Axios Event: Gen. Mark Milley says we are amidst “the most fundamental change” in the character of war

WASHINGTON, D.C. – War is changing rapidly as new technologies and weapons systems upend battle tactics and introduce a new set of challenges for defense and national security.

• Axios co-founder Mike Allen and Future of Defense reporter Colin Demarest moderated conversations with former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Ret. General Mark Milley, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technologies Anne Neuberger at the event, which was sponsored by GE Aerospace.

Why it matters: General Milley said that we are amidst "the most fundamental change" in the character of war as rapidly emerging technologies like robots and artificial intelligence introduce massive consequences for global defense strategies, tactics and operations.

What they're saying: "Your two big ones that are emerging very, very rapidly is the introduction of robots … Combine that with the enormous power of quantum computing and artificial intelligence, and you've got some real significant fundamental changes," General Milley said.

• General Milley predicted that in 10 to 15 years from now, up to 1/3 of the U.S. military across land, sea and air forces could be robotic and driven by AI systems.

Other countries like Russia and China are also quickly harnessing these technologies for military use, signaling a sense of urgency for the U.S. to develop and manufacture necessary materials faster to keep up with adversaries.

• Rep. McCaul said he is focusing on finding ways to speed up the weapons manufacturing processes as current slowdowns pose threats to national security. "A lot of people don't realize that it's one of the biggest national security threats we have, is our ability to manufacture weapons on a timely basis," Rep. McCaul said.
• The weakest area for the U.S. in the context of the changing landscape of war is scaling industrial manufacturing, Anne Neuberger said, adding that "China has become the manufacturer of America."

Sponsored content:

In a View from the Top sponsored segment, GE Aerospace vice president of Edison Works advanced products David Tweedie said that we're at "an inflection point" in developing new technologies in defense, citing a recent innovation to make jet engines capable of withstanding higher temperatures.

• "Our jet engines operate at thousands of degrees of temperature, and we historically have used nickel-based metal alloys in those parts of the engine. We are transitioning to ceramic-based material systems that can operate 500 degrees hotter than our current material systems … it's a generational change, and we're the first company to industrialize those material systems for fielded aerospace use."