A group of small, inexpensive satellites capable of recording the movements of enemy forces at night or even in dense clouds is being tested. Ukrainethanks to a contract between an American startup company run and the Pentagon. A lot of innovative protection systems are being tested in this way on the battlefields of Ukraine, as a new type of unmanned aerial vehicle capable of shooting down drones. All these systems have earned the praise of the Ukrainian military, confirming the vision of their developers.

Their main opponent, however, is the slowness of the Pentagon bureaucracy. Startups often offer cheaper alternatives to building defense systems than the defense industry giants that the Pentagon has traditionally relied on. While the Department of Defense has offered such contracts to smaller companies, the deals are for a limited number of vehicles and are not sufficient to ensure the survival of these companies. Many were forced to retire, delaying the research and development of innovative protection systems.

Finally, the leadership of the Pentagon shows that they are aware of the problem. “These kinds of changes are not happening as quickly and smoothly as we would like,” the US Secretary of Defense said in a December speech. USA, Lloyd Austin. To conclude a contract with a defense enterprise, the Ministry of Defense requires a number of decisions and approvals from Congress, with funding for each stage of research and development of the system to be approved separately. Defense startup executives are calling the situation a “valley of death,” a place where the slowness of the government machine is killing small businesses with unreliable funding.

Ukraine is testing high-tech military equipment, and the Pentagon is adopting the spirit of Silicon Valley.

San Francisco-based Primer Technologies has created an artificial intelligence system capable of analyzing thousands of hours of unencrypted Russian military radio communications to identify potential targets. The company is currently struggling to survive as payments on government contracts are delayed.

In recent years, Pentagon officials have been taught to avoid past failures that have led to overpricing of military contracts. “Buyers of Pentagon equipment have learned to say no so that they don’t face sanctions later,” says the founder of such a startup company.

Its importance high-tech equipment however, on the battlefield are contested by other government officials. “Whatever his favorite gadget, only the mass production of heavy weapons can win the war. In the trenches against the Russian military, this is not Silicon Valley, but ordinary soldiers, ”US Deputy Secretary of Defense for Armaments William LaPlante recently said. However, the Pentagon’s task of choosing the right contract is often hampered by the tendency of many startups to exaggerate the capabilities or features of their products.