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

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.

Illuminated brain map with network pathways. Visualization of interconnected neural pathways in brain.
Cognitive Warfare and the Changing Character of Engagement: A Neurostrategic Perspective
By Dr. James Giordano | April 9, 2026
The contemporary battlespace is undergoing a profound transformation in its fundamental logic.

Cover of PRISM Vol. 11, No. 2
Controlling Command: Is AI Capturing the Ethics of War?
By Dr. James Giordano and Dr. Elise G. Annett | April 8, 2026
The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) with military operations is accelerating across global powers, including the United States, its allies, and competitor states such as China and Russia.

Research and developement concept background of scientist or reseacher using microscope in biotechnology laboratory overlay with DNA strand and molecules symbol, concept of DNA engineering.
Defining the Palette of Biodeterrence: Appreciating a Broader Toolkit
By Dr. Diane DiEuliis and Dr. James Giordano | March 31, 2026
As noted in the recently released Biodeterrence Framework, biological weapons present a uniquely complex challenge to traditional models of deterrence, in that their development can be concealed within ostensibly legitimate scientific enterprise, their effects may be delayed or ambiguous, and their attribution can often be difficult, particularly given the increasingly broadened scope of biothreat possibilities.

A Green Beret assigned to the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) calibrates an unmanned aerial system during Next Generational Command and Control (NGC2) training support of Ivy Sting IV at Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site, Colorado Feb. 4, 2026. The training enhanced Special Operations Forces integration into NGC2 systems alongside 4th Infantry Division to improve mission command capabilities and interoperability in large-scale combat operations. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Christian Dela Cruz)
Precision in Words, Precision in Warfare: Terminology and Control in Military Discourse on Unmanned Systems
By Dr. Elise Annett, John Bitterman, and Dr. James Giordano | March 11, 2026
Unmanned vehicular systems (UVS) spanning aerial, maritime, terrestrial, and sub-surface domains have become integral to intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), logistics, strike operations, and electronic warfare. Yet despite the increasing ubiquity and sophistication of these technologies, discourse surrounding their capabilities can be undermined by imprecise terminology that conflates the terms automatic, remote, and autonomous in policy, technical, operational, strategic and policy briefings and planning.

Dr. Giordano joins NATDEF, a podcast hosted by NDU's College of Information and Cyberspace (CIC).
Disruptive Technology & the Future of Warfare, Discussion with Dr. James Giordano
By Dr. James Giordano | Feb. 26, 2026
Dr. James Giordano joins the NATDEF podcast, hosted by NDU's College of Information and Cyberspace.

Glowing blue biohazard symbol over a dark digital background with binary code and circuit patterns, representing cyber-biological threats.
How AI Can Help Enforce the Biological Weapons Convention
By Dr. Elise Annett, Dr. James Giordano, and Brendan Melley | Feb. 23, 2026
President Donald Trump’s recent proposal to the United Nations General Assembly regarding the use of artificial intelligence systems to support oversight and enforcement of the Biological Weapons Convention represents a significant milestone in focusing emergent technological approaches to international biosecurity.