Protecting Army Aviation and Enabling Military Dominance Through Disruptive Innovation

State and non-state actors are challenging the US Army’s asymmetric strategic advantage and global military dominance. Countries such as Russia and China are incorporating technological advances to limit and challenge the US Army’s capabilities and freedom of maneuver. Non-state actors are acquiring advanced weaponry creating a hostile environment for Army aviation operations in the Middle East, and these revisionist elements challenge the US’s hegemony making the world more violent and unstable. To thwart the projected actions of state and non-state entities, the US Army needs to undergo another disruptive innovation in military power. The Persian Gulf War was a demonstration of the US military’s last disruptive innovation resulting in global military dominance, and the US Army is currently planning for the next leap in military capability. This paper proposes that the path to the next disruptive innovation is through investments in the foundational technologies of nanotechnology, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence. Applying these innovations to Army Aviation Advanced Protection Systems creates an asymmetric strategic advantage ensuring global freedom of maneuver for the US Army’s land forces.