A plea to the Pentagon: Don’t sacrifice resilience on the altar of innovation New Atlanticist by JC Herz The Pentagon building is seen in Arlington, Virginia, on October 9, 2020. Photo via Carlos Barria/Reuters. Americans love to invent, and this culture of innovation has driven US military acquisition. From Samuel Colt’s revolving pistol to Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s funding of Internet 1.0 to the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization’s rapidly fielded IED jammers, we excel at pushing the state of the art. This mythos informs a narrative that what is valuable is The New—the upgrade to something bigger, badder, and sexier. Innovation has been such an effective prescription for economic growth and military dominance that we view it as the answer to whatever disease ails our national-security institutions. What the United States needs to reinvigorate its defense base, compete with China, and win the global economy