I ‘pitched’ autonomous drone swarms in ‘06 to a NATO official who had a good laugh at my expense. He had the good grace to compliment my idea about a decade later. Nearly another decade later and it’s a regular part of low cost warfare. Not saying my idea was particularly novel (or smart). Just a random reader of sci-fi getting enthusiastic. But I think our feeling at the time must have been alike. It’s like military procurement is by definition stuck in last years war.
