Food for thought 06-2019 DEFENCE INNOVATIONS LOOK INTO THE FUTURE AN EXPERTISE FORUM CONTRIBUTING TO EUROPEAN CONTRIBUTING TO FORUM AN EXPERTISE SINCE 1953 ARMIES INTEROPERABILITY European Army Interoperability Center This paper was drawn up by Martina Mitrová, under the supervision and guidance of the Head of the Permanent Secretariat. This Food for Thought paper is a document that gives an initial reflection on the theme. The content is not reflecting the positions of the member states, but consists of el- ements that can initiate and feed the discussions and analyses in the domain of the theme. It was drafted by the Permanent Secretariat of Finabel. INTRODUCTION The world today is full of new technology For example, “technologies like radar, the Glob- that we use regularly every day without even al Positioning System, the internet, and even noticing it. Yet behind every new technology driverless cars have benefited from research orig- lies years of research, testing, and a never end- inally performed for the military.” 1 ing ‘trial and error’ process. This technology aids us in making our everyday lives simpler. Even though the meaning of war and the Technology is no longer solely associated with spectrum of gadgets employed by the defence smartphones and computers either, there are sector has changed drastically throughout ‘intelligent’ cars, and even ‘revamped’ homes. recent years, the present level of this devel- Through the ‘Internet of things’, the con- opment is reaching an unprecedented high. nection via the Internet and ‘smart’ devices Innovation has become a necessity, fueling embedded in everyday objects has become a competition between states, and opening the present reality. We can now easily and with door to non-state actors as well. This is fur- a limited budget, control the light bulbs in ther fueled by the process of globalization. our homes, or turn on the heating or washing Due to this, statements have been made that machine from anywhere in the world, need- “successful defence innovation obviously requires ing only a controlling device and internet both disruptive and capability-based incremen- connection. tal innovation in order to provide Member States with the defence capabilities they need in As with other sectors, the defence sector has the future.” 2 become equally influenced by the phenome- non of innovative technology. Furthermore, it is not very well known how important the military has been, and continues to be, in this innovation process. 1 Vitter, S. – Corey, J. In a position to lead: How military technology and innovation can ease the world's water challenges. [online]. [Quoted: 2018-11-14]. Online: <https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/position-lead-how-military-technology-and-innovation- can-ease-worlds-water-challenges> 2 EDA. 2017. 10 Upcoming disruptive defence innovation. EDA: European defence matters, 2017. 44p. Issue 14. ISSN (1977-5059) Defence innovations: look into the future 2 INNOVATION – A LOOK BEHIND THIS PIVOTAL AREA What is the meaning of ‘innovation’? Where issue: “Innovation is 5% having an idea, and did the story begin? Schilling, from New York 95% blood, sweat, and tears, explains Newell. University, in her book Strategic Management The hard part is developing or finding a pipeline of Technological Innovation defines innovation from idea to finished product.” 5 as “the act of introducing a new device, meth- od, or material for application to commercial or An innovator can be personified in many dif- practical objectives.” 3 Another, more specific, ferent forms and is usually composed not of definition comes from Jingjing Huo: “techno- one individual, but rather a collection, such as logical innovation is all about information. On a firm, university, non-profit organization, or one hand, innovation creates new technological government funded research group. knowledge useful for economic production; on the other hand the very process of innovation Maital and Seshadri try to explain this process is an example of searching under imperfect in- through the use of a sport metaphor: “Cricket formation, given the uncertain and constantly is a team sport. But it is also a sport that fea- evolving nature of R&D.”4 Authors define in- tures individual flashes of brilliance. Innovation novation differently, yet the central meaning is much like cricket. No single individual can appears to remain the same: Visible output of ever implement a major world-changing idea – innovation is only a small part of the process this requires teamwork. But almost always, as a whole, and we have to understand it in a such world-changing innovations begin in the holistic manner, seeing how it is composed of creative mind of individual. So, innovation is a lot of small vital steps. both.6” The story begins with an idea (something If the idea was born in laboratory, or on the imagined or pictured