Managing Rapid Development in Military Technology

RAPID CAPABILITIES OFFICES (RCO): How the DoD Delivers When Time Is the Enemy! Most defense programs take years—sometimes decades—to move from concept to capability. But what happens when we don’t have that kind of time? In JRAC, we often turn to the RCOs for an example of speed at scale. The Rapid Capabilities Offices (RCOs) are elite teams that operate across the Department of Defense to deliver critical technologies fast—often in months, not years. And they do it by rewriting the rules. Each RCO is a small, mission-driven unit with direct access to senior leadership and a singular goal: get warfighters what they need before the threat evolves. No endless PowerPoints. No multi-year delays. Just speed, focus, and execution. Examples *corrected*: • The Air Force RCO (DAF RCO) delivered the B-21 Raider bomber, leveraging advanced stealth and survivable C2. • The Army RCO, now part of the Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO), fast-tracked hypersonic and directed energy weapons. • Marine Corps RCO: Rapidly fielded Autonomous Low-Profile Vessel (ALPV)—a semi-submersible drone boat inspired by narco subs—to stealthily transport supplies or launch missiles. It’s now undergoing front line operational testing. • The Space RCO is fielding tactically responsive launch and resilient satellite constellations for the U.S. Space Force. These aren’t demo labs. They’re operational accelerators. They de-risk cutting-edge tech, prove it in real-world scenarios, and transition it into service programs at scale. So how do these RCOs fit into the bigger DoD picture? Think of them as spearpoints—complementing traditional acquisition systems by showing what’s possible when bureaucracy doesn’t get in the way. They partner with labs, Combatant Commands, and PEOs to translate innovation into impact. And increasingly collaborative with JRAC. If you’re a private sector company with a game-changing capability, here’s how to engage: 1. Align to the mission—RCOs aren’t looking for flashy tech, they’re looking for solutions to urgent warfighter problems. 2. Engage through the ecosystem—AFWERX, DIU, SpaceWERX, and other innovation hubs often serve as on-ramps. 3. Come ready—Classified work, rapid prototyping, and non-traditional contracts (like OTAs) are the norm. This model isn’t theoretical. It’s operational—and it’s helping the U.S. stay ahead in a world where our adversaries aren’t waiting around for a JROC brief. The bottom line? RCOs are what acquisition looks like when urgency, trust, and warfighter outcomes are in charge. Links follow. DAF RCO: https://lnkd.in/eS_tCVnF Space RCO: https://lnkd.in/eBsDNBrN Navy RCO: https://lnkd.in/ekzhvxeS USMC RCO: https://lnkd.in/e_arcFUF Army RCCTO: https://www.army.mil/rccto #RCO #RapidCapabilitiesOffice #JRAC #Defense #Innovation #Warfighter

Wondering how to integrate commercial technology into the military? Read about the case of Ukraine in my new report. Instead of relying on slow-moving, state-run defense R&D, Ukraine has turned to the commercial sector—startups, civilian engineers, and private companies—to deliver battlefield-ready technology now. This shift has shattered procurement bottlenecks, slashing acquisition timelines from years to months (or even weeks for unmanned systems). Military units can now directly procure what works best for them, rather than waiting for top-down solutions. Key takeaways from the report: ❗️Commercial-first military innovation: Ukraine has moved from a state-controlled R&D model to integrating civilian tech directly into combat operations. ❗️Battlefield-driven procurement: Instead of speculative long-term projects, weapons and tech are now developed based on real-time operational needs. ❗️Rapid acquisition cycles: Testing, approval, and deployment timelines have been cut from years to months, or even weeks in some cases. ❗️Decentralized decision-making: Military units can directly acquire the technology they need, ensuring flexibility and faster adaptation on the front lines. ❗️Competitive advantage through commercial tech: Off-the-shelf solutions reduce development costs and risks while increasing efficiency on the battlefield. Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/er5DfN_s The question is: Will Western defense establishments follow suit—or will they cling to outdated models while adversaries adapt faster? #DefenseInnovation #MilitaryTech #Ukraine #AI #UnmannedSystems #ProcurementReform #AcqusitionReform

