Under sequestration, technology research has suffered disproportionately in the Defense Department. Leaders say those limited dollars need to be focused on making systems more affordable and taking advantage of commercial sector advancements.
Like everything else, the Pentagon expects to cut procurement and research spending under a second year of sequestration. But DoD's acquisition chief said modernization programs will be a bill-payer for other areas of spending that are harder to reduce quickly.
Eight cutting-edge technologies developed by the government are being shown off this week to venture capitalists and investors in Silicon Valley, with the hope of attracting someone to take the applications to market.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has been at the forefront of some of the most innovative technologies ever created — including the Internet. But as budgets tighten, the agency's director says she's trying to figure out how to deal with an increasingly complex threat environment as less money flows into the research and development pipeline.
Defense agencies and services are pulling back hundreds of millions of dollars worth of grants and contracts. Impending furloughs will further impair DoD's ability to get money out the door.