War Department Narrows Technology Development Focus to Six Critical Areas
November 19, 2025
By C. Todd Lopez, Pentagon News
In a strategic move to maintain the United States’ military dominance, the War Department has announced a renewed focus on six critical technology areas essential for empowering American warfighters with the most advanced capabilities on the battlefield. This initiative aims to accelerate the deployment of cutting-edge technologies, ensuring rapid fielding to meet current and emerging threats.
Six Pillars of Technological Advancement
Emil Michael, Undersecretary of War for Research and Engineering, emphasized urgency in the department’s approach: "Our adversaries are moving fast, but we will move faster. The warfighter is not asking for results tomorrow; they need them today. These six critical technology areas are not just priorities; they are imperatives. The American warfighter will wield the most advanced technology to maximize lethality."
The six focused technology domains identified by the War Department are:
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Applied Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI integration is poised to revolutionize military operations, from enterprise-level management to intelligence synthesis and direct warfighting applications. Following President Donald J. Trump’s “Winning the Race: America’s AI Action Plan,” released in July 2025, the department is aggressively adopting AI to maintain global military supremacy while ensuring secure and reliable deployment.
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Biomanufacturing: This innovative field harnesses genetically modified living organisms, such as bacteria, to produce materials at scale. Biomanufacturing is expected to develop bio-based alternatives for critical chemicals, minerals, and energetics used in warfighting systems. According to Michael, "We will accelerate the development and deployment of biomanufacturing solutions to support critical missions of the department."
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Contested Logistics Technology: Enhancing logistics capabilities in hostile environments remains essential for operational success, though specific details were not outlined, this area targets resilient and efficient supply chains amid adversarial pressures.
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Quantum Battlefield Information Dominance: Leveraging quantum technologies to secure information superiority on the battlefield is a cornerstone for future military advantage, enhancing communication, sensing, and encryption capabilities.
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Scaled Directed Energy: The department is committed to rapidly scaling high-energy laser and high-power microwave systems. These technologies, like the Directed Energy Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense (DE M-SHORAD) system—a 50kW-class laser platform protecting forces from drones, rockets, artillery, and mortars—offer low-cost, high-effectiveness responses against diverse threats.
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Scaled Hypersonics: Efforts will focus on increasing production, reducing costs, and deploying hypersonic weapons broadly. These ultra-fast weapons can penetrate defenses, providing a decisive edge in combat.
Leadership Vision and Commitment
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth reinforced the necessity of this focused technological effort. "Our nation’s military has always been the tip of the spear," Hegseth said. "Undersecretary Emil Michael’s six critical technology areas will ensure that our warriors never enter a fair fight and have the best systems in their hands for maximum lethality. The War Department is committed to remaining the most deadly fighting force on planet Earth."
Transforming Tomorrow’s Battlefield
The department’s technology focus represents a comprehensive and forward-looking strategy to deter adversaries and enhance warfighter lethality by integrating transformative scientific and engineering breakthroughs. With concerted efforts in AI, biomanufacturing, quantum technologies, directed energy, and hypersonics, the War Department aims to secure technological preeminence for decades to come.
The push toward these focused development areas underscores the department’s commitment to providing U.S. military forces with the most advanced, reliable, and rapidly deployable systems, ensuring operational superiority and safeguarding national security.
For further information and updates on the War Department’s technological initiatives, visit the official War Department website at war.gov.
Photo Credits: Jim Kendall, Army; Gabriella White, Army
Visuals: Directed Energy Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense system; Industrial biomanufacturing fermenters
Related Topics: Artificial Intelligence, Directed Energy, Hypersonics, Biomanufacturing, Quantum Technologies, Defense Innovation
