From Robots to Satellites, the Pentagon Wants to Do Business with Silicon Valley

With advanced robotics, autonomous machines and nimbler space systems on the agenda for the U.S. military, the Department of Defense has turned its attention to Silicon Valley to find the innovation and technology that will define the future of warfare.

Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work this week offered a glimpse into the Pentagon’s thinking on what will define the battlefields of the near and distant future: unmanned wingmen in the air, swarms of drones in and on the sea, wearable electronics loaded with combat apps for soldiers, deep learning machines able to sort mass amounts of data and tiny satellites that scan the globe and dodge missiles.