Technological changes are inevitable, often of great benefit, and they must be understood by all maritime leaders. Since the Navy's beginnings, it has created, adapted, rejected, and sometimes grudgingly accepted new technologies. Technological changes in the maritime arena have ranged from the highly disruptive transition from sail to steam propulsion to the adoption of nuclear power for submarines and surface ships. This entry into the Wheel Book series considers the nature of technological innovation in the U.S. Navy, and it discusses the manner in which the Navy is currently adopting new technologies like robotic and autonomous systems, CYBER, and LASERS.
