The event will feature remarks by Commission Co-chairs, former Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper and former Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James as well as a panel with the report authors and Commissioners. The event will also honor the recipient of the Atlantic Council’s Award for Defense Innovation, which is awarded to an individual who has demonstrated exceptional leadership, creativity, and dedication to advancing the Department of Defense’s ability to innovate by overcoming challenges of adopting cutting-edge technology from commercial and defense industries.

This final report advances ten policy recommendations and includes eight cases of success to demonstrate how the Department of Defense and Congress can increase the speed at which technological innovation can be transformed into capabilities in the hands of US warfighters.

Read the final report

Report

Jan 16, 2024

Atlantic Council Commission on Defense Innovation Adoption: Final report

By Whitney M. McNamara, Peter Modigliani, Matthew MacGregor, and Eric Lofgren*

The DoD must accelerate defense innovation adoption from the leading edge of the private sector. This report has ten recommendations to do so and features eight vignettes that explore how these actions may play out in practice.

Artificial Intelligence Defense Policy

Report introduction by

The Hon. Mark T. Esper
27th Secretary of Defense;
Board Director and Co-Chair of the Commission, Atlantic Council

The Hon. Deborah Lee James
23rd Secretary of the Air Force;
Board Director and Co-Chair of the Commission, Atlantic Council

Report author panel featuring

Matthew MacGregor
Acquisition Subject Matter Expert, MITRE

Fellow

Whitney McNamara

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Forward Defense Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Defense Industry Defense Policy

Pete Modigliani
Vice President, National Security and Technology, Beacon Global Strategies

Moderated by

Fellow

Stephen Rodriguez

Senior Advisor

Forward Defense Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Defense Policy Defense Technologies

Commissioner panel featuring

The Hon. James “Hondo” Geurts

11th Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition; Distinguished Fellow, Business Executives for National Security

Nick Sinai

Senior Advisor, Insight Partners

Moderated by

Staff

Clementine G. Starling

Director, Forward Defense

Forward Defense Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Security & Defense NATO

Welcome remarks by

Staff

Jenna Ben-Yehuda

Executive Vice President

Politics & Diplomacy Security & Defense

Foundational sponsor

Sponsors

Forward Defense, housed within the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, generates ideas and connects stakeholders in the defense ecosystem to promote an enduring military advantage for the United States, its allies, and partners. Our work identifies the defense strategies, capabilities, and resources the United States needs to deter and, if necessary, prevail in future conflict.

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