Emerging Technologies Institute Marks First Birthday.

• Author: Lewis, Mark
• Position: NDIA PERSPECTIVE

As you read this, the one-year anniversary of the official standup of the National Defense Industrial Association's Emerging Technologies Institute is upon us. And what an eventful year it has been.

The creation of ETI signaled a bold new chapter at NDIA: an internal, non-partisan think tank with the goal of providing thought leadership on the delivery of emerging technologies for national security. NDIA's governing board had a vision for a research organization that would sit at the nexus of government, academia and industry to help deliver critical technologies into the hands of warfighters.

And what better organization to house such a think tank than NDIA? With its expansive membership, active divisions and chapters and impeccable reputation, it is the perfect parent organization.

Why did the defense enterprise need yet one more think tank? For one thing, I can think of no single greater challenge to the national defense posture than the rapid technological advances being made by peer competitors. And no other organization previously existed that could tackle the most critical issues associated with a wide spectrum of emerging defense technologies, informed by knowledge of, and an appreciation for, the defense industrial base.

The institute had its formal kickoff with an all-star event at NDIA headquarters, headlined by then-Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. John Hyten. He offered sobering comments on the challenges facing us, including the need for fully networked systems, rapid acquisition and conducting logistics operations in contested environments. We also introduced an impressive slate of senior advisors.

We have had a number of notable activities since then, including the podcast series, "Emerging Tech Horizons." As of this writing, we have released 28 episodes, with almost 100,000 downloads on YouTube and the association's audio platform. We have also begun a weekly "Technology 101" webinar series, in which nationally recognized experts present a one-hour webinar covering the basics of emerging technologies, aimed at the educated layperson.

And our monthly column in NDIA's award-winning National Defense Magazine has also allowed us to reach a wide audience. (See page 12)

ETI is hosting forums in which experts can discuss topics related to critical defense. One of the most successful has been a workshop series hosted by Al Shaffer, former deputy undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment. This series began with...