What is civil-military fusion and provide an example of its application?

• A. Policy to merge civilian industry and military resources and capabilities; example: dual-use tech development and production.
• B. Policy to keep civilian and military sectors completely separate.
• C. Policy to rely entirely on foreign tech.
• D. Policy to limit civilian involvement to humanitarian missions.

Answer: (A)

Civil-military fusion is the approach of integrating civilian industry, research, and infrastructure with military planning and resources so innovations and capabilities can be developed and scaled for defense needs. The best interpretation is to merge civilian industry and military resources and capabilities, with dual-use technology development and production forming the bridge between civilian markets and defense applications. In practice, this means policies and programs that promote technologies that have both civilian and military uses—sharing R&D, manufacturing, and supply chains so breakthroughs in areas like AI, advanced manufacturing, aerospace components, or semiconductors can flow quickly from civilian development into defense capabilities when needed. This integrated path boosts readiness, resilience, and mobilization, while also presenting challenges around security, governance, and export controls across civilian and military domains.