Why some experts say the U.S. is in ‘catch up’ mode in the future of war
PBS News Hour - Segments
PBS NewsHour
4.1 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 26 October 2025
⏱️ 6 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | In a recent address to top military leaders, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth laid out his ambitious vision for the Pentagon. |
| 0:09.0 | This urgent moment, of course, requires more troops, more munitions, more drones, more Patriots, more submarines, more B-21 bombers. |
| 0:16.0 | It requires more innovation, more AI in everything and ahead of the curve. |
| 0:24.7 | More cyber effects, more counter-UAS, more space, more speed. |
| 0:28.1 | America is the strongest, but we need to get stronger and quickly. |
| 0:34.8 | But questions remain about how the military translates that more of everything vision into reality, |
| 0:39.8 | especially as technologies like drones and AI rapidly transformed the battlefield. |
| 0:41.1 | Ali Rogan spoke with retired Army Colonel Ken Glyman, the editor-in-chief of Small Wars Journal |
| 0:46.6 | and a professor at Arizona State University. |
| 0:49.7 | Thank you so much for joining us. |
| 0:51.3 | We know that a big priority for the military right now is finding out rich innovations to invest in. |
| 0:57.4 | So what are some of the benefits of new technologies like these smaller, more agile, cheaper to develop drones? |
| 1:03.5 | And what are some of their drawbacks? |
| 1:05.6 | When we're talking about inexpensive but potentially lethal or highly capable systems. I mean, one of the great benefits |
| 1:12.8 | is that they are attritable and that they don't cost a lot and they can be used on the battlefield, |
| 1:17.7 | of course, without risking the life of the individual human. We are seeing this incredible |
| 1:23.9 | innovation cycle in the current conflicts. And I think part of the issue that the U.S. is facing right now is that we are so used to |
| 1:32.3 | these more expensive boutique systems that take a long time to develop and that we can't |
| 1:38.3 | afford to lose. So the question for the U.S. right now is how to get these types of systems that are less expensive |
| 1:47.3 | that are highly, as I said, attribable and expendable. And does that mean that the U.S. is really |
| 1:54.8 | in catch-up mode when it comes to investing in these types of innovations? I think the U.S. is in catch-up mode, certainly depending |
| 2:03.2 | on who you're comparing the U.S. too. When it comes to these types of systems that you're |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from PBS NewsHour, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of PBS NewsHour and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.