Weapons: A Report on the Industry

Abstract

The weapons industry -- with products ranging from nuclear weapons to non-lethal arms -- is large and complex. Despite this complexity, it maintains an especially close relationship with its main customer, the United States military. Therefore, while the weapons industry faces many of the same challenges as other industries, it also faces unique issues as a major supplier to a transforming military. This paper examines the industry's ability to perceive and effectively incorporate disruptive innovations, as defined by Clayton Christensen, which may dramatically change the nature of the industry. Ability to anticipate and respond to change is not only necessary for a victorious military, as noted by General Giulio Douhet, the Italian air strategist, but is also vital for the survival of an industry.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2005
Accession Number
ADA449551

Entities

People

  • Shannon Brown
  • Susan Maybaumwisniewski
  • Walter Kreitler

Organizations

  • National Defense University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Autonomy
  • Biomedical
  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Aircrafts
  • Command And Control
  • Commerce
  • Directed Energy Weapons
  • Disruptive Technology
  • High Power Microwaves
  • Law
  • Military Applications
  • National Security
  • Nonlethal Weapons
  • Organizational Structure
  • Unified Combatant Commands
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare
  • Weapons Effects

Readers

  • Economics
  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Strategic Security Studies