Smart Bases, Smart Decisions
By Dr. Harold J. Arata III, Mr. Brian L. Hale
| July 31, 2018
We are living in a time when virtually anything can be connected to the Internet: from smart clothing to autonomous driving to near realtime management of assets in agriculture, manufacturing, logistics, and more—the possibilities are endless. Among this connectedness, the smart cities trend continues to gain momentum. In November 2017, a real estate investment firm owned by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates announced they purchased nearly 25,000 acres, approximately 45 minutes west of downtown Phoenix for $80 million for development into a smart community. [1] Similarly, Google's parent company, Alphabet, committed $50 million for a Toronto neighborhood development, AT&T is investing nearly $3 billion in the Atlanta area to enhance smart-city networks, and Saudi Arabia is forecasting a $500 billion investment in a mega-city spanning three countries intended to “push the boundaries of innovation.” [2,3] A smart base may be able to take advantage of the same benefits anticipated for a smart city, with added military capabilities—mission assurance and mission command.
Smart Bases, Smart Decisions