The United States cannot beat China without accelerating digital transformation: cloud-native services, edge computing, AI/ML-driven autonomy, software-defined payloads, zero-trust cybersecurity, network maneuver and automated DevSecOps pipelines. Digital transformation drives the pace at which militaries convert data into decisions, and decision dominance enables proactive deterrence. 

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Eric Felt is an independent consultant and former director of space systems engineering at the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration.