About the Defense, Emerging Technology, and Strategy Program 2

About the Authors 2

Disclaimers and Acknowledgments 2

Table of Contents 3

Introduction 4

Why Replicator? An Abbreviated History 5

The Problem of Autonomy 8

Building the AI Tech Stack 9

Systemic Budget Process Challenges 9

The Replicator Ambition 10

Technical Feasibility 12

Resourcing 12

Oversight Design 14

Communication Strategy 16

The Launch of Replicator 17

Reception: The Rorschach Test 18

Realizing Replicator 20

Fall 2023: Replicator Gets Going 20

Winter 2023-2024: (Not) Talking About Fight Club? The Public Relations Challenge 21

Winter-Spring 2024: Show Me The Money 24

Summer 2024: Finding a Rhythm 26

Fall 2024: Replicator Grows, and Replicates 27

Winter 2024-2025: Replicator Handed Off 28

Since We’ve Been Gone: Observations from Outside 29

Lessons and Reflections 31

Goal Setting with Ambition and Realism 31

Building Champions - Aligning the 32

Top-Down Leadership 32

Sustaining Focus During Implementation 33

Effective Communications 33

Conclusion 35

Endnotes 36