Industry Studies Group Papers

The Industry Studies Group Paper provides a current analysis of the domestic and international industry capability to support the 2022 NSS and NDS, and government-private sector interactions that impact the national innovation and defense industrial base. Students demonstrate the ability to evaluate international industry that supports the national innovation and defense industrial bases; derive fact-based, analytical, and resource-informed policy recommendations; and communicate them in a compelling fashion. Students develop actionable and resource-informed policy recommendations to strengthen the national innovation and defense industrial bases.

The Antonelli Award

Major General Theodore Antonelli Award for Research & Writing Excellence, was established in 1993 by the ICAF/Eisenhower School Alumni Association. Major General Antonelli served in North Africa and Italy during World War II as well as later in Vietnam. He later became the highly regarded 13th commandant of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, from 1975 to 1978. This award recognizes the Industry Study Group Report that best reflects the standards of analytical excellence expected of the Industry Study Program and all Eisenhower School graduates. Apply the filter "Antonelli Award" to see each year's winning papers at the bottom of this page.

Featured Papers

Antonelli Award | Oct. 28, 2025

All Ahead Full: Revitalizing the U.S. Maritime Industrial Base

2025 Antonelli Award Winner-The United States has long depended on maritime power to safeguard national interests, drive economic growth, and maintain global influence. Central to this capability is the Maritime Industrial Base, a complex ecosystem
Antonelli Award | May 31, 2024

America Can Afford Survival A Capable U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise i...

2024 Antonelli Award Winner: Great Power Competition (GPC) with two nuclear peers/near-peers is driving the United States to confront the realities of an aging nuclear weapons stockpile and production infrastructure, shrinking manufacturing base, and
Antonelli Award | May 30, 2023

Transforming the Defense Space Architecture with the Tools of the U.S. F...

2023 Antonelli Award Winner: The asymmetric advantage the United States has long enjoyed in space diminishes as adversaries threaten the space system architecture underlying that advantage. The U.S. space system architecture depends on large,

Filtered Returns

Results:
Tag: Robotics and Autonomous Systems

Robotics and Autonomous Systems

Autonomous Systems and Robotics (Formerly Robotics) Sept. 25, 2025

Autonomy & Robotics at the Crossroads Policy Recommendations to Secure a Strategic Advantage

The Autonomous Systems & Robotics (AS&R) industry is increasingly consequential to national defense and economic competition. This research examines the current structure and challenges of the AS&R sector through Porter’s Five Forces, while drawing from extensive research, field studies, and comparisons with partner nations. While the U.S. continues to lead in several areas of robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) development, the U.S. Defense Industrial Base (DIB) faces numerous limitations, many of which stem from outdated policy frameworks, rigid acquisition models, and dependence on foreign suppliers. To outpace China, the DoD must secure supply chains and standardize autonomy to ensure AS&R systems are interoperable, scalable, and field-ready.

Robotics and Autonomous Systems

Robotics and Autonomous Systems: May 30, 2023

The Rise of Robots and Autonomous Systems: Unraveling the Challenges in U.S. Commercial and Defense RAS Industries

General Douglas MacArthur is famously credited with saying, “Military failure can almost always be summarized in just two words: Too late.” Recently, the Secretary of the Air Force, Frank Kendall, resurrected this phrase to warn slow technological movement would place the United States at a strategic military disadvantage, with potentially devastating effects. As the U.S. faces a pacing challenge with China, with implications for the global world order, U.S. Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) advancement will play a critical role. The 2022 National Defense Strategy emphasizes autonomous technology as an asymmetric approach to deter aggression, change kinetic conflict, and complicate escalation dynamics. The Department of Defense (DoD) seeks to mature autonomous technology through strategic investments in the domestic ecosystem and with U.S. allies and partners. The rapid advancement of commercial RAS drives the need for DoD to be a fast follower, rapidly incorporating commercial capabilities into military-relevant capabilities. Unlike many industries, the greatest obstacles to full RAS incorporation, commercially and militarily, will be cultural, ethical, and social. Accordingly, for the DoD to achieve superiority across the RAS industry, the United States must deftly navigate not only the technological challenges, but also the “soft” challenges: safety, social acceptance, trust, and human-machine integration.

Robotics and Autonomous Systems

Robotics and Autonomous Systems May 30, 2022

Shaping a Responsible and Security Future with Robotics and Autonomous Systems

The United States’ ability to promote innovation and growth in the robotics and autonomous system (RAS) industries directly impacts US national security and global stability. The character of warfare is constantly evolving. Recent events in Ukraine (and previously in Nagorno-Karabakh) revealed that RAS represents a disruptive technology at the leading edge of that evolution. RAS enable smaller, dispersed forces to effectively challenge legacy sources of military strength in the air, on land, and at sea.