Defense Technology Guideline 2023
To defend our nation at all times with technologies
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Purpose
This guideline outlines the direction of the reinforcement of the defense technology base to actively promote all Japan Ministry of Defense (JMOD) efforts in accordance with the National Security Strategy, National Defense Strategy, and Defense Buildup Program. JMOD publishes this guideline as a message to our partners, including the relevant ministries, research institutes, industry, academia, and allies and like-minded countries. JMOD will improve the predictability of our partners and share the common understanding to promote technological cooperation with our partners.
Our vision
JMOD / Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) needs to have sufficient defense capabilities. The objective of reinforcement of the defense technology base is to support Japan’s defense capabilities through technology solutions. Therefore, our vision of the future is “To defend our nation at all times with technologies.”
This guideline will be anchored by two pillars.
1st Pillar Accelerating delivery of functions and equipment
We will deliver the functions and equipment in the seven fields of key capabilities as mentioned in National Defense Strategy to warfighters in a timely manner (by 5 years until FY 2027 or within approximately the next 10 years). We will develop these functions and equipment through the reformed R&D process.
2nd Pillar Ensuring technological superiority and creating advanced capabilities
Over the next 10 years and further ahead, we will put the various technologies into practical and operational use as brand new functions and equipment under nationwide collaborations that gather science, technology, and innovation (STI) capabilities from the public sector and the private sector of Japan. These efforts will create the new values as functions and equipment to resolutely defend our nation, and these values will transform JMOD / JSDF into the organization that is capable of responding to future warfare. In this guideline, we will call this transformation defense innovation, and we will secure technological superiority in the future and realize the advanced capabilities ahead of other countries through defense innovation.
Means to realize our vision
To achieve the 1st and 2nd pillars, we will create our functions and capabilities that JMOD / JSDF needs, nurture the technologies strategically, and understand the various science and technology factors. We will carry out the various efforts of the three means with the relevant ministries, research institutes, industry, and academia. For this purpose, we will establish the ecosystem that makes continuous growth of JMOD and stakeholders and sustainable cooperation while ensuring technology preservation.
The important technology areas
The important technology areas to defend our nation at all time (hereinafter referred to as the important technology areas) are determined in this guideline.
Over the next 10 years and further ahead, the important technology areas include both the technology areas that should be acquired through JMOD's own investments and the technology areas to be acquired under the cooperation between the public and private sector in order to ensure technological superiority in the future to acquire advanced capabilities ahead of other countries.
