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This dissertation explores the process of technological innovation, examining how the strategic environment and bureaucratic factors shape the technology acquisition lifecycle. In the existing literature on technological innovation, authors frequently identify factors that influence a technology’s development but will often conclude that no individual factor is independently causal. This research builds on this literature, by identifying the relative importance of various dynamics throughout the acquisition lifecycle. By examining a single technology’s complete acquisition lifecycle from conceptualization through adoption, this work examines the strength of strategic and bureaucratic factors over the entire technological innovation process.
This research focuses in particular on the development of solid propellants in the United States from the mid 1930s through the early 1960s and examines how various groups and their engagement with the technology shaped solid propellant development over time. It finds that throughout solid propellants’ development, the shifting strategic landscape was not enough to explain their eventual success and adoption on U.S. ballistic missiles. Instead, throughout the development process different groups determined forward progress. While early development efforts were dictated by a small band of passionate scientists, as the technology progressed and was incorporated more fully into the military enterprise, interservice dynamics played an increasing role in shaping technology adoption and deployment decisions. This pattern likely reflects the evolving priorities and organizational structures associated with advancing technologies, from experimental phases to operational deployment. These findings suggest that patterns may exist in the relative importance of distinct factors throughout a technology’s complete acquisition lifecycle. Specifically, it suggests that civil-military dynamics are more likely to influence conceptualization and early development, while inter- and intra- service dynamics are more likely to influence adoption on larger scale systems. Ultimately, it does not indicate a need to move away from existing technology innovation assessments but instead suggests that adding qualifiers to these types of analyses is likely to help lead to more robust products.