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High technology was not born in Silicon Valley, but in the war


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Technology is the strong foundation of national power. Technologies that define an era usually come from a great geopolitical power. Their uses are clear. For example, Roman engineering helped shape the Mediterranean world. British technology created and supported the industrial revolution. These empires could absorb the cost of innovation because they had the money to do so. They also knew that this would only strengthen their strength. And because the technologies are aimed at strengthening the power, even the best ones in the goal, are invented for military objectives.


Think of, for example, iPhone, an invention of Apple, Steve Jobs's genius, and a handy, harmless product. Or at least that looks like that. The main part of the iPhone, as happens with so many electronic devices today, is the microprocessor. The microprocessor was sponsored by the US government long ago when it needed a lightweight computer for missiles, planes and other systems.

Soon, technology was used in F-14 fighter planes, intercontinental ballistic missiles and nuclear missiles dumped by submarines.

We move ahead in time and go back to 1985. General Dynamics, known at that time as GTE, helped the US Army create an advanced network for a device invented about 12 years ago. The device was the cell phone, which would face the first real test during the Desert Storm Operation. The army needed a reliable wireless communication system that could be relocated easily. And the cell phone was the most suitable.

Many of the iPhone accessories, as well as support functions, were developed for similar purposes. The idea of digital photography was developed by the National Intelligence Bureau, which needed a more efficient way to produce photographs taken from satellites.

Maps and location services also have military origin. The GPS was originally meant to steer precisely the systems and vehicles of the armed forces, not Uber's drivers. The satellites that make the GPS available, even today, are commanded by the US Air Force.

And then there is the internet that we all have at our disposal today. It was developed by the Agency of Advanced Projects of Defense - mostly known as DARPA.


The latest generation of iPhones provide voice recognition software. SIRI, as we know it today, was initially a project of SRI International, an American research institute funded by DARPA.

When high technology matures, some points are to be highlighted.

The first and most apparent is that the iPhone, an icon of innovation, is in fact a set of old technologies; Only SIRI was invented this century. In fact, Apple upgraded those technologies, united them into a single platform, and transformed that platform into a packaged product that was brilliantly sold. However, what is called "high technology" is often an older innovation, updated for modern use. It's evolutionary, but it's not revolutionary.

Second, the Army is a primary source of innovation in our society. The 50 years of the Cold War marked a peak of technological growth. The technology needed to support global warfare - in space, in the air, in the sea, under the sea, and on the ground - required unlimited creativity. In this regard, the US, with its intellectual and financial resources, had the advantage. But the public is either unaware or indifferent to the fact that most of the technologies we consider today to be peaceful are designed to allow the US to make global thermonuclear warfare.

Third, we remember not only the age of the technologies, but also their maturity. Maturity is different from the age. The microprocessor can not be considered the latest technology - it was used in practice before 1970. But neither can be considered obsolete. It is still widely used. It has become the foundation of society, though it is not being radically renewed. The same can be said about the car and the internal combustion engine. It was incredibly useful and sold for more than a century, but the basic innovations were in place since the 1970s. The industry was mostly concerned with marketing after that year.

The biggest innovations follow this model. A handful of scientists create opportunities, which then develop for military use before being sold to consumer markets. Governments, which are responsible for national defense, usually fund research.

The private industry, which ultimately benefits from it, is highly opposed to the risk of investing at that time. Instead, it benefits from military research and development, uses it, and announces how much they dislike government interventions in its work.

Selling products is important, but we need to understand the role played by the war on consumer products. For pacifists who love technology and libertarians who love it at least as much, it's a very deep irony. / George Friedman / Mauldin Economics

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