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Innovation May Be Key to Military Surviving Draconian Budget Cuts

The key to doing more with less may lie with innovative thinking applied to existing assets, suggested the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Adm. James A. Winnefeld Jr., USN, speaking to a packed house for the morning keynote address at AFCEA/USNI West 2013 in San Diego, said that both the military and industry must be innovative in their approach to readiness.

Adm. Winnefeld cited examples of how innovative applications could enhance existing assets. He mentioned how the littoral combat ship could be adapted for use in missions beyond those for which it originally was designed. The admiral also called for inexpensive, highly adaptive electronics pods for unmanned aerial vehicles.

He singled out industry as a potential source of vital innovation, and he called on the private sector to produce these solutions.

“Bring it on; I want to hear it,” the admiral said.