Unit X
How the Pentagon and Silicon Valley Are Transforming the Future of War
Christopher Kirchhoff ; Raj M. Shah
- Shortlisted
- for
- the
- 2024
- Financial
- Times
- Business
- Book
- of
- the
- YearA
- riveting
- inside
- look
- at
- an
- elite
- unit
- within
- the
- Pentagon—the
- Defense
- Innovation
- Unit,
- also
- known
- as
- Unit
- X—whose
- mission
- is
- to
- bring
- Silicon
- Valley’s
- cutting-edge
- technology
- to
- America’s
- military:
- from
- the
- two
- men
- who
- launched
- the
- unit.A
- vast
- and
- largely
- unseen
- transformation
- of
- how
- war
- is
- fought
- as
- profound
- as
- the
- invention
- of
- gunpowder
- or
- advent
- of
- the
- nuclear
- age
- is
- occurring.
- Flying
- cars
- that
- can
- land
- like
- helicopters,
- artificial
- intelligence-powered
- drones
- that
- can
- fly
- into
- buildings
- and
- map
- their
- interiors,
- microsatellites
- that
- can
- see
- through
- clouds
- and
- monitor
- rogue
- missile
- sites—all
- these
- and
- more
- are
- becoming
- part
- of
- America’s
- DIU-fast-tracked
- arsenal.Until
- recently,
- the
- Pentagon
- was
- known
- for
- its
- uncomfortable
- relationship
- with
- Silicon
- Valley
- and
- for
- slow-moving
- processes
- that
- acted
- as
- a
- brake
- on
- innovation.
- Unit
- X
- was
- specifically
- designed
- as
- a
- bridge
- to
- Valley
- technologists
- that
- would
- accelerate
- bringing
- state
- of
- the
- art
- software
- and
- hardware
- to
- the
- battle
- space.
- Given
- authority
- to
- cut
- through
- red
- tape
- and
- function
- almost
- as
- a
- venture
- capital
- firm,
- Shah,
- Kirchhoff,
- and
- others
- in
- the
- Unit
- who
- came
- after
- were
- tasked
- particularly
- with
- meeting
- immediate
- military
- needs
- with
- technology
- from
- Valley
- startups
- rather
- than
- from
- so-called
- “primes”—behemoth
- companies
- like
- Lockheed,
- Raytheon,
- and
- Boeing.Taking
- us
- inside
- AI
- labs,
- drone
- workshops,
- and
- battle
- command
- centers—and,
- also,
- overseas
- to
- Ukraine’s
- frontlines—Shah
- and
- Kirchhoff
- paint
- a
- fascinating
- picture
- of
- what
- it
- takes
- to
- stay
- dominant
- in
- a
- fast-changing
- and
- often
- precarious
- geopolitical
- landscape.In
- an
- era
- when
- America’s
- chief
- rival,
- China,
- has
- ordered
- that
- all
- commercial
- firms
- within
- its
- borders
- make
- their
- research
- and
- technology
- available
- for
- military
- exploitation,
- strengthening
- the
- relationship
- between
- Washington
- and
- Silicon
- Valley
- was
- always
- advisable.
- Today,
- it
- is
- an
- urgent necessity.
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