|
 Work said the Pentagon has a new plan called "Defense Innovation
Initiative" and a separate effort targeting longer-term projects to
ensure that the United States continues to have a decisive
competitive advantage against potential foes.
"We must coordinate and collaborate, avoid duplication, leverage
niche capabilities, and push our establishments to innovate in
technology, concepts, experimentation, and wargaming," Work told a
conference hosted by the Center for a New American Security. NATO
members needed to make good their vows last year to spend 2 percent
of national output on defense, he said.
Work said it was critical to increase collaboration with allies in
NATO, Asia and other areas, ranging from mission planning to
investments in new weapons programs.
 General Jean-Paul Palomeros of France, NATO Supreme Allied Commander
Transformation, told the conference that NATO was looking at
innovative approaches, including increased training and more joint
exercises. Work said concerns about advances by other countries were a key
reason that the Pentagon's fiscal 2016 budget plan to be delivered
to Congress on Monday will exceed budget caps set by Congress and
reverse five years of declines in U.S. military spending.
He gave no details, but said the budget would include "significant"
investments in nuclear weapons, space control capabilities, advanced
sensors, missile defense and cyber, as well as unmanned undersea
vehicles, high-speed strike weapons, a new jet engine, high-energy
lasers and rail gun technology.
Work said the plans need to address different threats in different
regions, and should leverage work by commercial firms on robotics,
autonomous operations and other key technologies.
[to top of second column] |
Lockheed Martin Corp <LMT.N>, Boeing Co <BA.N>, and other key
weapons makers have repeatedly urged the Pentagon to step up
investments in key technologies.
Pentagon arms buyer Frank Kendall told the House Armed Services
Committee in a separate hearing that he was deeply concerned about
heavy investments by China, Russia and others in weapons designed to
target critical U.S. military capabilities such as aircraft carriers
and satellites.
"I am very concerned about the increasing risk of loss of U.S.
military technological superiority," he said. "We're at risk and the
situation is getting worse."
Kendall said the department would also earmark funds for development
and prototyping of a new "next-generation X-plane" that would
eventually succeed the F-35 fighter jet, and a new engine.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Bernard Orr and Lisa
Shumaker)
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