Research Guides: Military Technology: Home

How to Use this Guide

This guide is designed to introduce you to library resources and reliable open source resources on Military Technology. Start your search with the USMC Research Library Online Catalog, or the Library's Journal Search Portal, BrowZine.

Search terms may include:

keyword(s)
subject(s)
book title
journal title
Government agency, such as DARPA

A cornerstone document is the Critical and Emerging Technologies List Update: A Report by the Fast Track Action Subcommittee on Critical and Emerging Technologies of the National Science and Technology Council (February 2024). It provides a variety of keywords/subjects useful in constructing a search.

Resources

Hybrid Intelligence: Decision Dominance at the Strategic Level
From USAWC's War Room - read about AleSA (artificial-intelligence-enabled strategic advisor), October 17, 2024
Overview of Department of Defense Use of the Electromagnetic Spectrum
Congressional Research Service (CRS) Report, August 10, 2021
CNAS "Integration for Innovation: A Report of the CNAS Defense Technology Task Force"
September 2024

Topics can include, but are not limited to, the following, as discussed in the CRS Report, "Emerging Military Technologies: Background and Issues for Congress":

artificial intelligence
lethal autonomous weapons
hypersonic weapons
directed energy weapons
biotechnology
quantum technology
disruptive technologies

You may even wish to look at the topic from a historical viewpoint of the military technology used during various wars and conflicts

Start your search with the USMC Research Library Online Catalog! Here are some titles you might be interested in:

Army of None by Paul Scharre
Call Number: UG479 .S37 2019 (2nd Deck)
The era of autonomous weapons has arrived. Today around the globe, at least thirty nations have weapons that can search for and destroy enemy targets all on their own. Paul Scharre, a leading expert in next-generation warfare, describes these and other high tech weapons systems--from Israel's Harpy drone to the American submarine-hunting robot ship Sea Hunter--and examines the legal and ethical issues surrounding their use. "A smart primer to what's to come in warfare" (Bruce Schneier), Army of None engages military history, global policy, and cutting-edge science to explore the implications of giving weapons the freedom to make life and death decisions. A former soldier himself, Scharre argues that we must embrace technology where it can make war more precise and humane.
Engineering Victory by Thomas F. Army; Thomas F. Army
Call Number: E468.9 .A67 2016 (2nd Deck)
Engineering Victory brings a fresh approach to the question of why the North prevailed in the Civil War. Historian Thomas F. Army, Jr., identifies strength in engineering?not superior military strategy or industrial advantage?as the critical determining factor in the war's outcome. Army finds that Union soldiers were able to apply scientific ingenuity and innovation to complex problems in a way that Confederate soldiers simply could not match. Skilled Free State engineers who were trained during the antebellum period benefited from basic educational reforms, the spread of informal educational practices, and a culture that encouraged learning and innovation.
The Imagineers of War by Sharon Weinberger
Call Number: U394.A75 W45 2017 (2nd Deck)
Founded in 1958 in response to the launch of Sputnik, DARPA has been responsible for countless inventions and technologies that have evolved from the agency's mission- forward-thinking solutions to the Pentagon's challenges.
Technology and War by Martin Van Creveld
Call Number: U27 .V27 1991 (2nd Deck)
Van Creveld considers man's use of technology over the past 4,000 years and its impact on military organization, weaponry, logistics, intelligence, communications, transportation, and command.
War, Science and Terrorism by J. Richardson
Call Number: U390 .R53 2002 (2nd Deck)
Describes the application of research to the evolution of weapons. It shows how natural, engineering, information and environmental sciences are exploited how even social science is applied to recruitment, battlefield and logistical management, and careful preparation of terroristic acts. Also available as an electronic version.

You can search for a specific journal title/keyword/subject using the Library's BrowZine portal or the library's online catalog -- available 24/7. Here are some articles to get you started. Also included in the list are open access articles as well.

