The Department of War (DOW) announced yesterday, November 17, 2025, its list of six Critical Technology Areas (CTAs). Trimmed from the 14 critical technology areas established during the Biden administration, DOW is signaling an aggressive focus on rapid deployment of technologies to ensure military superiority.
The new, streamlined list of CTAs “represent the cutting edge of research and engineering, designed to deliver immediate, tangible results to the warfighter and ensure the United States remains the most lethal fighting force in the world,” as stated in the DOW release.
The six focused CTAs are:
- Applied Artificial Intelligence (AAI): Focused on “transforming decision making and overall operational efficiency.”
- Biomanufacturing (BIO): Designed to “harness living systems to enhance resilience and eliminate any potential supply chain vulnerabilities.”
- Contested Logistics Technologies (LOG): Aimed at enabling DOW to “operate and resupply in austere environments.”
- Quantum and Battlefield Information Dominance (Q-BID): Will help warfighters “move freely around the battlefield, even inside degraded or denied environments.”
- Scaled Directed Energy (SCADE): Focused on accelerating research and development (R&D) for these novel weapon systems.
- Scaled Hypersonics (SHY): Focused on accelerating R&D for these novel weapon systems.
Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering Emil Michael discussed the change in a video announcement, stating “It is my responsibility to ensure that our war fighters remain unmatched in their ability to defend freedom and secure peace across every domain of warfare against any adversary and under any conditions.”