Key Takeaways:
- The pace of innovation in 2025 was extraordinary, with technologies like artificial intelligence, autonomy, electronic warfare, and resilient cyber architectures redefining speed, cost, and security.
- Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) is the backbone of modernization, ensuring upgrades take weeks, not years, and driving innovation across the industrial base.
- Artificial intelligence, autonomy, and cyber resilience will be crucial in 2026, with a focus on scaling responsibly, expanding reach, and reducing risk.
- Interoperability and industrial strength are essential for the success of combined joint all-domain command and control (CJADC2).
- Enforcing frameworks that enable these technologies, such as acquisition roadmaps with MOSA milestones and contractual requirements for non-proprietary interfaces, is critical for their success.
Introduction to Emerging Technologies
The year 2025 has been a transformative period for the defense and industry sectors, with technology playing a pivotal role in reshaping them. John Bell, the chief technology officer of HII Mission Technologies, emphasizes that the pace of innovation has been extraordinary, but the real test lies ahead. As we move into 2026, it is essential to identify the technologies that will not only endure but excel in the coming year. Four technologies stand out: artificial intelligence, autonomy, electronic warfare, and resilient cyber architectures. These technologies are redefining speed, cost, and security in ways that demand disciplined execution.
The Modular Open Systems Approach
The Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) has proven to be a competitive advantage in 2025. Programs that have adopted open architectures have accelerated delivery and lowered costs, while those with proprietary ecosystems have struggled with delays and ballooning budgets. In 2026, MOSA will be the backbone of modernization, ensuring that upgrades take weeks, not years, and driving innovation across the industrial base. By mandating non-proprietary interfaces, MOSA enables competition and drives innovation, making it an essential framework for the success of other technologies.
Artificial Intelligence: From Hype to Utility
Artificial intelligence (AI) has moved from promise to practice in 2025, with the explosion of publicly available information creating both opportunities and challenges for decision-makers. Generative AI offers new possibilities for transforming unstructured data into usable insights, clustering narratives, and highlighting emerging risks in real-time. Agentic AI is also an exciting shift in artificial intelligence, reshaping how we think about automation, autonomy, and intelligent systems. In 2026, the challenge will be scaling AI responsibly, with a focus on transparent algorithms, rigorous testing, and modular integration.
Autonomy: Expanding Reach and Reducing Risk
Autonomous systems have proven their worth in 2025, extending reach and reducing risk in various domains. The unveiling of HII’s ROMULUS family of unmanned surface vessels (USVs) has crystallized this shift, demonstrating the potential for machines to lead the future fight. In 2026, autonomy will expand further, enabled by open architectures that allow rapid integration of new payloads and mission software. The lesson is clear: autonomy thrives when modularity is enforced, and proprietary ecosystems slow progress.
Cyber Resilience: The Hidden Enabler
Cybersecurity has been tested relentlessly in 2025, with vulnerabilities in critical systems being exploited with alarming speed. The winners have been those who have embraced modular, open cyber architectures, allowing for rapid integration of patches, monitoring tools, and detection modules. In 2026, cyber resilience will be the decisive factor in whether advanced technologies survive contact with adversaries. Open standards will enable seamless integration of advanced monitoring and remediation tools, reducing the window of vulnerability and keeping pace with evolving threats.
Interoperability and Industrial Strength
Beyond individual technologies, 2025 has underscored the importance of interoperability. Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) cannot succeed if data remains trapped in proprietary silos. Open standards are the key to fluid communication across services and with allies. Additionally, modular open systems architectures strengthen the defense industrial base by inviting participation from both established primes and agile startups, broadening innovation and reducing dependence on single vendors.
From Policy to Practice
The technologies that shaped 2025 will only excel in 2026 if leaders enforce the frameworks that enable them. This means acquisition roadmaps with MOSA milestones, contractual requirements for non-proprietary interfaces, and active participation in industry consortia to align standards. It also requires cultural change, moving beyond incremental process reforms to embrace openness as the default. By enforcing these frameworks, leaders can ensure that the technologies of 2025 continue to drive innovation and success in 2026 and beyond.