China is exploiting our government's tech weakness. We need a rapid reboot

After more than two decades of serving in the U S Navy and building governing body systems I have witnessed firsthand how millions of dedicated Americans work every day in operation of their fellow citizens and the defense of our democracy I have also seen both the immense likely and frustrating inertia that plagues general provision An unrealized opportunity exists to connect the U S government's critical missions with the transformative power of commercial machinery Consider this of the world's largest companies by sphere capitalization a staggering eight are American founded This is no accident it is a direct outcome of our nation's unparalleled entrepreneurial spirit The critical question however is whether our own governing body is prepared to harness this strategic asset Instead of tapping this engine of innovation the U S cabinet is held captive by its outdated processes Entrenched legacy vendors have dug their claws in and this has led to a general resistance to change As the saying goes it takes a while to turn a big ship around US WARFIGHTERS ARE LOSING A MASSIVE FORCE MULTIPLIER ADVANTAGE AS CHINA ADVANCES IN SPACEThat rings true with actual warships and aircraft carriers but it also applies to how governing body agencies resist adopting new tools that improve collaboration efficiency and safety Instead the U S establishment and its outdated procurement processes cling to existing equipment platforms such as Microsoft s suite of products that have been compromised time and again by China which also happens to be one of the company s largest part notable business partners Latest the shackles of vendor lock-in where the cabinet becomes overly reliant on specific vendors even if they underperform is crucial for fostering a new era of innovation that benefits America When a company or product fails to perform well in the commercial sector it's terminated promptly In the general sector the company is usually allowed to see out their multi-year contracts and when it s eventually time to negotiate a renewal all is forgotten A more competitive masses sector landscape welcoming innovators and startups can provide fresh perspectives specialized solutions and the speed to address rapidly evolving challenges WE HAVE TO ACT NOW TO KEEP AI FROM BECOMING A FAR-LEFT TROJAN HORSEThis is not a unique approach Other nations are adopting this model attempting to gain an edge over America For example China launched a initiative in with partners including Alibaba Cloud and Baidu to advance computing power and AI Russia subsidizes companies implementing digital transformation and Iran despite sanctions is investing significantly in AI research and building a sovereign AI ecosystem Our adversaries recognize that commercial tools drive rapid progress and are actively urgent down walls to catch up to American AI leadership There are understandable reasons for hesitancy For years Silicon Valley has been closely associated with the move fast and break things mantra while the U S ruling body has looked on with both envy of the speed and efficiency and concern over promising impacts to its services However learning from the commercial mindset of agility and a relentless drive for improvement will help it to serve the American residents better The benefits Reduced waste greater efficiency and better taxpayer value EXPERT SPEAKS OUT ON 'PERFECT SOLUTION' TO FEDERAL HIRING ISSUES CREATING NATIONAL GUARD CONCERNSNowhere is this approach more critical than in national assurance The threats America faces are constantly evolving and leveraging emerging equipment to do so Maintaining our edge requires more than just incremental improvements it demands continuous access to cutting-edge capabilities CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINIONLeveraging the R D engines of American commercial innovation in areas like AI cybersecurity details analytics and resilient infrastructure is not just advantageous it's essential If Washington fails to leverage this homegrown ingenuity it does so at our national peril especially as our adversaries work tirelessly to do just that Regime agencies tasked with everything from defending the nation to delivering healthcare services need to have immediate access to the latest advancements in AI and input analytics and they can only do so by leveraging powerful commercial tools with a platform for continuous improvement an asset for national guard and general provision AI could be used to accelerate specific of the government's the bulk notorious backlogs such as the millions of immigration court cases the accumulation in environmental reviews for potency projects and pileups in programs like Social Shield or Veterans Affairs healthcare AI can analyze input at lightning speed helping federal agencies and their partners deliver on mission-critical work at an accelerated pace The urgent need for a more agile efficient innovative and secure establishment is too notable to ignore This is a pivotal moment By embracing the discipline accountability and innovative spirit of the commercial sector the U S establishment can unlock new levels of performance and effectiveness Change is hard But as adversaries gain on America or worse overtake us change is mandatory