget for directed energy in the defense department has fallen by half in the last three years. Representative Harman, is it systematic legacy thinking? What is the problem? Why did we miss these obvious technologies”

“Well, you have heard us say that the Pentagon is moving at the speed of bureaucracy,” replied Chair Harman. “I think it is legacy systems, old think, and I think congress is somewhat — ”

“I think it’s legacy thinking,” responded Senator King.

“Legacy thinking, fine, but I think congress is somewhat complicit in the way the budget process doesn't work and this insistence on requirements and oversight rather than what is the problem set we are solving for which is how the tech sector thinks,” said Chair Harman. “I've been making a comment about DIU — the Defense Innovation Unit that was set up by the late Secretary Ash Carter, that maybe we should outsource the Pentagon to DIU, which is ably headed by someone named Doug Beck, who had 11-years experience in the private sector, because they know how to think about this. I couldn't agree with you more. The budget of DIU is $1 billion out of $850 billion.”

“And it's technologies that win wars — new technologies,” replied Senator King.

“Right. I'm in violent agreement with you. He says he can leverage that into $50 billion of commercial investment, but that is still a pittance compared to the kind of change we need to undergo, not just at the Pentagon, but the Pentagon lashed up with other government agencies, with the tech sector, and with partners and allies. That is our point about all elements of national power that will win the next war,” agreed Chair Harman.

A member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI), Senator King is recognized as an authoritative voice on national security and foreign policy issues who has also been named a “fiscal hero” by government watchdogs for responsible spending. As the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee Subcommittee on Strategic Forces — which oversees the United States’ strategic forces and missile defense — Senator King has been a steady voice on the need to address the growing nuclear capacity of our adversaries. Senator King recently expressed concern about the emerging threats of Russia and China’s development of “nightmare weapon” hypersonic missiles, which he has described as “strategic game-changers.” Earlier this year, Senator King urged the DoD to take advantage of private sector technologies or risk losing access to innovative defense technologies. In a recent SASC hearing, he again encouraged the DoD to adopt smart spending practices when it comes to developing defense technologies and other products.

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