Oceanit CEO and founder Dr. Patrick K. Sullivan delivered a speech on the importance of accelerating disruptive innovation adoption for the U.S. Army at the National Academies of Science, Technology, and Medicine Roundtable last month.
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine regularly hosts collaborative roundtables to bring together leaders from the government, industry, and academic spheres. The roundtable facilitates a candid dialogue and cover best practices to promote efficiencies in research initiatives. This Army roundtable was held October 4-5 and was convened under the Board on Army Research and Development (BOARD) to discuss R&D and the acquisition of new technologies to broaden the Army’s industrial base.
In his presentation, Dr. Sullivan emphasized the Army’s need to acquire disruptive innovation by collaborating with Oceanit and other small businesses. Unlike their larger counterparts, smaller businesses like Oceanit maintain a sharper focus on innovation and exhibit the agility to adapt swiftly.
Dr. Sullivan elaborated on how Oceanit, being a “Mind to Market” company, transitions disruptive technology from fundamental science to practical applications. He introduced Oceanit’s unique method of Intellectual Anarchy, which re-envisions how innovation can transition technologies from lab ideas to finished products beneficial to the military.
However, the prevalent practice within the Army is to source new inventions from large, traditional prime contractors, like Boeing or Lockheed Martin. These so-called “primes” predicate success on revenues, often cultivating to a culture that shies away from investment in risky innovation work.
“Embracing innovation from a diverse array of contractors, not just select few companies like Lockheed Martin, can spur innovation and provide the Army a competitive edge against other nations,” Dr. Sullivan remarked.
With ongoing conflicts and upheavals in places like Ukraine and Israel, gaining a competitive edge through disruptive innovations within the Army could act as a deterrent to other nations contemplating military aggression.
Dr. Sullivan noted that this roundtable serves as a “great conversation” for the government and the Army to reflect on what they lack to fully realize their potential as leading innovators on a global stage.
For more information on the Board on Army Research and Development projects and members, please visit www.nationalacademies.org/board.
