Defence Procurement and the Impact of High Technology

Abstract

I would like to discuss some of the implications of the impact of high technology on the defence procurement process and to give you an American perspective on ways to improve the process in today’s global market place. The development of new technology is of paramount importance to the maintenance of military strength. Advances in microelectronics, for example, have revolutionised weapons systems development. Weapons which use microelectronics are ‘smarter’ and less dependent on humans. Microelectronics technology has had a significant impact on sensors, information processing and communications. Computers and sophisticated processing of information are being used extensively in battle management, and command, control and communications have become vital military functions. The need for automation and robots for various military applications will continue to grow as the military environment changes. Also, we will witness an increasing amount of automation in systems used in both the manned and unmanned exploration of space.