in the mind), which is battlefield, the whole process can be either supported by personal creativity (the abili- brought to life or come to an abrupt end. Pic- ty to produce novel and useful works). This ture nb.17 shows the concept of an “Innova- creativity is then transformed into a specific tion funnel” which presents the procedure for creation. Newell, a former army officer and research, and we can see that in the beginning partner at BMNT Partners, which focuses on there are a multitude of processed ideas that unique and innovative solutions, explained in eventually lead to the final goal. “The pharma- an interview for military news “Task & Pur- ceutical industry demonstrates this well – only pose”, his opinion on the complexity of this one out of every 5000 compounds make it to the 3 Schilling M.A., Strategic Management of Technological Innovation. New York University, 2013. p.1. Fourth Edition. ISBN 978-0-07- 802923-6. 4 HUO, J. 2015. How nations innovate: The political economy of technological innovation in affluent capitalist economies.Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2015. p.2. ISBN 978-0-19-873584-7. 5 Brune, R.A. Innovation In The Army, Part I: It Starts With The Warfighters.[online]. 2014 [Quoted: 2018-11-14]. Online: <https://taskandpurpose.com/innovation-army-part-one-starts-warfighters/> 6 MAITAL, S. – SESHADRI, D.V.R. Innovation Management: Strategies, Concepts and Tools for growth and profit.2. vydanie. New Dehli: SAGE, 2012. p. xlviii. ISBN 978-81-321-0722-4. 7 Schilling M.A., Strategic Management of Technological Innovation. New York University, 2013. p.5. Fourth Edition. ISBN 978-0-07- 802923-6. Defence innovations: look into the future 3 pharmacist’s shelf, and only one-third of those from products developed within the past five will be successful enough to recoup their R&D years.” 10 costs.” 8 Yet, there are times when the innovation pro- cess can take a considerably different route, namely in the case of accidental innovation. One case of accidental innovation is that of 3,000 Raw 300 the electro-optical engineer Gavriel Iddan, 125 Small 4 Major 1 Successful Ideas Submitted 2 Launches Projects Developments New Product (unwritten) Ideas who was working on the development of the ‘eyes’ of guided missiles, which were supposed to recognise their targets. While working on this, he travelled to the USA, and befriend- ed Eitan Scapa, a gastroenterologist. After years of their friendship and a lot of research, Innovation funnel through their combined knowledge they in- vented a small camera which was then used in As shown above, the initial part of the inno- the digestive system, which transmits interior vation process has to go through many phas- images wirelessly to the computer.11 Never- es of research, which naturally takes time. theless, neither one of them planned to invent Griffin, in“Product development cycle time for this technology. In the end, it was coincidence business-to-business products” tried to find an which brought them together and brought answer on how long, on average, it takes for a about the discovery of one of the most impor- product to develop from the initial concept to tant and helpful inventions in contemporary becoming a market ready product. Thanks to medicine in this field. the surveys distributed in firms and research institutions she figured out there are three Cases of accidental innovation are rare, and main levels of innovation: “incremental”, far between. As a whole, it seems clear that “more innovative” and “new to the world”. the innovation process as a whole should be On average the longest level is the last “new seen as a complex process, which inevitably to the world” stage, taking up to 24 months. carries with it positive and negative external- The “more innovative” stage can take up to/ ities. Some of the most important negative over 14 months, and the “incremental” peri- externalities are pollution, erosion, medical od can take up to 6.5 months.9 Although this issues and regulation, and moral and ethical means that as a whole the process can be quite considerations. On the other hand, the posi- lengthy, all in all for many it will be worth tive impact can be argued to be more impor- it in the end, as “Technological innovation is tant, outweighing the negative aspects – the now often the single most important competitive production of food, medical benefits, travel, driver in many industries. Many firms receive improved security, as well as simple and easy more than one-third of their sales and profits worldwide communication. 8 Ibid. 9 Griffin, A. Product development cycle time for business-to-business products. Industrial Marketing Management 31, 2002. p. 291-304. 10 Schilling M.A., Strategic Management of Technological Innovation. New York University, 2013. p.9. Fourth Edition. ISBN 978-0-07- 802923-6. 11 Iddan, G. History and development of capsule endoscopy.