The "Politics and DV Engineering" working group analyses and comments on current political developments in the defence sector from a technological perspective. It provides facts on recent plays and developments and interpretation from the technological knowledge and experience of engineers.
The working group has compiled the questions and comments below on the future of technology development for Defence. These comments have been presented to the members of the Permanent Committee on Defence of the House of Representatives, among others.
Exponential developments in technology
The KIVI working group is concerned that Defence is losing touch with increasingly rapid and often unpredictable technological developments. EDA recently devoted an issue of the magazine "European Defence Matters" to this topic: "Innovate or risk disappearing", and in the United States the second DIUx(Defense Innovation Unit experimental) has now been set up for this purpose. This tendency is reinforced by the complexity and degree of bureaucracy of the classic off-the-shelf procurement methodology, where risk avoidance takes precedence over operational effectiveness in practice. Even when these risks are perfectly controllable through the knowledge and experience of OPCOs, DMO and TNO. High-quality technology will therefore not be available to the armed forces, or will be available at a later date, and this detracts from the consideration framework of the paper "In the interest of the Netherlands".
It would be good if the ministry develops policies that guarantee or at least promote connection with exponential technological developments.
The following are important in this regard:
- international cooperation with operational partners in the maritime, air and land domain - specialisation in technological niches where possible,
- cooperation with industry and research institutes - use the strength of Dutch technology knowledge,
- a new flexible procurement and cooperation methodology - according to Concept Development & Experimentation (CD&E) principles,
- intensify targeted R&D efforts - conceptually, and at lower TRL levels also financially,
- rethink the operational effectiveness of the buy-from-the-shelf policy.
