Navigating the Valley: The CTO’s Role at the Inflection Point of War and Technology

I write from the front lines of a quiet revolution. In conference rooms and command centers, I’ve watched as warfare’s traditional sinews, steel, fuel, and force, intertwine with silicon, data, and algorithms. We are living through an inflection point where war and technology meet, a moment as pivotal as the advent of radar or the jet engine. The stakes are profound: transformative technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) have the potential to reshape the global balance of power, and our competitors know it. As a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) in the Department of War (DoW), I see clearly that our institution must evolve rapidly. We are becoming as much a technology enterprise as a military organization. The mission of defense now depends not just on our pilots and platoons, but on our programmers and prototypes.

An Inflection Point in War and Technology

Every era of warfare has its turning point. Today’s inflection is defined by digital technology. Algorithms can now analyze in seconds what once took an intelligence staff days. Autonomous drones and robotic systems are performing reconnaissance and strike missions that were once science fiction. In recent conflicts, low-cost drones and AI-enabled systems have punched above their weight against expensive legacy defenses, forcing militaries to adapt or risk obsolescence. I often think of a telling example: a tiny quadcopter costing a few hundred dollars can threaten a multimillion-dollar armored vehicle. This asymmetric reality underlines how urgently we must innovate.

Our national strategies recognize this urgency. America’s AI Action Plan (2025) bluntly states that AI can transform both the warfighting and back-office operations of the military, and that we must aggressively adopt AI to maintain our preeminence. In practice, that means everything from using machine learning for predictive aircraft maintenance to automating routine paperwork so our personnel can focus on higher-value tasks. The 2025 National Security Strategy likewise calls for a “national mobilization” to modernize our forces, innovating cheaper, smarter weapons and re-shoring our defense-industrial supply chains for resilience. In other words, staying ahead in the battlefield now requires being savvy in technology development and production. The Department of War is transforming into a hybrid: part warfighting force, part high-tech enterprise.

The CTO as a Bridge Between Legacy and Future

In the thick of this transformation stands the Chief Technology Officer. On any given day, I straddle two worlds: one foot in our storied past and one in the fast-arriving future. I might begin the morning reviewing an AI prototype that promises to boost cyber defense, and end the day grappling with a decades-old logistics system written in a language almost as old as the soldiers who use it. Our role as CTOs is to bridge legacy architectures with future capabilities, ensuring that the old and new work together for the mission. We serve as translators between the seasoned operator on the ground and the software developer in a lab.

Real-world experience has taught me the value of this bridge. For instance, when we introduced an AI-driven decision aid into a headquarters unit, the tool initially struggled to interface with the unit’s legacy networks. My team and I worked closely with both the young engineers who built the AI system and the veteran signal officers who maintained the network. By iterating on both sides, tweaking code and updating configurations on the old system, we achieved a breakthrough. This kind of hands-on integration is becoming a core competency of the DoW CTO. We collaborate with operators from day one, making sure new tech solutions address real operational problems, not just theoretical ones. After all, a brilliant technology is of little use if it can’t plug into the realities of the battlefield. One Pentagon official recently noted that many U.S. tech companies “want to develop and deliver capabilities to our warfighters” but don’t always understand the military’s key operational problems. The CTO’s job is to close that understanding gap. We bring industry and operators together, painting a “threat-informed picture” of what front-line units truly need. In doing so, we help prevent the classic mismatch where something works in the lab but can’t be used broadly in the field, a phenomenon the defense community ruefully calls the ‘Valley of Death’.

Crossing the “Valley of Death”

The “Valley of Death” is that perilous chasm between innovation and implementation, where many promising prototypes perish before ever becoming deployed capabilities. As a CTO, I am both navigator and bridge-builder across this gap. I’ve seen astonishing innovations, from AI analytics to advanced drones, languish due to what boils down to institutional inertia. Too often, we hinder ourselves with our own bureaucracy and overly burdensome rules that block rapid prototyping and fielding. The acquisition system that once produced battleships and fighter jets at a Cold War tempo now struggles to keep up with cloud software updates that roll out weekly.

It’s not that we lack ideas or prototypes; the Department of War doesn’t have an innovation problem, it has an innovation adoption problem. The challenge is moving technology from the test bench to the foxhole in a timely way. I have learned that success requires attacking the Valley of Death from multiple angles. We work early to line up a transition partner and funding for prototypes, so they aren’t left orphaned after a demo. We push for flexible contracting tools, like Other Transaction Authority agreements and middle-tier acquisitions, that allow us to bypass some of the slow traditional process in favor of speed. And we lean on our senior leaders for air cover, because without a top-level championship even the best ideas can wither. In fact, leaders from the Secretary of Defense on down have argued that we must move faster in delivering new capabilities to warfighters to meet rapidly evolving threats.