MEAT VERSUS MACHINES: HUMAN INTUITION AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
By Andrew A. Hill and Stephen Gerras; War Room article (online), 5 Sept 2024 - Article #1, series of 3
The 10 Breakthrough Technologies Issue
From the MIT Technology Review, March/April 2022
Modern Electromagnetic Spectrum Battlefield: From EMS Global Supremacy to Local Superiority
By Major Stephanie Ricciardi and Major Cedric Souque, PRISM 9, No. 3, pg. 123-139
MIT Technology Review (Journal)
Check out the USMC Research Library's online holdings for this journal
Army scientists pick top 10 coolest advances of 2020
By U.S. Army DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory Public Affairs, January 13, 2021
Military Applications of Artificial Intelligence Ethical Concerns in an Uncertain World
by Forrest E. Morgan, Benjamin Boudreaux, Andrew J. Lohn, Mark Ashby, Christian Curriden, Kelly Klima, Derek Grossman. The authors survey technologies broadly classified as Artificial Intelligence (AI), consider their potential benefits in military applications, and assess the ethical, operational, and strategic risks inherent in these technologies.
U.S. Military Investments in Autonomy and AI: Executive Summary
by Margarita Konaev, October 2020, Center for Security and Emerging Technology
The Evitability of Autonomous Robot Warfare
Sharkey, Noel E. "The Evitability of Autonomous Robot Warfare." International Review of the Red Cross, Suppl.New Technologies and Warfare 94 (886) (Jun 2012): 787-799. This is a call for the prohibition of autonomous lethal targeting by free-ranging robots. This article will first point out the three main international humanitarian law (IHL)/ethical issues with armed autonomous robots and then move on to discuss a major stumbling block to their evitability: misunderstandings about the limitations of robotic systems and artificial intelligence.

As your research progresses, you may find that your best search results pointed to certain databases. So an alternative search technique is selecting a specific database to search. This will limit your search results because you aren't searching "everything."

Some specific databases you may wish to use are:

Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC)
Be sure to check out DTIC's Techipedia and Journal of DoD Research and Engineering (JDR&E) resources
Catalog of U. S. Government Publications
Search for government documents produced through the Government Publishing Office (GPO)
Congressional Publications (Proquest)
Research Congressional Hearings and Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports
EBSCOhost MCU Databases
Academic Search Complete (within this database suite) has FULL TEXT of the MIT Technology Review from 05/01/1990 to present.
JSTOR
ProQuest
Select and search multiple ProQuest databases available
more...less...
Military collection, political science, criminal justice, sociology, business, research library, historical Washington Post and other newspapers.
Homeland Security Digital Library
A wealth of military publications. Check out the Special Collections, Presidential Documents, and links to Research Tools. "In Focus" touches on 60+ hot topics. And the HSDL Blog keeps you abreast of newsworthy items. Check out the "DHS Innovation, Research & Development Strategic Plan: Fiscal Years 2024-2030" at https://www-hsdl-org.lomc.idm.oclc.org/c/abstract/?docid=888679

Future Kill Chains: Harnessing Emerging Technology to Improve Marine Corps Warfighting
Author: Major Jesse T. Knight, CSC, AY 2019-2020

National Spectrum Strategy (2023)
Prepared by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) under the Biden Administration; November 13, 2023
Congressional Research Service
CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role.
DAU Spectrum Supportability and E3 Policy and Guidance
Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA)
Defense Innovation Unit
"The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) strengthens national security by accelerating the adoption of commercial technology throughout the military and bolstering our allied and national security innovation bases. DIU partners with organizations across the Department of Defense (DoD)to rapidly prototype and field dual-use capabilities that solve operational challenges at speed and scale." DIU website
DoD Office of Strategic Capital
DoD memo creating Office of Strategic Capital (OSC) within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (USD) for Research and Engineering (R&E), dated 1 Dec 2022
HDIAC
The Homeland Defense & Security Information Analysis Center (HDIAC) is a component of the U.S. Department of Defense’s Information Analysis Center (IAC) enterprise.
Brute Krulak Center for Innovation & Future Warfare
Marine Corps Software Factory (MCSWF)
Marine Innovation Unit
United States Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL)
Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering
U.S. Army Mad Scientist Laboratory
U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)
U.S. Army Research Laboratory
U.S. Department of Defense: Spotlight on Science & Tech

