On February 3, Aviation Week published an article titled “Why the future will not be virtual” by Forward Defense Senior Fellow Steven Grundman. In the article, Grundman reflects upon his own experiences and concludes that, while certain aspects of the virtual world may endure long after COVID-19, in-person exchange remains invaluable to opening one’s senses and is worth seeking when free to do so.
Just as the experience of looking out from a ridgeline engages all the senses, strategic vision flows from an intuitive integration of time and space that no telemediation can fully activate.
Forward Defense leads the Atlantic Council’s US and global defense programming, developing actionable recommendations for the United States and its allies and partners to compete, innovate, and navigate the rapidly evolving character of warfare. Through its work on US defense policy and force design, the military applications of advanced technology, space security, strategic deterrence, and defense industrial revitalization, it informs the strategies, policies, and capabilities that the United States will need to deter, and, if necessary, prevail in major-power conflict.