The Pentagon is making a significant shift in its innovation strategy. Under Secretary Emil Michael has officially reduced the United States Department of War’s list of Critical Technology Areas from 14 to 6, aiming to sharpen focus, accelerate development, and deliver meaningful capabilities to warfighters in 12–36 months. Michael noted that while all 14 areas had value, such a broad list diluted attention and slowed progress. The streamlined list was selected based on three criteria: alignment with Secretary Hegseth’s priorities, suitability for milestone-based technology “sprints,” and the need for Under Secretary-level coordination across the department. Research & Engineering officials emphasized that this new approach directs funding toward the most urgent national security needs. The new six Critical Technology Areas are: 1. Applied Artificial Intelligence: Encompassing AI across administrative functions and frontline operations, aligned with the White House AI Action Plan. 2. Biomanufacturing: Using engineered living systems to produce key materials and reduce supply-chain vulnerabilities. 3. Contested Logistics Technologies: Ensuring resilient resupply and operational continuity in highly contested environments, particularly in the Pacific. 4. Quantum & Battlefield Information Dominance: Strengthening communications, navigation, and resilience against GPS and RF jamming by advanced adversaries. 5. Scaled Hypersonics: Moving hypersonic systems from small-scale prototypes to true mass production. 6. Scaled Directed Energy: Transitioning high-energy lasers and microwave weapons from demonstrations to field-ready production to counter drone swarms and missile threats. Many older CTAs, including FutureG, Integrated Sensing & Cyber, Space, Human-Machine Interfaces, Microelectronics, and Advanced Materials, will be consolidated into these six major areas. All current Principal Directors will remain in place to maintain expertise as the department refocuses. https://lnkd.in/ej_EjKvg #Pentagon #DefenseInnovation #MilitaryTechnology #AI #Biomanufacturing #QuantumTech #Hypersonics #DirectedEnergy #NationalSecurity #TechnologySprints #DefenseIndustry #WarfighterAdvantage

The Defence Investment Plan brings renewed focus to an increasingly important question for national security: how quickly we can turn technological innovation into operational capability. The commitment of more than £5billion towards autonomous systems, drones and next-generation military technologies reflects a fundamental shift in modern defence. Readiness is no longer determined solely by the size of a force, but by its ability to harness, deploy and continuously evolve new technologies. The nations that can innovate faster, scale production faster and adapt faster will be the nations best prepared for the challenges ahead. What particularly stands out is the recognition that this cannot be delivered by government alone. The creation of a new Uncrewed Systems Taskforce, working directly with industry, acknowledges something many of us have been saying for years: innovation happens most effectively when government, industry, academia and technology providers work together with a shared purpose. Just as important as innovation itself is the ability to scale. Developing breakthrough technologies is only part of the challenge. Building the manufacturing capacity, supply chains, skills and industrial capability needed to produce them at pace and at scale is what ultimately strengthens resilience and security. The UK has world-class strengths in advanced manufacturing, engineering, digital technologies, automation and robotics. The opportunity now is to harness those strengths to accelerate the journey from innovation to deployment. Achieving that requires more than technical expertise alone. It requires organisations that can help de-risk new technologies, validate manufacturing approaches, strengthen supply chains and support the transition from prototype to production. This is where organisations such as the MTC - Manufacturing Technology Centre have an important role to play. The challenge is no longer simply inventing the technologies of the future; it is creating the industrial capability to deploy them at pace, scale them with confidence and continuously improve them as requirements evolve. By bringing together industry, government and academia, and by helping organisations develop the manufacturing processes, supply chains and skills needed for adoption, centres like the MTC help accelerate the journey from innovation to operational capability. The focus must now be on delivery: turning investment into capability, innovation into deployment, and technological excellence into operational advantage for the UK. UK Ministry of Defence

A new defense operating model is emerging. We identified 19 lessons from the players moving from idea to field in months, not years. Anduril went from founding to combat-ready in under a year. Saab fielded a new system in 15 months. The defense industry clock has changed. For most of the last century, defense rewarded control, compliance, and long platform cycles. That worked when threats were predictable. Now the technology cycle is set by the commercial sector, and the old timeline has become a liability. Put the old model next to the new one and the shift is clear: years to field becomes months, hardware-first becomes software-defined, requirements written far from the user become engineers embedded alongside them, a closed industrial base opens to startups and coalitions. Here is the part worth sitting with. The tools to move fast already exist. The constraint is the operating model around them, and that is the harder thing to change. We mapped where the sector is heading, drawing on 300+ practitioners across new players and reforming primes: https://hubs.ly/Q04mkj830

