Video On Demand

Report Launch: Software-Defined Warfare

September 7, 2022 • 2:00 – 3:15 pm EDT

Designing the DOD’s Transition to the Digital Age

This event will have an in-person audience and will be webcast live from this page. In-person attendance for this event will be limited. Please register using the button above and indicate whether you plan to attend online or in person.

A forthcoming report by the inaugural Chief Technology Officer of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and former Director of the Department of Defense's (DOD) Joint AI Center discusses key concerns and recommendations onredesigning the DOD for next generation war fighting systems.

In future crises and conflicts, the side that adapts faster and demonstrates the greatest agility—to include rapidly updating and promulgating fielded software and AI models—is likely to gain a significant competitive advantage. For the United States to retain its dominant position in the future—which is not a guaranteed outcome—the DOD needs a new design and architecture that will allow it to be far more flexible, scale on demand, and adapt dynamically to changing conditions. The only way for the DOD to stay competitive in this new warfighting environment is to ensure that it uses the most potent weapon available: technology, and more specifically, software.

Join CSIS for a panel discussion on software-defined warfare with Nand Mulchandani, CTO of the CIA, and Lt. General (Ret.) John N.T. “Jack” Shanahan, former Director of the DOD's Joint AI Center.

This event is made possible by general support to CSIS.