Page 20 - Engineering Career Guide, 4th Edition

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Military Advances
Engineers devise new technologies that keep US troops stronger and safer than any others in the world.
“The strength of U.S. national security is the willingness to look over the horizon and plan for what the future will bring.”
So says Peter Emanuel, one of the Army’s leading thinkers about technological innovation. For de- cades the United States military has stood like a co- lossus above and beyond that of any other in the world, but our historical leadership in this area does not guarantee the same supremacy in the future.
One reason for the durability of America’s military advan- tage is our long-standing, well-funded commitment to inno- vative defense technologies. The government spends more on research, development, and testing of new technologies
than the amount almost every other country spends on its entire military. Only China’s military budget exceeds what America spends on creating and perfecting new tools and systems for protecting the country.
For over 70 years, the government, private companies, and research universities have worked together to invent and produce a steady stream of advanced technologies to keep our defenses strong and our troops safe. Indeed, many of these technologies have carried over to civilian life to make things easier and better for the rest of the country, too, such as GPS mapping software, microwave ovens, the internet, and, of course, aviator sunglasses!
Integration of diverse technologies and systems has be-
20 START-ENGINEERING.COM COURTESY DEPT OF DEFENSE