Encouragingly, momentum is building. New initiatives are aimed at shrinking that prototype-to-field timeline. The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), for example, was set up specifically as a bridge to bring commercial tech into DoW at “commercial speeds,” and it has already transitioned 26 pilot projects into larger programs for our forces. Another bold effort, announced as the Replicator program, commits to fielding thousands of autonomous, attritable drones in the next two years, a clear sign that delivering new tech at scale and speed is now a top priority at the highest levels. Such projects show that we can beat the Valley of Death with the right mix of urgency and support. Still, these are the exceptions that prove the rule. To truly conquer the Valley, we need to make such agility business-as-usual rather than a one-off miracle. That means institutionalizing the practices that have worked, from steady funding streams for innovation to empowering cross-functional teams, so that every promising technology has a fighting chance to reach our warfighters.

Crucially, we’re also tackling the policy and cultural side of the Valley. Our budgeting and acquisition models were born in a different era; they often move too slowly for a world where software and AI capabilities improve in weeks, not years. Even Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks has pointed out that the cumbersome acquisition process is one of the biggest vulnerabilities to our readiness. We are advocating for reforms (and Congress is listening) to give us more flexible funding and faster budget reprogramming authority. In parallel, we educate both our workforce and our industry partners: startups learn how to navigate DoW requirements and contracting, and our program managers learn to better accommodate the rapid cycles of commercial tech. In my role, I sometimes feel like a coach for two teams that need to meet in the middle, the innovators and the institution. When each better understands the other’s challenges (the startup’s cash burn rate vs. the colonel’s need for requirements and safety certifications), that common ground becomes the basis for real progress. We start to see the Valley of Death not as a fatal inevitability, but as a solvable problem of alignment.

From Military Organization to Technology Enterprise

One of the most striking shifts I’ve witnessed is the DoW embracing an identity as a technology enterprise. This goes beyond buying new gadgets; it’s a mindset change at every level. We are infusing tech into our culture and operations the way a Silicon Valley firm might, except our “profits” are measured in national security and lives saved. Today, our senior leaders talk about data and AI in the same breath as artillery or armor. We are building high-tech infrastructure like secure cloud data centers for the military, restoring domestic semiconductor manufacturing capacity for defense needs, and monitoring critical supply chains to ensure we aren’t dependent on foreign sources for key components. 

The National Security Strategy drives this home with a call to “never be dependent on any outside power” for materials needed for national defense. Supply chain resilience has become as much a part of the CTO’s concern as network bandwidth or software updates. I find myself in discussions about microchip supply and rare earth elements, topics that traditional war colleges barely touched upon in the past. We know that if our advanced AI-enabled systems are built on fragile or foreign supply lines, we have a critical vulnerability. So, we work proactively to secure these and even design around them when needed, fostering redundancies and domestic alternatives.

Being a tech enterprise also means investing in our human capital differently. We are recruiting more software developers, data scientists, and AI researchers into the ranks and civilian workforce. We are creating new roles, the Army, for instance, now has “AI technicians” and even AI-focused career tracks to teach core AI skills to future leaders and make AI literacy as fundamental as marksmanship. In my own team, I have a mix of uniformed officers with computer science degrees working alongside Silicon-Valley-trained civilians. Together, they form a bridge between the military’s ethos and the tech sector’s agility. We’ve also forged tighter partnerships with the private sector; in many ways, the DoW is acting like a customer with specific needs that we actively communicate to industry, rather than just a passive buyer of off-the-shelf tech. Our mantra has become “faster and smarter.” 

We know our adversaries are racing to harness AI, cyber, and autonomous systems as well. To stay ahead, the DoW must be the side that introduces emerging technologies and software updates faster than anyone else, gaining a tactical and operational edge. This imperative drives us to adopt modern development practices like agile software sprints, rapid experimentation exercises with operators in the loop, and continuous learning. It’s a profound change: the Department of War is learning to think like a technology innovator while never losing sight of its core mission, to deter and, if necessary, win wars.

Building Trust Across All Echelons

Technological transformation isn’t just about hardware and code; it’s about people. One of the hardest yet most rewarding parts of my job has been building trust in new technologies across all ranks, from the four-star general to the frontline soldier. I’ve learned that even the most groundbreaking AI system will fail if the people expected to use it don’t have confidence in it or don’t see how it helps them. Therefore, a CTO must also be a diplomat and educator, easing fears and closing the knowledge gap.

Early on, I encountered skepticism when introducing AI tools. Some experienced commanders worried that algorithms might make grave mistakes, while enlisted personnel feared being “replaced” by automation. This is where transparent leadership and gradual adoption steps in. We started training programs and familiarization courses to demystify AI. In the Army, for example, an “AI Users’ Course” was developed to teach soldiers and civilians about data quality and the basics of AI capabilities before those tools even hit their units. I’ve hosted live demos where an AI would assist with a dull planning task or sort through intelligence images, and then invite the users to ask every question and even try to “break” the tool. Through these efforts, we show that AI is a mission enabler, not a threat. Over time, I’ve seen attitudes shift from caution to curiosity to outright enthusiasm. As one defense technology leader noted, our goal is to make soldiers comfortable with AI by helping them understand how it works and why it’s an empowering tool they can employ effectively.

