When it comes to technology, the Department of Defense (DoD) is best known for its weapons. But, as the T2 community knows full well, the technologies developed by the DoD often have potential benefits that extend far beyond the battlefield.
The FLC National Award winners in this Spotlight are shining examples of the broad reach of defense-related T2.
The decontaminant powder developed by the Army Combat Capabilities Command (CCDC) might have been originally intended to combat chemical and biological terrorist agents, but the same technology also has numerous non-military applications, including neutralizing areas exposed to infectious diseases like COVID-19.
Similarly, the Air Force Research Laboratory's secure, cloud-based communications system was originally developed with defense scenarios like terrorist attacks in mind, but can just as easily be applied to the response needed in the aftermath of hurricanes, earthquakes, or other non-military disasters.
And the new Maryland Defense Technology Commercialization Center, jointly created by the Army CCDC and the state Department of Commerce, lays the groundwork for any Maryland business to license DoD technologies—including those related to food chemistry and the environment—for non-military applications as well as those one might expect.
Please join us in congratulating the award winners on their noteworthy innovations.