Kristen Smith 
- Gilliland argued that stitching technologies together would bring a decisive military advantage
- Warfighters often monitor multiple screens to track data from separate sensor feeds
- GDIT built DOGMA with Amazon Web Services to consolidate data into one picture
America’s defense advantage rests on integrating technologies into working systems, according to Amy Gilliland. The president of General Dynamics Information Technology and a nine-time Wash100 Award recipient made the argument in a Forbes Technology Council column published Thursday. Gilliland is a former Navy surface warfare officer.
She wrote that low-cost drones in Ukraine, adversary cyberattacks and advances in AI are eroding traditional advantages, and that the pace of technological change “now rivals the threat itself.”
What Historical Case Does Gilliland Draw On?
Gilliland pointed to the frigates the United States built after the American Revolution, when British naval protection ended and pirates began targeting American merchant ships.
The live oak used in those hulls was denser and more resistant to cannon fire than what adversaries sailed, she wrote, citing historian Ian Toll’s account. But the timber itself was not the innovation.
Axes bounced off the logs and saws dulled instantly, Gilliland wrote. Shipbuilders had to rework vessel design, construction, rigging and training, and built full-scale prototypes of components that they dragged through forests to find trees with matching shapes.
That integration work, she argued, produced the advantage that helped defeat piracy and outmatch larger British ships in the War of 1812.
What Is the Modern Integration Problem?
Modern forces depend on sensors, software, secure networks, autonomous systems, satellites and combat platforms operating as one, Gilliland wrote.
She cited Lt. Gen. Jeth Rey, who said at a GDIT event that data has become as critical as a shell or missile. The force able to connect, interpret and act on data fastest will prevail, she noted.
The problem shows up in contested airspace. Drones and maneuverable missiles complicate conventional air-defense targeting, and warfighters often work across multiple screens, tracking separate data sources, which slows decision-making.
How Does GDIT’s DOGMA Address It?
GDIT built the Defense Operations Grid Mesh Accelerator with Amazon Web Services, combining AI, cloud computing and satellite connectivity to process data points into one operational picture.
Gilliland wrote that the system reduces threat identification and response time from 30 minutes to under 3 seconds.
The two companies demonstrated DOGMA at the Department of War’s Technology Readiness Experimentation events, which the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering hosted to prototype and test defense capabilities. That demonstration paired GDIT’s LunaAI predictive analytics with AWS services and used the Cloud Edge Global Access platform for secure network access.
GDIT opened its Mission Emerge Center in Springfield, Virginia, in 2025, a 5,200-square-foot facility for work in AI mission analysis, tactical edge technology, high-performance computing and cyber.
