Conference Presentation, Panel
A New Era of Military Technology | Global Conference 2025
- Panel Composition & Strategy: The session featured three defense technology startups (Hidden Level, Epirus, NextNav) rather than traditional "prime" contractors (Boeing, Lockheed Martin), emphasizing agility and novel approaches to current warfare gaps highlighted by Eric Schmidt.
- Hidden Level's Passive Surveillance Model:
- Jeff Cole (CEO) describes a dual-use business model selling hardware to the DoD while providing "Spectral Weather" as a subscription service (Air Surveillance Data as a Service).
- The technology utilizes passive radar to detect non-RF emitting targets (e.g., dark drones, stratospheric balloons) by leveraging existing RF signals to illuminate the sky.
- Deployment Speed: The company established a "program of record" in under two years—significantly faster than the traditional 8+ year timeline—by initially developing the tech as Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) and leveraging the OSD's "Accelerating and Fielding of Innovative Technologies" (AFIT) program.
- Operational Impact: Deployed within 24 hours over New England airspace during unexplained drone incursions; facilitated the arrest of a drone operator within 7 minutes of detection via integration with state/local and federal (NORAD) networks.
- Capability Scope: Provides 3D positioning for drones, fighter jets, projectiles, RF jammers, and adversarial radars to cue countermeasures.
- Epirus's Directed Energy Solutions:
- Matt Markle (CTO) details the company's High-Power Microwave (HPM) systems, described as "force fields" designed to disrupt drone electronics without kinetic impact.
- Economic Logic: Addresses the cost asymmetry of traditional counter-UAS by using low-cost HPM to neutralize drones valued at $5,000–$20,000, avoiding the use of missiles costing hundreds of thousands.
- Technical Architecture: Systems are scalable, modular, and software-programmable, borrowing technology from phased-array radar communities; four units sold to the US Army, with additional sales to Marines.
- Effectiveness: Capable of physically defeating drones by disrupting internal timing signals between rotors/control surfaces; no known countermeasures currently exist.
- Dual-Use Potential: Expands beyond military to critical infrastructure protection (nuclear plants, power grids, financial infrastructure) and major civil events (e.g., Super Bowl).
- NextNav's PNT (Positioning, Navigation, Timing) Backup:
- Mariam Sarand (CEO) identifies GPS as a critical single-source vulnerability vulnerable to jamming and spoofing, noting that GPS denial is already impacting national security and the $1.6 billion/day economy.
- The Threat: Adversaries (Russia, China) have developed terrestrial-level backup positioning systems (e.g., China's BeiDou), whereas the US relies heavily on vulnerable satellite signals.
- Solution: NextNav leverages a "sliver" of commercial 5G/4G networks (Positioning Reference Signal) to provide a terrestrial, jamming-resistant PNT alternative.
- Current Status: Currently deployed for commercial 3D location (Z-axis) services via Verizon and FirstNet; seeking regulatory approval (FCC) for 2D horizontal positioning (XY) to support E911 and broader PNT needs.
- Funding Strategy: Aiming to monetize via commercial 5G partnerships rather than solely relying on government funding to overcome the high cost of building a standalone terrestrial network.
- Acquisition & Bureaucracy:
- Shortcuts to Market: Startups utilized non-traditional contracting vehicles like One-Time Agreements (OTAs), Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Organizations (RICTOs), and "Buy, Try, Decide" models to bypass the slow traditional procurement pipeline.
- Integration Challenges: Success requires strict adherence to military standards (ATAC, WINTAC, VADC2) and Modularity Open System Architecture (MOSA) to ensure interoperability with legacy Command and Control (C2) systems.
- Cultural Friction: Participants noted the inherent "lethargy" of government bureaucracy versus the speed of startups, though the DoD is actively trying to educate the community on interoperability standards.
- Geopolitical & Strategic Trends:
- Global Competition: The US is falling behind in technological resilience, particularly regarding PNT; China and Russia have proactively built terrestrial backups to counter GPS jamming.
- Active Conflict Lessons: Conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East, Nagorno-Karabakh (Armenia/Azerbaijan), and India/Pakistan are driving rapid innovation in drone warfare and electronic warfare.
- Domestic Vulnerabilities: Unexplained aerial phenomena and communication disruptions in the US (e.g., "Havana syndrome," Newark airport incursions) highlight that US "oceanic moats" are no longer effective against backpack-sized electronic warfare kits.
- Forward-Looking Statements:
- NextNav emphasizes the urgency of fixing the GPS vulnerability "when the sun is shining" rather than waiting for a catastrophic failure.
- Jeff Cole predicts that systems combining sensing (Hidden Level) and directed energy (Epirus) will be essential for protecting critical mass gatherings and critical infrastructure.
- The panel concluded with a prediction that unexplained aerial phenomena and related security issues will remain a critical focus for the Milken Institute conference in 2026.