Lowering costs through information sharing.

• Author: Smith, Robert
• Position: COMMENTARY

Technological advances and an ever-changing geopolitical landscape have been driving the evolution of military weaponry and strategy for centuries. At relatively few moments in history, however, has the confluence of these two drivers prompted a fundamental--even revolutionary-rethinking of how military operations are planned and accomplished.

The nation stands at such a juncture. At the same time when strategic priorities are changing and asymmetric threats are becoming the new normal, "fifth-generation" weapons systems are coming on line with game-changing sensing, processing and battle management capabilities. The result is a unique opportunity--indeed, a pressing demand--for the U.S. armed forces to rethink military doctrine and create new concepts of operations for leveraging the full value of this giant leap in capabilities.

Recognizing the significance of the moment, leaders from all U.S. forces have begun to reevaluate--individually and collaboratively--the nation's approach to warfare. The Navy and Air Force, for example, have taken a major step forward by reexamining the air-sea battle doctrine in the context of fifth-generation platforms--foremost among them the F-35, F-22, P-8, unmanned platforms, and littoral combat ship--as part of a new national focus on the Pacific.

However, the driving paradigm is shifting away from "exquisite" capabilities toward "expendable capabilities." We are starting to think more like our asymmetric adversaries, still planning for losses, but in a more modern context. As a result, developing systems and capabilities to counter threats and defeat adversaries is not necessarily driven by the emergence of new platforms and completed capabilities, it is environmentally driven by issues such as existing technology available, the cost to develop new capabilities, budgetary issues and new acquisition models.

By leveraging inexpensive sensors, commercial communications and low-cost unmanned aerial vehicles in concert with "exquisite" capabilities, we can provide immense operational flexibility while reducing the vulnerability for our forces.

As time moves on, the primary set of challenges lies not in military commanders' ability to envision the potential of the new platforms to drive a more effective doctrine, but in the ability of the forces and their industry partners to turn the vision into practical, affordable and sustainable battlefield dominance for U.S. warfighters for decades to come.

Among the many issues...