Reimagining Military Power Through Emerging Tech
As the U.S. military faces a growing array of complex threats, emergent technologies are increasingly viewed not just as tools for enhancing national defense, but as foundational to reshaping the very architecture of power projection. In a recent interview titled “Department of War’s Emil Michael on the Tech Shift Redefining U.S. Military Power,” published by DefenseScoop, Emil Michael, chairman and co-founder of the defense-focused venture capital firm Department of War, articulated a vision of rapid technological modernization that challenges traditional defense procurement models and calls for deeper collaboration between the Pentagon and Silicon Valley.
Michael, a former Uber executive turned defense tech advocate, argued that the U.S. military must confront its structural aversion to risk, particularly when it comes to integrating commercial technologies that are evolving at a far faster pace than the Department of Defense’s traditional acquisition lifecycle. Speaking against the backdrop of heightened tensions with China and the ongoing war in Ukraine, he underscored that the military’s ability to maintain deterrence will hinge less on legacy platforms and more on its agility in adopting AI, autonomous systems, space-based assets, and cyber capabilities.
“The problem is the acquisition system is very good at creating a high-assurance product over a long period of time,” Michael told DefenseScoop. “But in technology, the faster you move, the better your product gets. That’s reversed in Pentagon-world.”
Emphasizing the urgent need to reduce acquisition timelines and break down institutional inertia, Michael pointed to examples such as software-defined warfare and the use of drones in the Ukraine conflict as clear signs that battlefield advantage now leans heavily toward nations able to rapidly deploy emerging technologies. He cited Ukraine’s innovative adaptation of commercial drones as a case study in how small, fast-moving teams can outmaneuver more conventionally equipped militaries.
Michael’s Department of War is one of several new players in the growing nexus of venture capital and national security, aimed at funding dual-use technologies that could serve both commercial markets and defense applications. Unlike traditional defense contractors, these firms prioritize speed, iterative development, and market responsiveness—traits that Michael believes must be adopted by the Pentagon if it hopes to remain dominant in an era defined by digital warfare.
He also cautioned that without urgent reforms, the U.S. risks falling behind China, whose centrally directed innovation strategy allows for quicker adoption of militarized technologies derived from the private sector. “If we don’t catch up in this cycle, we may not get another shot,” he warned.
Michael acknowledged recent improvements, including the creation of innovation hubs like the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and the Strategic Capital initiative, as steps in the right direction. However, he insisted that structural change will require not only more investment in tech startups but also a cultural shift within the Pentagon—one that rewards experimentation and tolerates more risk than the current system allows.
The interview underscores a growing consensus within defense circles that America’s technological leadership—once a given—is now a contested arena, both economically and geopolitically. As Michael put it, “The next war will be won or lost in milliseconds—not years—and whoever gets there first will write the rules.”
With the Department of Defense actively reviewing its procurement strategies and Congress expressing bipartisan support for integrating more commercial technology into defense ecosystems, Michael’s insights serve as both a warning and a call to action. Whether the necessary reforms can arrive quickly enough remains an open and urgent question.
