Unit X How the Pentagon and Silicon Valley are transforming the future of war

Technology with national security implications has been advancing at an incredible pace. Previously research and development done by the Department of Defense was adopted outside of the military. Shah and Kirchhoff started an organization within the DoD, the Defense Innovation Unit (experimental), or DIUx, that aimed to work in the other direction and bring outside advances inside. Their plan to bring Silicon Valley start-ups into the defense industry and battlefield-changing technologies into the hands of soldiers, airmen, sailors, and marines, required considerable disruption, reform, bureaucratic shake-ups, and a great deal of perseverance on all sides. This is the story of Shah and Kirchhoff's journey and a detailed and absorbing examination of how the government operates. The authors succeed in making an account of a computer program that streamlines aerial refueling processes exciting. They do the same for AI-powered satellites, drones of every shape and purpose, next-generation sensors, and the processing power that borders on magic that makes it all work. Unit X is a must-read in this age of renewed great-power competition, shining light on the future of defense technology.