Building trust also means proving the technology’s value. One success story in our organization came from the world of logistics. The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) introduced robotic process automation (RPA) bots to handle some repetitive supply documentation. Understandably, the staff initially bristled, they thought the “robots” might do away with their jobs. But we worked closely with the DLA CIO’s team to communicate and pilot these automations. Soon, the results spoke for themselves: mundane data entry tasks were executed in seconds, backlogs disappeared, and personnel found their time freed up to tackle more engaging, analytical work. 

The workforce’s skepticism gave way to buy-in as they realized no one was being rendered obsolete; on the contrary, they were now able to focus on problem-solving instead of paperwork. Morale actually improved. In fact, the same people who were wary at first began suggesting new uses for the bots, effectively becoming innovators themselves. This kind of bottom-up embrace is the holy grail for tech adoption. It happens when people trust that the technology is on their side. And trust, in turn, comes from involving them early, training them, and delivering quick wins that make their lives easier.

Finally, trust must extend upward and outward. Senior leaders need confidence that these new technologies are reliable, ethical, and effective. We address this by rigorously testing systems in realistic exercises and by developing clear policies on AI use (for example, ensuring there’s always a human in the loop for lethal decisions, in line with our values). We also build trust with external stakeholders: Congress, oversight bodies, and the public, by being transparent about what we’re doing and why. America's AI Action Plan emphasizes the importance of secure and reliable use of AI throughout the military, and part of my job is articulating how we ensure security and reliability. Whether it’s explaining cybersecurity measures to protect an AI logistics system or demonstrating the fail-safes in an autonomous vehicle, this communication builds confidence up the chain of command and in society at large. In a high-stakes domain like war, trust is the bedrock of adoption. The more we cultivate it, the smoother our technological transformation will go.

Leading Through the Inflection

This inflection point at the intersection of war and technology is not a challenge for the faint-hearted. It demands leaders who are as comfortable debugging software as they are briefing strategy, leaders who can inspire an organization to “not do business as usual” because the future of our security depends on it. As a CTO in the Department of War, I often reflect on what it takes to lead through such times of upheaval. A strategic-yet-personal approach has served me best: staying grounded in the concrete needs of our operators and the practical realities of budgets and bureaucracies, while never losing sight of the bigger picture and high stakes.

Every day, I remind myself and my colleagues why we push for innovation. It’s for the young patrol leader who needs a real-time drone feed to make the right call under fire. It’s for the logistics specialist trying to get supplies through in a cyber-contested environment. It’s for deterrence in an era when our adversaries are harnessing AI, and for the promise that American technological ingenuity can keep our troops safe and effective. The 2025 National Security Strategy frames it as preserving our way of life and ensuring no adversary can hold America at risk, and those words guide me on long nights when red tape or technical hurdles abound. In those moments, I’ve learned that persistence and partnership are key. No CTO, and no innovation champion, can do this alone. We need the operators, the acquisition officials, the policymakers, and industry partners all working in concert.

My call to action, then, is simple: let’s all become bridge-builders. If you are a CTO or technology leader in the defense community, reach across that proverbial valley, to your counterparts in operations, to the startups with fresh ideas, to the financiers and lawmakers who control resources, and forge the connections that will carry innovation forward. If you’re a commander or a program manager, be willing to take prudent risks on new technology and empower your tech teams to experiment. To our industry partners: keep leaning in and aligning your solutions to real operational needs, as we will do a better job communicating those needs. And to everyone involved, remember that speed matters. As one of my colleagues likes to say, we need “speed with credibility,” the ability to prove a new technology works and field it at scale quickly without compromising safety.

We stand at a crossroads of history. The coming years will show whether we can navigate this valley and emerge with a force that is smarter, faster, and more resilient, or whether we stumble and cede our advantage. I am optimistic. Every day I see sparks of what the future can be: a young soldier brainstorming a new AI application during an exercise, a general advocating for experimental funding because she’s seen the potential first-hand, a private company adjusting its product after listening to feedback from Marines. These are the bridges being built in real time. This is how we navigate the valley. Leading through this inflection point means harnessing all this energy and aligning it with our mission. It means, ultimately, refusing to accept that “that’s how we’ve always done it” is good enough. The security of our nation, and the lives of those who defend it, demand that we do better and do it faster.

Conclusion

In the Department of War, we often say our ultimate goal is to make sure the United States never enters a fair fight; we want every advantage for our warfighters. Achieving that in the 21st century means excelling in technology as much as in tactics. As a CTO and as a leader, I’m committed to that cause. We are navigating this valley one innovation at a time. My challenge to peers and partners is to join me in pushing boundaries, bridging that gap between prototype and deployment, and ensuring that technology serves strategy at every turn. Together, let’s build the future force that our nation needs. The valley of death can be defeated, and on the other side lies an era of security and strength born from innovation. Let’s get to work.