Miles Jamison 
- Don Claussen says defense programs should track technology integration time
- The Parry Labs CEO argues that integration speed is a critical advantage
- Claussen calls for open architectures and government-owned integration rights
Parry Labs CEO Don Claussen is calling on defense agencies to measure how quickly emerging technologies can be integrated into military formations, arguing that integration speed should be treated as a warfighting advantage.
In an article published by Defense News, Claussen said agencies should add a measure for how long it takes to move a capability from identification to use by a military unit.
Why Does Claussen Want Integration Time Measured?
Claussen said acquisition officials should establish an integration-time measure and use it to assess how quickly new capabilities can reach operational units. He noted that acquisition programs routinely track cost and schedule, while the time required to integrate a capability is rarely measured.
He cited an Army experiment involving about 20 capability providers, including companies focused on autonomy, sensors and networking. More than a dozen providers completed the technical integration for the exercise, which used shared data standards and a common data layer.
Claussen said only about three of the providers had completed cyber authorization for the Army network, with technical integration taking weeks while the authorization process took months. The experiment showed that multiple companies could work with a shared technical environment without each having to develop a separate integration approach.
What Changes Does Claussen Recommend?
Claussen said defense agencies need architectures that can accommodate capabilities from different vendors without requiring each addition to undergo a separate integration effort.
He said those architectures should use common protocols and data standards so equipment from different manufacturers can be incorporated into the same operational environment.
Claussen also recommended making integration rights an evaluated acquisition requirement. He called on industry to publish interfaces and document data models and urged Congress to fund integration infrastructure alongside individual military systems.
An Army directive issued by former Army Secretary and 2026 Wash100 Award winner Dan Driscoll in August similarly requires acquisition programs to use modular, standards-based interfaces and obtain the technical data, software and government data rights needed to support interoperability.
The Parry Labs CEO said the defense sector should focus on creating formations that can absorb new technologies faster rather than trying to predict which technology will prove decisive years into the future.
Parry Labs has also pursued similar integration goals through its work with General Dynamics Land Systems. Under a five-year agreement announced this month, GDLS will standardize on Parry Labs’ STRATIA and VIW software across its combat vehicle platforms, with the companies citing interoperability across changing vehicle architectures.