Modern warfare is evolving faster than most military training systems can realistically keep pace with, particularly as drones, AI and distributed operations continue to compress decision-making timelines on the battlefield. An analysis piece published by UK Defence Journal this week pointed to growing evidence from Ukraine that smaller, highly adaptive units equipped with drones and precision fires are now delivering battlefield effects that previously required much larger formations. One example referenced a NATO exercise in Estonia where Ukrainian personnel acting as opposing forces reportedly rendered two NATO battalions combat ineffective in a single day through drone-enabled tactics and rapid adaptation. The article also highlighted the growing role of immersive simulation and extended reality in addressing both operational and economic pressures. A US Air Force study found that pilots trained with virtual simulation showed measurable improvement across all 40 evaluated manoeuvres before their first live flight, while a separate 2024 study on B-52 air refuelling training found VR-trained crews required 1.35 fewer sorties to reach proficiency, generating estimated savings of around $10 million per training class. What is increasingly clear is that the issue is no longer simply about platform capability, but about adaptation speed. Ukraine has demonstrated how quickly tactics, countermeasures and operational concepts now evolve, particularly in drone warfare where some Ukrainian operators reportedly estimate battlefield innovations remain effective for only a matter of weeks before being countered. For Western militaries, the challenge is becoming how to create training systems that can evolve at the same pace as operational reality without relying solely on costly large-scale live exercises designed around older assumptions of warfare. #defence #militarytech #drones #ai #training

The pace of innovation in combat drones right now is nothing short of staggering—and nowhere is it more visible than in Ukraine. What started as widespread use of small quadcopters has rapidly evolved into something far more sophisticated. We’re now seeing the emergence of winged drones and lifting-body designs that dramatically extend range, endurance, and operational flexibility. These aren’t incremental upgrades—they represent a shift in how unmanned systems are designed, deployed, and scaled in real-world conflict. Why does this matter? Because necessity is compressing innovation cycles. What used to take years is now happening in months—or even weeks. Design, test, fail, iterate, deploy…repeat. The feedback loop is brutally efficient. It also reinforces an old adage that feels especially relevant today: lead, follow, or get out of the way. In the context of defense innovation, standing still isn’t neutral—it’s falling behind. Organizations that can’t adapt to rapid iteration, decentralized development, and lower-cost, high-impact systems risk becoming irrelevant. But there’s another layer to this that doesn’t get talked about enough: leadership. This kind of rapid innovation doesn’t happen because of flashy fake briefings or buzzwords. It happens because leaders are willing to accept risk, empower small teams, cut through bureaucracy, and make decisions with imperfect information and ultimately be ACCOUNTABLE THEMSELVES!. Real leadership shows up in action—prioritizing outcomes over optics, substance over talking points. Flashy language and strategy decks don’t win conflicts. Execution does. And execution requires leaders who are present, accountable, and willing to move at the speed the environment demands. The takeaway is clear: the future of airpower isn’t just about exquisite platforms. It’s about adaptability, speed, and the ability to evolve faster than the threat. And right now, the bar is being raised in real time.

Venture capital isn’t just funding defense technology development; it’s igniting a revolution in American warfighting advantage. As the founder and current Director of the Marine Corps' Project Dynamis, I’ve had a front-row seat to the rapid acceleration of defense technology driven by national security-focused venture capital firms such as Andreessen Horowitz, Point72 Ventures, Founders Fund, and others. For too long, defense innovation in AI enabling technologies lagged behind commercial markets. Today, that gap is closing rapidly, thanks to bold DoW-level leadership and visionary venture capitalists who recognize that the intersection of cutting-edge technology and defense is among the most important patriotic pursuits of our time. VC-backed companies are delivering capabilities at speed. Their agility, risk tolerance, and software-first mindset are transforming everything from sensor-to-shooter loops to contested logistics and battle management command and control. Why this matters for the Joint Force: • Speed: Iterative development and rapid fielding are now measured in weeks and months, not years. • Dual Use: Technologies driven by commercial demand scale faster, iterate more rapidly, and deliver greater efficiency. • Commercial AI: Exponential advances in commercial AI, autonomy, and data mesh architectures directly enhancing defense capabilities, enhancing our readiness for the coming era of Hyperwar. • Strategic Deterrence: Rebuilding America’s defense industrial base with American ingenuity and private capital, not just government appropriations, is a powerful accelerant. Project Dynamis has served as a proving ground for this model, partnering with commercial innovators to deliver AI-powered C2 through a series of agile software development sprints. The results speak for themselves. I’m not an investor or a commentator; I’m an active-duty Marine Colonel with 25 years of service. I’m convinced that the unique convergence of venture capital, visionary founders, collaborative side-by-side iteration with warfighters, and agile acquisition pathways has become a national strategic advantage unmatched by any adversary To the VCs, founders, and operators betting on this space: thank you for fueling the innovation edge we need. Our Nation depends on it. It's time to build.