Defense Innovation Unit (DIU)

The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is a critical initiative under the Office of the Secretary of Defense aimed at accelerating the adoption of commercial technology within the military and expanding the national security innovation base. The program's primary objective is to strengthen U.S. national security by rapidly prototyping, fielding, and scaling commercial solutions that can enhance operational capabilities, increase efficiencies, and ultimately save taxpayer dollars. DIU partners with organizations across the Department of Defense and interagency to identify, contract, prototype, and transition novel commercial solutions from leading companies to the warfighter for applications in headquarters or operational environments. The program focuses on six key technology areas: Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, Autonomy, Cyber, Energy, Human Systems, and Space.

In alignment with the National Defense Strategy for FY 2022, which emphasizes the need for technological superiority to ensure the United States' ability to project power and maintain international norms and rule of law, DIU plays a crucial role in increasing the Department's access to commercial technologies and talent. The program's efforts are particularly vital in addressing challenges posed by near-peer competitors who are at par or ahead of the U.S. in critical technology areas. Additionally, DIU's mission includes developing new ways of doing business by growing the national security innovation base to include more non-traditional companies that had previously not collaborated with the military. Through competitive prototype processes and projects executed to leverage commercial sector technology analogous to military applications, DIU aims to increase dual-use technology agility for the DoD.

Looking ahead to FY 2024, DIU plans to continue its mission of identifying and delivering cutting-edge commercial innovation to the Joint Force. The program will focus on rapidly prototyping and deploying innovative commercial technologies to fill critical capability gaps identified by DoD customers in various areas such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, autonomy, energy, human systems, cyber, and space. Furthermore, DIU will increase efforts in facilitating additional follow-on prototype contract awards of projects that can augment commercial technologies or existing government-owned capabilities for defense application. This aligns with the program's overarching goal of accelerating DoD adoption of cutting-edge technology and growing the national security innovation base to support U.S. military-technical superiority.