Dunford Marks Military Tech Investment a Priority for US Dominance

Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the Pentagon should continue investting in new technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, quantum computing and directed energy weapons, to retain U.S. dominance across all domains, National Defense Magazine reported Thursday. Dunford said that the U.S. is in a great power competition with Russia and China, which both are investing in weapons to undermine the ability to project power and operate across domains.

“I’m confident that today, the United States can deter a nuclear war. I’m confident today that we can protect the homeland and I’m confident today that we have a competitive advantage over any potential adversary,” he said in an interview with National Defense Industrial Association CEO Hawk Carlisle and National Defense Magazine Managing Editor Jon Harper.

Dunford said the Department of Defense hopes to secure funding for fiscal year 2020 to help the military sustain the competitive advantage in land, sea, air, space and cyber domains. He noted the funding should prioritize space and cyberspace as it is now critical to establish superiority in the electromagnetic spectrum. Partnerships with the private sector is also another area that DoD should put more attention, the general said. 

“It’s impossible for me to imagine … us maintaining a competitive advantage in the future unless we have a very unique and close relationship with industry,” he said. 

Dunford has been recognized with NDIA’s Dwight D. Eisenhower Award for efforts to increase public awareness of the U.S. national defense.