DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGY

 

 

INSS research focuses on the following disruptive technologies that enhance warfighter capabilities, readiness, and survivability; and which are being employed to shape the future operational environment and character of warfare. Biotechnology and biomanufacturing enable rapid production of critical supplies, and afford warfighters optimized capability to function in a range of operational settings and battlescapes. Directed energy systems provide precision responses to counter emerging threats of drones, hypersonic missiles, and adversaries use of advanced surveillance methods. Artificial intelligence integrates and enables use of vast data to improve information acquisition, analyses operational and decision-making. Autonomous systems extend operational reach and increase force capability and economy while reducing risk to personnel; and quantum technologies afford unprecedented sensing, communication, and computing capabilities to maximize mission effectiveness in contested environments. Together, these innovations fortify the joint warfighter, reduce vulnerabilities, enhance mission effectiveness, and provide decisive advantage in modern and future warfare.

Research and Commentary

A digital illustration depicting a human brain facing an artificial intelligence system, connected by streams of data and neural network patterns. The image symbolizes human-machine interaction, cognitive processes, artificial intelligence, and information exchange.
Autonomous Narrative Warfare: Engaging Agentic AI Within the Cognitive Battlespace
By Dr. Elise Annett and Dr. James Giordano | June 9, 2026
Cognition is becoming a focal domain of strategic competition of the twenty-first century battlespace.

Digital illustration depicting a human profile with an illuminated brain overlaid by data streams, circuitry, and numerical elements. The image symbolizes cognitive warfare, information influence, emerging technologies, and the intersection of human cognition and the information environment.
Cognitive Warfare at the Crossroads: Defining and Developing Capabilities
By Robert Schmidle, James Giordano | June 8, 2026
To date, there continues to be some discussion, including essays that have appeared in this forum, as to whether and to what extent cognitive warfare represents anything other than psychological operations (PSYOPS) with more sophisticated tools and methods, or if it actually is a unique and evolving domain of combat.

A stylized, futuristic human face rendered in blue and red digital circuits. The left side of the face glows blue with circuit lines, while the right side has warm orange and red colors with sparks of light. Surrounding the figure is a network of data pathways, symbolizing the intersection of human cognition and artificial intelligence.
"Strategic Insights" Moves to Monthly Release
By | May 20, 2026
Beginning in June 2026, Strategic Insights will shift from a weekly to a monthly release.

Title slide reading “Substrate Vulnerability: Neural Factors in Cognitive Security” by Dr. James Giordano, Institute for National Strategic Studies, National Defense University. INSS and NDU logos appear at the top, with a stylized portrait of Giordano on the right against a dark, abstract background.
Substrate Vulnerability: Neural Factors in Cognitive Security | James Giordano
By Dr. James Giordano | May 5, 2026
A realist approach to cognitive security must appreciate the dynamic interaction of biological, psychological and socioenvironmental factors as both (1) constituent to human function and (2) opportune targets of influence, and effect.

The K1000 ultra-long range endurance Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) is launched from a government owned non-tactical vehicle during the Army’s first battalion-level All-Domain Home Station Training (HST) exercise Static Focus 3 at Yakima Training Center, Wash., March 6th, 2025. The Army’s first MDO HST exercise enabled live training of the MDEB’s family of systems used to conduct Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition (RSTA) and non-kinetic effects execution. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Brandon Rickert)
Irregular Warfare, Part One: Updating the Term and the Toolkit
By Jocelyn Garcia and Dr. James Giordano | May 5, 2026
Irregular warfare (IW) is not a new phenomenon, although its contemporary character has been substantively reshaped by advancements in technology, and more specifically, by the developments in AI.

Artificial intelligence-powered training is a force-multiplier that can also scale to support more hours of training for more servicemembers. (Graphic provided by CAE)
Synthesized Command & Control: A new way human choices can guide AI warfighting
By Elise Annett and James Giordano | May 4, 2026
As the U.S. military races to adapt to ever-larger amounts of increasingly advanced, and iteratively autonomous AI, how do humans stay in control?

Illuminated brain map with network pathways
Losing the Loop: A Model for Human Operational Involvement Part Two: A Proposed System Toward a Solution
By Dr. Elise Annett and Dr. James Giordano | April 27, 2026
Last week’s “Losing the Loop: Iteratively Autonomous Artificial Intelligence and the Question of Human Operational Involvement” examined how increasing autonomy in agentic AI reshapes the structure, tempo, and locus of human decision-making in operational environments, particularly as these systems transition from analytic tools to increasingly directive and generative components of the human–machine team. Seen in sequence, the logic is cumulative. The first section demonstrates how autonomy can erode the integrity of the decision loop. The second makes that erosion visible, locating the specific points at which human judgment becomes constrained or displaced.

Futuristic War Strategy
Losing the Loop: Iteratively Autonomous Artificial Intelligence and the Question of Human Operational Involvement
By Dr. Elise Annett and Dr. James Giordano | April 21, 2026
The U.S. Department of War is rapidly scaling the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) to the warfighter, streamlining routine tasks so operators can focus on what matters most. The successful launch of GenAI.MIL signals both momentum and institutional commitment to embedding AI across operational environments.

A laboratory technician wearing full protective gear works inside a biosafety cabinet in a high-containment lab. The worker handles glass equipment and samples while surrounded by petri dishes and scientific instruments. Signs on the cabinet reference “Pathogen Construct” and “Aerosol Stability,” and a “BSL-3 Access” warning is visible, indicating research involving potentially hazardous biological materials.
Breaking (Bad) Biotech — Revisiting the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention
By Dr. James Giordano | April 16, 2026
Dr. Giordano explores how advances in biotechnology, like gene editing and AI, allow adversaries to easily create novel, weaponizable biological agents that are difficult to detect and defend against. In an evolving operational environment, the nature of biological warfare has shifted.

Screengrab of webinar
INSS Joins ASU Webinar to Discuss Ethical Frontiers of BCIs in Military Contexts
By Dr. James Giordano | April 15, 2026
There are growing considerations of using current and emerging neurotechnology to develop brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) aimed at optimizing performance of the joint warfighter.