As engineering capabilities become more widely available, the world of science and technology is flattening.

Werner Dahm, the Air Force’s chief scientist, said technologies only available for top-level military research and development are now in the hands of both allies and potential enemies, the Department of Defense reports.

“There is, I would say, greater risk as a result of that,” Dahm said. “The number of peers and near-peers who we could potentially face over the next 20 years and beyond is certainly going to grow.”

Dahm said the Air Force will remain the technology leader but must work harder to beat out adversaries.

One area of accomplishment for the Air Force is a sci-fi sounding project dubbed Technology Horizons. The Air Force plans to increase use of remote- and computer-controlled vehicles and weapons, and may go as far as “direct augmentation of humans using technologies,” Dahm said.

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