The national security enterprise faces three significant obstacles to success:

1. We have no way of knowing what specific systems or capabilities to develop, because we cannot predict how, when, where, or who we will fight.
2. Our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Guardians do not understand these emerging technologies or how they will impact the conduct of warfare.
3. The Defense Acquisition System lacks the agility to quickly develop and integrate emerging technology.

Learn a method called the Materiel Innovation Pipeline.

• Learn to apply the model in various materiel innovation and technology scenarios: hardware, software, stand-alone solutions, integrated solutions, etc.
• Identify weaknesses and unproven components of the model
• Conduct research and deliver findings on your identified topic (capstone)

• Identify a Capstone topic that addresses a deficiency in the Defense Innovation System and advances the field of materiel innovation
• Research the Capstone topic and validate your thesis through SME-moderated, cross-functional peer seminar groups
• Write a publishable issue paper presenting your research findings, and present those findings to the cohort

Simply stated, if we cannot predict the next major conflict, and given the rapid pace of technology change, how can the Defense Acquisition System possibly equip a force today for an unknown tomorrow? The answer is that it cannot, so rather than a product, the Defense Innovation System must necessarily deliver a process that is repeatable, scalable and sustainable.

A small number of Defense Industrial Base companies capture the vast majority of all DoD spending. At the same time, venture capital investments are exploding year-over-year, and specifically, investments in emerging technologies considered critical to national security. Venture backed technology startups are the core of the innovation base.

The flywheel of innovation depends on a continued flow of venture capital. Venture capital depends on returns – those Startups successfully converting innovation into products that capture market share. If we divert startups too far from their commercial product roadmap and go-to-market plan, we risk their growth. Do it too many times, and we risk the dual-use investor thesis altogether.

This statement is more theory than model, making Applied Innovation for National Security something of an applied research practicum. The Defense Innovation System has proven the ability to attract and qualify Startups, develop, and validate use cases, and build and prove prototypes. This pipeline of materiel innovation must connect to the Defense Acquisition System in order for us to integrate, scale, and deploy those solutions in a repeatable, scalable, and sustainable way.