From left, Capt. Paul Morgan NAVAIR program manager for Navy and Marine Corps Unmanned Air Systems; Dr. Louis Hicks, professor of sociology at St. Mary’s College of Maryland and Brig. Gen. Damain Roche of the Australian Army, participated in the second annual Patuxent Summer Institute. Hicks moderated the event. Morgan and Roche addressed those attending.

Saying that we have solved the mystery of flight and now want to standardize systems to NATO standards, Morgan described the ways the Navy is making unmanned aircraft better and more affordable. His presentation included images and videos of weapons and aircraft that have a sturdiness and stealth never before seen in combat. With video game-like names such as Dragon Eye, Shadow and Raven, these aircraft can observe the enemy without detection and transmit images to the war fighter in real time.

Scan Eagle, a small, tactical unmanned aircraft was one system Morgan described. Scan Eagle was first developed by the tuna fishing industry and then adapted by the Navy. The system has a Sky Wedge hydraulic launcher, Sky Hook retrieving system and mobile ground control element. It has a nose-mounted camera with a 25 to 1 zoom camera that can search for schools of fish in the ocean or insurgents in the desert. This little wonder can fly for 15 hours on 1 gallon of gas. U.S. Marines are using this system in Iraq and receive images from Scan Eagle inside their Humvees.

Morgan’s presentation included the ways new acquisitions can be designed so that the product is accessible and attractive to the other military services and friendly nations. If allies such as Australia, Japan and India also want new technologies, research and development costs can be shared. This production model will never reach a Wal-Mart level of sale, but the concept is similar: Global distribution of proven products and strong sales makes for high volume and lower prices.

A second member of the panel was Brig. Gen. Damian Roche, the Australian Army military attachÈ to the United States. Roche spoke about how important communication is between allies. He said that Australians hold deep and shared values with Americans, but as real friends, they will speak their mind and disagree when needed. He suggested that the American military needs to constantly work to gain international cooperation and ‘‘needs other flags to fly alongside the Stars and Stripes.”

Roche recommended that more training be given on the culture and traditions of partners and non-traditional coalition nations. He spoke about the value of looking for answers to the same problem from different sources. He recommended the writings of economist Hernando de Soto, author of “The Other Path“ and “The Mystery of Capital“. De Soto is the director of Peru's Institute for Liberty and Democracy and a champion of market economics and property rights.

In addition, Roche was concerned that if the military’s dominant concern was with technology, it could lead the U.S. to overemphasize the science of warfare at the expense of the art of warfare. If the technology gap between the U.S. and its partners grows, it will undermine the relevance of the partners. Roche said, ‘‘No one can help you if your technology is not accessible.” Having served in Rwanda, Roche said, ‘‘Warfare is a people problem.” In summary, he reminded the audience that coalitions are built on trust, respect and shared confidences.

Thomas Mahnken, deputy assistant secretary of defense for policy planning, was the third member of the panel. Mahnken said, ‘‘We need to team actively with partners and friends.” Mahnken is responsible for the major strategic planning functions within the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He provides advice on strategy and defense and the preparation of guidance for war plans and the development of the defense planning scenarios. From 1997 to 2006, Mahnken was a professor of strategy at the U.S. Naval War College.

Louis Hicks, professor of sociology at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, moderated the presentation. Hicks just returned from teaching at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pa. During Hicks’s invitation to the audience to evaluate the seminar, the audience said they welcomed the chance for the open dialogue at the college and in particular thought that a discussion of policy was interesting and important.

Individuals interested in next summer’s Patuxent Summer Institute should contact The Patuxent Partnership at 21789 North Coral Drive, Suite 2C, Lexington Park, Md. 20653, send an email to mary.kukla@paxpartnerhsip.org, or call 301-866-1739, ext. 309.