The Tech Investment Playbook for Victory
If the United States doesn’t act fast, the next generation of dual-use technological innovation will belong to its adversaries — creating an irreversible gap. America’s technical advantage has kept adversaries in check for decades, but new near-peer competition in dual-use technologies threatens that balance. Over the past decade, China has rapidly evolved from an emerging economic and geopolitical force to an imminent great power threat.
China and the West have seen their commercial markets supplant the government in innovation leadership, including in the defense space. In everything from AI to drones, batteries, and robotics, China’s venture capital–backed companies and university networks are leading the way in technological development.
This is important because to compete with the pacing threat of China’s burgeoning commercial dual-use ecosystem, the Department of Defense needs to deliver at the speed of need in inventing and assimilating new technologies. This will require the United States to redefine its tech investment playbook to develop better entrance pathways for the private industry and startups working on promising dual-use technologies. This is also important to me personally.