Ten Wartime Technologies at America’s 250th

Wartime Legacies: Government-Led Innovation Shaping Modern Technology

For America’s 250th anniversary, Cogs of War curated ten essays exploring technologies born of wartime necessity that subsequently diffused through civilian economies or left enduring impacts on society, governance, and the nation’s relationship with technology. Submissions spanned diverse innovations—from a copying lathe constructed for musket stocks following the War of 1812 to stealth bombers. In recent weeks, subscribers to our free newsletter voted, and we are pleased to announce the contest winners below.

Across many essay entries, a consistent thread emerged: historically, the government has functioned both as a buyer and standard-setter—sometimes as much an inventor itself—as well as a traditional purchaser.

For instance, in 1936, the Army mandated that all Air Corps engines utilize 100-octane fuel, giving refiners the capacity to build required infrastructure ahead of combat needs. Air Force contracts enabled Texas Instruments to continue manufacturing integrated circuits long before commercial demand drove price reductions. Simultaneously, the government now holds ownership of the PALS webbing standard, ensuring any vendor may produce compatible gear. In these narratives, the commercial payoff frequently arrived later, unexpectedly and sometimes decades after initial deployment.

These stories offer valuable lessons for contemporary acquisition debates, where speed and commercial solutions dominate the conversation. Indeed, those concerns remain salient. Yet these essays reveal another dynamic: the government’s leverage has traditionally derived from committing early to ideas the market had yet to fully value.

Two particular articles illustrate the danger when such government commitment dissipates. Sarah Kreps demonstrates how leading‑edge semiconductor fabrication became concentrated in Taiwan, while Julie George chronicles DuPont’s eventual sale of its Kevlar production to a private‑equity‑owned entity.

Congratulations go to all ten authors, and thank you to everyone who participated in voting. Here are the top five winners:

1. Naveen Krishnan, “The Blood Bank and the Logistics of Wartime Medicine”

2. Aubry Eaton, “Blanchard’s Lathe and the Long Arc of American Manufacturing”

3. Julie George, “The Strategic Fiber of America: Kevlar’s Impact on Warfighters”

4. Thane C. Clare, “Hyman Rickover and the Birth of Nuclear Power”

5. Sarah Kreps, “The Integrated Circuit and the Future of American AI Leadership”

War on the Rocks memberships are available for Mike Benitez’s “The Davis Wing, the B‑24 Liberator, and the Self‑Made Bet That Paid Off,” T. Nelson Collier on “What America Learned About Democracy When It Gained Stealth,” Caitlan Fealing regarding “The King of Cool: Mobile Refrigeration and the Remaking of Global Logistics,” Jim Perkins on “MOLLE, PALS, and the Empty Loops of America’s Civil‑Military Divide,” and Aidan Poling on “The Octane Revolution: How Jimmy Doolittle Catalyzed a Wartime Industry.”

Continue reading the full series here.

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