The Defense Innovation Unit is launching three more outposts across the U.S. to help the Pentagon connect with a broader swath of technology companies.
DIU is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and has offices in Boston, Austin, Washington, D.C., and Chicago. Last year, it opened five onramp hubs in Kansas, Ohio, Arizona, Hawaii and Washington state. The three new hubs will be based in Kentucky, Minnesota and Montana, according to Liz Young McNally, DIU’s deputy director of commercial operations.
“We’re really humbled and excited by the opportunity at DIU to be that on ramp for commercial and dual use technology into the department,” Young McNally said Wednesday at the Apex Conference in Oxon Hill, Maryland. “And one of the ways that we do that is by having people out in the regions, out where innovation is happening.”
DIU’s remit is to help non-traditional companies who develop technology for commercial and military applications better navigate the Defense Department’s labyrinth-like acquisition and procurement system. The organization also partners with the military services to get them the off-the-shelf capabilities they need on faster timelines.
Onramp hubs provide a chance for local universities and businesses to learn how to work with DOD and get access government funding. They also serve as an entry point for the department into innovation networks it may not otherwise be aware of.
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“American ingenuity is critical to building our nation’s enduring advantage,” DIU Director Doug Beck said of the hubs when they were announced in 2023. “These spaces will serve startups, academia, industry and other local talent and technology in order to leverage the innovation capability across the entire country, connecting them directly to DOD needs and strengthening the defense industrial base.”
Lawmakers have pushed for DIU to establish deeper inroads with companies and universities based outside of the typical tech hotspots in Silicon Valley, New York and Boston. The Senate Armed Services Committee last August directed DIU to expand its presence with the goal of “nationwide coverage.”
“The committee recognizes the importance of DIU’s mission to strengthen national security by accelerating the adoption of commercial technology,” the panel said in a report accompanying its proposed fiscal 2025 defense policy bill. “The committee believes DIU should find ways to expand its geographic footprint to achieve nationwide coverage for DIU activities, particularly to geographic areas that are not major technology and innovation hubs.”
Courtney Albon is C4ISRNET’s space and emerging technology reporter. She has covered the U.S. military since 2012, with a focus on the Air Force and Space Force. She has reported on some of the Defense Department’s most significant acquisition, budget and policy challenges.
