Today’s announcement that the U.S. is transferring drones from the CIA to the U.S. military is significant. Apart from a wide-ranging effect on national security policy, I begin to wonder about the leadership implications of this issue. Think about a few for a moment. Maybe you’ve been in a situation similar to this.

1. An important new technology is shifted from one group’s control to another within the same organization.

2. How do you handle the shift?

3. What are the cultural changes in moving from one group to another? How will those changes affect the overall use of the technology?

4. Does the shift give the first group leverage in claiming control over the next disputed technology?

5. How should the handoff of knowledge and intellectual capital be done? Surely the first group has developed a level of expertise that the second group won’t currently have.

You get the point. The issues are many and they are fascinating.