Jane Edwards 
Steve Escaravage, president of Booz Allen Hamilton’s defense technology group and a 2026 Wash100 awardee, said the character of warfare is changing rapidly as the U.S. military integrates artificial intelligence, autonomy, electronic warfare and other new technologies into operations.
What Did Steve Escaravage Say About Electronic Warfare, Drones & AI?
In an interview published on Booz Allen’s website, Escaravage said defense leaders are moving beyond debate and toward broad recognition that emerging technologies are fundamentally changing warfare.
According to Escaravage, electronic warfare has become so advanced that any platform emitting a signal may only have seconds or minutes before it becomes a target.
He highlighted the rapid impact of first-person view drones, which combine visual navigation with autonomous delivery. He said these systems have already proven disruptive and will likely drive even more transformative developments over the next 12 to 18 months.
Escaravage also pointed to the growing role of AI in combat operations. He emphasized the importance of building trust in AI-enabled systems and maintaining human control.
Why Does the Pentagon Need to Shift to a Software-Defined Force?
Escaravage, who served as a commissioner for the Atlantic Council’s software-defined warfare report, said the Department of War must shift toward a software-defined force built on commercial-first principles.
He argued that DOW needs to remove manual processes and use software to rapidly generate and present decision options in a standardized format. He said this shift would allow military leaders to operate at what he described as “the speed of relevance.”
He also highlighted the importance of prioritization, pointing to the SDW report’s recommendation to “measure what matters.” He said the department should evaluate which capabilities generate the greatest deterrence or lethality and to optimize investments based on mission impact.
What Are Escaravage’s Thoughts on Edge Networks?
He said edge networks will become increasingly important as the Pentagon moves toward smaller formations supported by soldier-borne and soldier-worn systems.
“One area where we see great promise is integrating AI at the edge to both optimize connectivity and enable inference in the field—for example, our CardShark solution that we have built with Carnegie Robotics is currently shipping and supporting warfighters in the field today,” Escaravage added.
How Can the Pentagon Expand Industrial Base Competition?
Escaravage said the Pentagon should continue expanding pathways that speed up the evaluation, procurement and adoption of new technologies. Escaravage pointed to efforts tied to the Defense Innovation Unit and the Office of Strategic Capital as progress toward faster acquisition.
“We need to harness the power of our free market and entice companies with leading technology to want to do business with DOW,” he stated.
He noted that the department should encourage both specialization and competition to avoid an industrial base dominated by a small number of firms and boost adoption of outcome-based contracts to expand opportunities across the market.
What Other Defense Modernization Priorities Did Escaravage Highlight?
Escaravage addressed several other defense modernization priorities, including Indo-Pacific deterrence challenges and the need for improved data fusion as sensor collection outpaces bandwidth.
He also cited Booz Allen’s venture investments, startup partnerships, product development strategy, cyber-physical security and zero trust work, and the talent and performance metrics needed to deliver measurable mission impact.
