President Obama and defense secretary Leon Panetta announced a new defense strategy earlier this year, one that hinges on the U.S. military becoming "more agile, flexible, innovative, and technically advanced." The Pentagon intends to meet that challenge by implementing new technologies, ranging from the latest mobile devices and applications to surveillance systems and next-generation aircraft.

In some cases, those will be revamped versions of long-used tools, such as a smaller, lighter "manpack" radio that the Army has begun using in Afghanistan. In other cases, they will be entirely new capabilities like the small, in-development drone nicknamed Shrike that will deliver intelligence to commanders in the field.

Building on its work with directed-energy technology, the Office of Naval Research has just revealed plans to take the next step in the development of solid-state laser weapons that can be used against small boats and aerial targets. ONR will host an industry day on May 16 to discuss its plans, to be followed by a request for proposals.

Much of the Department of Defense's most advanced research and development goes on at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), where work is underway on everything from a jet that shoots across the sky at Mach 20 to disaster-response robots. (See U.S. Military Robots Of The Future: Visual Tour.)

DARPA's not the only source of war-fighting innovations. The Naval Research Laboratory, major defense contractors, and IBM have projects underway, too.

In this visual tour, we highlight 20 defense technologies that are being deployed or on the drawing board. It remains to be seen which of the in-development systems see the light of day. The prospect of deep cuts to the defense budget--as much as $460 billion during the next 10 years--could put an end to some of the work. The proposed Defense budget for fiscal year 2013 would cut R&D funding by $2.2 billion, to $69.7 billion, though DARPA's budget would be spared significant cuts.

Some of the technologies in development, such as supersonic aircraft, have potential application in the commercial world. Others rewrite the rules of battleground transportation.

DARPA's Transformer (TX) program seeks to bring together the utility of a ground vehicle and the navigation properties of a helicopter in a hybrid vehicle that would feature maximum flexibility of movement (as pictured, above.) Applications could include transporting troops and supplies to the battlefield quickly, medical evacuation, and more. The design calls for a vehicle capable of transporting up to four people and that can be operated by a typical soldier as well as a trained pilot.

DARPA's Nano Air Vehicle (NAV) program aims to develop a miniscule "air vehicle system" that's less than 15 centimeters long and weighs less than 20 grams. One experimental design incorporates flapping wings, disguised here as a hummingbird, making it possible for the device to navigate both

indoors and outdoors. DARPA expects the NAVs to push the limits of aerodynamics and maneuverability

A "disposable aircraft," the CICADA Mark III is comprised simply of a printed circuit board, which minimizes wiring and makes it fast and inexpensive to assemble. (CICADA stands for Close-In Covert Autonomous Disposable Aircraft.) Resembling a toy airplane, it can accommodate light payloads, such as chemical, biological, and other signals intelligence sensors. Other electronic payloads can be incorporated by updating the circuit board and "re-winging" the aircraft

Impressive, isn't it? No, not the giant B-52 aircraft (a.k.a. Stratofortress), but the much smaller and faster X-51A Waverider attached to its wing. The X-51A is hydrocarbon-fueled experimental craft travels in the Mach 4.5 to 6.5 range. In a test flight last June, the X-51A

was released at an altitude of 50,000 feet. In a reminder of the challenges of pushing the boundaries of science, it failed to reach full power. Future applications for hypersonic flight include space travel, reconnaissance, and commercial transportation

When developing leading-edge defense technologies, things don't always go as planned. DARPA's experimental HTV-2 aircraft is capable of flying at Mach 20, or 20 times the speed of sound, for a few minutes at a time. However, a test of the system last August (HTV-2's second test flight) had to be cut short due to a "flight anomaly" that was most likely the result of degradation to its aero shell exterior. The HTV-2 initiative is tied to a DOD goal of being able to reach any destination in the world in less than an hour.

The Navy's Mobile User Objective System satellite (MUOS-1), launched in February from Cape Canaveral, Florida, gives the U.S. military its own 3G network. The Navy provides narrowband satellite communications to the Department of Defense, and MUOS-1 uses 3G technology to provide voice, data, and video communications. The system includes four ground stations, and plans call for a constellation of four satellites and an in-orbit spare

DARPA is looking to develop an "extremely high-frequency" sensor that can locate targets through clouds as effectively as infrared sensors do in clear weather. The goal of the agency's Video Synthetic Aperture Radar (ViSAR) program is to develop radar that provides high-res, full-motion video for use in engaging ground targets from an aircraft, as well as algorithms that can be used with the new technology. Some of the technical challenges involved include detection, auto focusing, and geo-location. An additional twist: the system must be able to detect moving targets, not just stationary ones