Failure IS An Option: Army Gen. Murray

He is right. If we expect to field perfect systems, we are doomed. There will be failures; we have to learn from them and improve.

I think it is key to obtain synergy by integrating various networks, new weapons systems, and possibly new doctrine.

A very specific challenge that sheds light on a much broader concept... much to unpack here.

It's not just about emerging technologies to wage war on an evolving battlespace... it's about a culture of innovation, experimentation, and application that assumes levels of risk necessary to achieve progress. Consider the space program; would we ever have reached the moon without the Apollo fire? What about the Space Shuttle? What debts do all of these programs owe to the test pilots memorialized on street signs at Edwards AFB? How do we count the cost in material and human life expended to break the sound barrier, achieve orbit, implement stealth technology, and own the night?

I think this permeates into every facet of defense... even down to the unit level where decisions made in the field may have impacts on the national and international stage. Perhaps we're too compartmentalized as organizations; the risks being borne out insulated from the "big picture", allowing leadership to measure success by "X days without incident", or "Y dollars saved", as opposed to the overall tactical or strategic goals being contributed to.

Things change with time, and naturally, we cannot accept the level of risks taken a century or more ago... but perhaps we should be reminded that real development takes place in the crucible of chaos, error, and breakdown.