John Bell is the chief technology officer of HII Mission Technologies, where he is responsible for technical excellence and innovation in growth, product and services delivery, and internal research and development.
As 2025 ends, one lesson is clear: Technology is no longer just enabling defense and industry—it is reshaping them. The pace of innovation this year was extraordinary, but the real test lies ahead. Which technologies will not only endure but excel in 2026? Four stand out: artificial intelligence, autonomy, electronic warfare and resilient cyber architectures. Together, they are redefining speed, cost and security in ways that demand disciplined execution.
Modular Open Systems: The Backbone of Modernization
The Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) proved in 2025 that openness is a competitive advantage. Programs embracing open architectures accelerated delivery and lowered costs, while proprietary ecosystems struggled with delays and ballooning budgets. In 2026, MOSA will be the backbone of modernization. Mandating non-proprietary interfaces ensures upgrades take weeks—not years—and competition drives innovation across the industrial base. MOSA is not just a technology—it is the framework that makes every other technology adaptable.
Artificial Intelligence: From Hype to Utility
AI moved from promise to practice in 2025. The explosion of publicly available information has created both opportunity and overload for decision-makers. Generative AI offers new possibilities for transforming this unstructured data into usable insights, clustering narratives, surfacing influence campaigns, and highlighting emerging risks in real time.
Agentic AI is also one of the most exciting shifts happening in artificial intelligence right now, and it’s reshaping how we think about automation, autonomy and intelligent systems. In 2026, the challenge will be scaling responsibly: transparent algorithms, rigorous testing and modular integration so AI tools can be swapped or upgraded as threats evolve. AI will not replace human judgment, but it will sharpen it.
Autonomy: Expanding Reach and Reducing Risk
Autonomous systems—underwater, aerial and ground—proved their worth this year. From unmanned underwater vehicles conducting persistent surveillance to aerial drones executing swarming maneuvers, autonomy extended reach and reduced risk. The unveiling of HII’s ROMULUS family of unmanned surface vessels (USVs), powered by the Odyssey Autonomous Control System, crystallized this shift. It was not just another platform—it was a declaration that the future fight will be led by machines capable of independent action, scalable deployment and seamless integration with human operators.
In 2026, autonomy will expand further, enabled by open architectures that allow rapid integration of new payloads and mission software. The lesson is clear: autonomy thrives when modularity is enforced. Proprietary ecosystems slow progress; open systems accelerate it.
Cyber Resilience: The Hidden Enabler
Cybersecurity was tested relentlessly in 2025, and vulnerabilities in critical systems were exploited with alarming speed. The winners were those who embraced modular, open cyber architectures—where patches, monitoring tools and detection modules could be integrated rapidly.
In 2026, cyber resilience will be the decisive factor in whether advanced technologies survive contact with adversaries. Open standards will allow seamless integration of advanced monitoring and remediation tools, reducing the window of vulnerability and keeping pace with evolving threats.
Interoperability and Industrial Strength
Beyond individual technologies, 2025 underscored the importance of interoperability. Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) cannot succeed if data remains trapped in proprietary silos. Open standards are the key to fluid communication across services and with allies.
Just as importantly, modular open systems architectures strengthen the defense industrial base by inviting participation from both established primes and agile startups. This broadens innovation, secures domestic control of critical intellectual property and reduces dependence on single vendors. In 2026, resilience will mean diversity—of suppliers, of ideas and of solutions.
From Policy to Practice
The technologies that shaped 2025 will only excel in 2026 if leaders enforce the frameworks that enable them. That means acquisition roadmaps with MOSA milestones, contractual requirements for non-proprietary interfaces and active participation in industry consortia to align standards. It also means cultural change: moving beyond incremental process reforms to embrace openness as the default.