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For America’s 250th anniversary, Cogs of War ran ten essays on innovations forged in wartime that subsequently diffused throughout the civilian economy, or had a lasting impact on society, governance, and Americans’ relationship with technology. We received submissions on a wide range of technologies, ranging from a copying lathe built for musket stocks after the War of 1812 to the stealth bomber. Over the last few weeks, subscribers to our free newsletter voted, and we’re pleased to announce the winners of our contest below.
One idea surfaced in most of the essays: Historically, the government’s role in innovation was as much a buyer and standard-setter as it was an inventor.
For example, in 1936, the Army decided that all Air Corps engines would be designed for 100-octane fuel, which gave refiners the ability to scale necessary infrastructure before wartime. Air Force contracts enabled Texas Instruments to keep producing integrated circuits before commercial applications drove down costs. And today, the government owns the PALS webbing standard, so any vendor can make gear for it. In these stories, the commercial payoff came later, often unexpectedly and sometimes after decades.
These stories suggest lessons for the current acquisition debate, in which subjects like speed and commercial solutions feature heavily. Those are important subjects. These essays suggest, though, that the government’s leverage has historically come from committing early to things the market did not yet value. Two of these articles show what can happen when that government commitment erodes: Sarah Kreps shows how leading-edge chip fabrication concentrated in Taiwan, and Julie George details how DuPont eventually sold its Kevlar business to a private-equity-owned company.
Congratulations to all ten authors, and thanks to everyone who voted. These are the top five winners:
1. Naveen Krishnan, “The Blood Bank and the Logistics of Wartime Medicine”
2. Aubry Eaton, “Blanchard’s Lathe and the Long Arc of American Manufacturing”
3. Julie George, “The Strategic Fiber of America: Kevlar’s Impact on Warfighters”
4. Thane C. Clare, “Hyman Rickover and the Birth of Nuclear Power”
5. Sarah Kreps, “The Integrated Circuit and the Future of American AI Leadership”
War on the Rocks memberships also go to Mike Benitez for “The Davis Wing, the B-24 Liberator, and the Self-Made Bet That Paid Off,” T. Nelson Collier for “What America Learned About Democracy When It Gained Stealth,” Caitlan Fealing for “The King of Cool: Mobile Refrigeration and the Remaking of Global Logistics,” Jim Perkins for “MOLLE, PALS, and the Empty Loops of America’s Civil-Military Divide,” and Aidan Poling for “The Octane Revolution: How Jimmy Doolittle Catalyzed a Wartime Industry.”
You may find the full series here.
Image: U.S. Army TARDEC via Wikimedia Commons.
