Page 20 - Engineering Career Guide for UT Austin

START-ENGINEERING.COM
20
Military Advances
“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 decades
the United States military has stood like a colossus
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-
Engineers devise new technologies that keep US troops
stronger and safer than any others in the world.
features
COURTESY DEPT. OF DEFENSE