Craig Martell

Chief Technology Officer, Lockheed Martin

Search every verified Craig Martell interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. In a September 2025 panel, Martell discussed the challenges of integrating advanced technology into military operations. He stated that the U.S. possesses strong technical capabilities but that "acquisition reform" is needed to overcome the "valley of death" that prevents technology from reaching warfighters. Martell also described his experience as the Pentagon's first chief digital and AI officer, where he merged four organizations and focused on a "hierarchy of needs" beginning with data quality McKendree. Martell commented on the future of defense, agreeing with Eric Schmidt that it makes sense to use autonomous systems instead of putting humans in harm's way. He cautioned against presupposing that AI is the answer to every problem, arguing that the question should be "what capabilities do we need?" rather than assuming the solution is AI. Martell also expressed cautious optimism about the reorganization of AI functions under the Pentagon's research and engineering office, saying it could allow for "economies of scale."