MCO 5231.4, Marine Corps Data and Artificial Intelligence, March 2024

2023 National Defense Science & Technology Strategy
From the DoD; released 9 May 2023
DoD Electromagnetic Spectrum Superiority Strategy
October 2020
Defense Innovation Unit Annual Report FY2023
DoD Critical Technology Areas
Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering
United States Marine Corps Artificial Intelligence Strategy
10 July 2024

National Defense Magazine podcast
NatSec Technology
From SCSP (Special Competitive Studies Project)
Warfighter Simulation & Training Podcast (UK)
"The Warfighter Simulation & Training podcast provides a glimpse into the fascinating future that is being built by militaries and government agencies around the world. The current convergence of emerging technologies brought together from key sectors will deliver an ever increasing force-multiplying benefit to the Warfighter, across all domains."

Dissertations from civilian academic can offer more ideas for your research.

AFIT Scholar
Air Force Institute of Technology
Dissertations & Theses Global: The Humanities & Social Sciences Collection (ProQuest)
Dissertations & Theses Global: The Sciences and Engineering Collection (ProQuest)
Johns Hopkins University JScholarship
JScholarship is an open repository of works about JHU, scholarship authored by JHU researchers, and Digital Collections of the Sheridan Libraries and Museums. I'd like to recommend "Devil Dogs and the Valley of Death: Partisan Interests and Marine Corps Innovation" by LtCol Rob Gerbracht, USMC, December 2023. https://jscholarship.library.jhu.edu/search?query=devil%20dogs%20and%20the%20valley%20of%20death

Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s Two-Decade Critical Technology Tracker: The rewards of long-term research investment (2024)
Read the Executive Summary or download the full report from this page
Australian Strategic Policy Institute's Critical Technology Tracker
"Explore https://techtracker.aspi.org.au/ as it contains an enormous amount of original data and analysis. There is also a range of visual snapshots including one that outlines the lead country and technology monopoly risk and another that shows the top 5 country rankings."
Center for Naval Analyses (CNA)
Center for a New American Security (CNAS) Defense Technology Task Force
Link to "Integration for Innovation" report, September 2024 - https://www.cnas.org/publications/reports/integration-for-innovation
Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
American Think Tank in Washington, D.C. Easiest search is to use the Topic link and select the topic of your choice. Check out the CSIS Futures Lab as well..
Defense News
Defense One News
Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Tech Research Institute
"Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) is a Department of Defense (DoD) designated University Affiliated Research Center
(UARC) and develops advanced technology solutions and large-scale system prototypes to address the most difficult
problems in national security. GTRI is the nonprofit engineering and applied research and development arm of the Georgia
Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech)."
Institute for Defense and Government Advancement
"A non-partisan think tank dedicated to the ongoing development and promotion of the DoD, Armed Services, and Federal Government’s critical defense goals. IDGA's Mission: Conduct extensive research into the US Government’s and Armed Forces’ most critical challenges in order to provide a platform to learn, share & connect through engaging live and digital formats designed to facilitate mission success."
Lincoln Laboratory (MIT)
Mayo Clinic Department of Defense Medical Research Office
Mid-Decade Challenges to National Competitiveness, Sept 2022
Report from the Special Competitiveness Project. From the website "The Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP) is a bipartisan, non-profit initiative with a clear mission: to make recommendations to strengthen America’s long-term competitiveness for a future where artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies reshape our national security, economy, and society. We want to ensure that America is positioned and organized to win the techno-economic competition between now and 2030, the critical window for shaping the future."
National Defense Magazine
Check out the monthly column, "Emerging Technology Horizons"
RAND Corporation

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