War Department shifts to 6 critical tech areas with AI-first strategy

SPECIAL – The War Department is narrowing down its research and development strategy to six “Critical Technology Areas.” Officials say this will accelerate innovation and strengthen America’s military superiority.

The plan will deliver faster, more focused results to warfighters by combining overlapping programs and directing funding to technologies that will shape future conflicts, said Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering Emil Michael.

“As the War Department’s Chief Technology Officer, I am legally charged with the mission of advancing technology and innovation for the armed forces,” Michael wrote in a Nov. 13 memo to senior Pentagon and combatant command leaders. “The previous list of fourteen CTAs did not provide the focus required by today’s threat landscape.”

Six areas (Applied Artificial Intelligence, Biomanufacturing, Controversial Logistics Technologies, Quantum and Battlefield Information Domination, Scaled Directed Energy, and Scaled Hypersonics) will be advanced through rapid “sprints” designed to move emerging technologies from prototype to production.

SECRETARY OF THE ARMY REVEALS HOW RANGERS bypassed PENTAGON bureaucracy to MEET PENTAGON EXPLODING DRINK THREAT

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the modern approach would keep the United States ahead of its rivals.

“Our nation’s military has always been at the tip of the spear,” Hegseth said. “Undersecretary Emil Michael’s six Critical Technology Areas will ensure that our warfighters are never engaged in a fair fight and have the best systems at their disposal for maximum lethality.”

The initiative also aligns with President Donald Trump’s AI Action Plan, which directs the War Department to become an “AI First” agency.

Officials say this shift will reshape how intelligence is processed, how logistics are managed and how weapons systems are deployed.

“Consistent with President Trump’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Plan, the War Department needs to become an ‘AI First’ agency,” Michael wrote. “When adopted rapidly, AI will fundamentally transform the Department from the corporate level to intelligence synthesis and warfare.”

WAR MINISTRY RECYCLES THE ‘WRONG’ NARRATIVE ABOUT THE DOMESTIC STRATEGY DIVISION

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth arrives for a press conference at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, June 22, 2025. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Michael’s plan emphasizes resilience and self-sufficiency on the battlefield. Biomanufacturing will create bio-based materials to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers, while Contested Logistics Technologies will help US forces sustain operations in contested or denied environments.

His goal, he said, was to ensure troops could fight and resupply even when conventional lines were cut. Each new field of technology aims to strengthen this capability.

“Future wars will likely be characterized by contested environments in which the Joint Force will face the ability to mobilize, operate within and across the theater of operations, and resupply, reconstitute, and recover forces,” Michael wrote. “This CTA will enable new approaches and technologies to be demonstrated, validated and scaled.”

HEGSETH SHARES THE SOVIET-STYLE BUREAUCRACY AND ‘FIVE-YEAR PLANS’ RUNNING THE PENTAGON

Artificial intelligence and quantum computing are among six new technology areas that the War Department says will shape future U.S. military operations. (Getty Images)

Other priorities include quantum computing for secure battlefield communications, scaled directed energy systems such as high-energy lasers and high-power microwave weapons, and expanding hypersonic capabilities for both offensive and defensive missions.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION

Each effort depends on close coordination between the Pentagon, the private sector and allied militaries to ensure technologies reach the field quickly.

“Achieving these sprints will require unprecedented coordination between the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering, military departments, combatant commands, and other components of the Office of the Secretary of War,” Michael said. “I am committed to working with you and our partners inside and outside the Department on these efforts.”