Supply Chain

War, Progress, and Budget Cuts

Oct. 17, 2011

In his wonderful book, THE NEXT DECADE, George Friedman makes a strong case that many of America's best 20th Century innovations stemmed from military goals and objectives.

The development of aircraft and radio has been- and remains- one of the military's most subsidized endeavors. It resulted in the creation of the modern airline and broadcasting industries.

The interstate highway system was first conceived as a military project to rapidly move troops in the event of a nuclear attack.

The microchip stemmed from a need to guide nuclear missiles and rockets into space.

And, the Internet began as a military communications project.

Despite the fact that America has been at war for more than a decade, few major technological developments have to-date originated from the light-infantry conflicts of Iraq and Afghanistan.

With budget cuts pending across the entire U.S. government, the expectation that cutting-edge innovation and breakthroughs will come from the Pentagon should be tempered.

About the Author

Andrew R. Thomas Blog | Associate Professor of Marketing and International Business

Andrew R. Thomas, Ph.D., is associate professor of marketing and international business at the University of Akron; and, a member of the core faculty at the International School of Management in Paris, France.

He is a bestselling business author/editor, whose 23 books include, most recently, American Shale Energy and the Global Economy: Business and Geopolitical Implications of the Fracking Revolution, The Customer Trap: How to Avoid the Biggest Mistake in Business, Global Supply Chain Security, The Final Journey of the Saturn V, and Soft Landing: Airline Industry Strategy, Service and Safety.

His book The Distribution Trap was awarded the Berry-American Marketing Association Prize for the Best Marketing Book of 2010. Another work, Direct Marketing in Action, was a finalist for the same award in 2008.

Andrew is founding editor-in-chief of the Journal of Transportation Security and a regularly featured analyst for media outlets around the world.

He has traveled to and conducted business in 120 countries on all seven continents.