In October 2024, the Hudson’s Center for Defense Concepts and Technology and the National Defense Industrial Association Emerging Technologies Institute co-hosted an event to discuss the Department of Defense’s efforts in joint experimentation, and how the Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve (RDER) is bridging the “Valley of Death” in ways that transcend funding gaps to acquisition. This report outlines why experimentation is needed, how joint experimentation benefits both DoD and industry, and the role of the under secretary of defense for research and engineering and the assistant secretary of defense for mission capabilities in identifying and transitioning new technologies.
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Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signs the golden book as he meets Norway’s king on October 20, 2026, at the Royal Palace in Oslo. (Getty Images)