Trump’s Pentagon should expand innovation hub, tech panel says
By Courtney Albon
Jan 16, 2025, 10:41 AM
The Defense Innovation Board, chaired by billionaire Michael Bloomberg, recommends the Pentagon invest more in its Defense Innovation Unit. (Photo by JLN Photography/Shutterstock)
The Pentagon should expand the role of the Defense Innovation Unit — and increase its budget — to help more non-traditional companies navigate the Defense Department’s bureaucracy, according to a new report from DOD’s technology advisory board.
The Defense Innovation Board’s report, released Jan. 13, offers suggestions for how the Pentagon can broaden the pool of companies it works with to include firms, small and large, that have not typically been part of the defense industrial base. The board, chaired by billionaire Michael Bloomberg, recommends the department give DIU — its innovation arm — a more central, sherpa-like role in helping new vendors work with the Pentagon.
DIU already serves as a hub to guide nontraditional firms trying to sell to the military services, and its influence in the defense innovation ecosystem has grown significantly over the past few years. In 2023, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin elevated the organization to report directly to his office. Then, in fiscal 2024, Congress boosted its budget to $983 million – a major increase for the small office.
https://www.c4isrnet.com/pentagon/2025/01/16/trumps-pentagon-should-expand-innovation-hub-tech-panel-says/
