14 January 2013 (Armed With Science,
U.S. Department
of Defense, Washington, D.C.)
Here is an interesting article (interview with U.S.
Air Force Colonel Edward L. Vaughan) from the official U.S. Defense Department
science blog:
The article contains a video, “Welcome to 2035…the Age
of Surprise,” which has been produced by Colonel Vaughan and his team at Air
University.
Quotes from the article:
1) “Air Force Colonel Edward L. Vaughan is the ANG
Advisor to the Commander and President at Air University at Maxwell Air Force
Base, Alabama. His job? Thinking ahead. Specifically technologically.”
‘You’ve got to be ready for something to happen
that you’re not ready to have happen.’ ”
– U.S. Air Force Colonel Edward L. Vaughan.
2) “But why is the Air Force looking so far ahead when
naysayers could argue we can’t know what we’re up against in thirty years?
Simply put, we’d rather not be caught off guard.
Think about it.”
3) “ ‘We need people across the spectrum; people in
industry, people within the military, people from other countries! We need to hear what they think – and what
they have to say – about what might happen in a landscape twenty to twenty-five
years in the future. That will help us
make minor course corrections now so that when we get there the surprise is
less of a surprise.’ ”
– U.S. Air Force Colonel Edward L. Vaughan.
4) “One of the greatest benefits of this video is that
it will help leaders of all levels to think about the future in a more coherent
fashion. It opens the aperture on
strategic thought and strategic clarifications for the future. Including preparing for unknown threats to
the United States.”
5) “ ‘Most of our science fact has its roots in
science fiction.
These labs have to
figure out some direction to go and something
to invest in, and the guys
sitting around coming up with the ideas
on what we’re going to look at next –
these are all science fiction
fans.’ ”
– U.S. Air Force Colonel Edward L. Vaughan.
6) “Arthur Clark said that ‘Any sufficiently advanced
technology is indistinguishable from magic.’ ”
– U.S. Air Force Colonel Edward L. Vaughan.
7) “This video gives people the possibility to see the
plausible reality in that ‘magic,’ and to consider the possibilities.”
8) “Just because those possibilities seem a little
far-fetched today does not mean that they won’t be commonplace realities
someday.
And speaking of science fiction, how would Col.
Vaughan feel about extraterrestrials getting their hands (or tentacles,
phalanges, what have you) on this video?
[laughs] ‘Well before we made the video, the faculty
and the students involved in the Blue Horizons project sat down to brainstorm
and determine ‘who is our audience, who are we making this for?’ We ABSOLUTELY
do not want aliens to watch this.’
He went on to mention that he answers the question as
a hypothetical, but this video was intended for Earthling eyes only. We can’t have those E.T. folks gaining
insight into our future strategy, after all.”
9) A photo of the Earth including an image of a flying
saucer, with the following text: “All right, move it along. Nothin’ to see here.
Just keep on truckin’, mister.”
“So I guess the Age of Surprise will have to remain a
mystery for all those off-world fans. I
guess this means the aliens will be left with cat videos and dubstep teen pop
stars gallivanting all over stages in bright clothing.
Just like the rest of us.”
The article is written by Jessica L. Tozer, a blogger
for DoDLive and Armed With Science.
The Seal of the United States Department of Defense
(wikimedia.org image)
Robert L. Hastings,
(gwu.edu photo)
