Podcast: No time to waste for defense innovation with BMNT’s Pete Newell
I was pleased to have Pete Newell back on the Acquisition Talk podcast to discuss the urgency of getting innovative defense prototypes into the field […]
DIU
DoD’s end-to-end budget cycle must be compressed to one year, max
Here’s a lengthy slice from the recently exited DIU director Michael Brown on the Venture Stories podcast discussing a major barrier to military innovation. I’ll […]
Does DoD not actually want startups to win programs of record?
Here’s the excellent Steve Blank on the Village’s Solarpunk podcast, Rebuilding the Department of Defense. Everyone’s talking about the PPBE — Planning, Programming, Budgeting, Execution. […]
USD R&E Heidi Shyu on the valley of death, DIU, and budget reform
In a recent HASC hearing on S&T, several congress members bombarded USD R&E Heidi Shyu with questions about Defense Innovation Unit. Rep. Seth Moulton, who […]
Podcast: Opening programs to modularity and iteration
In this special episode of the Acquisition Talk podcast, we listen into an event that explores how defense programs can harness modern development practices. Center […]
Highlights from Defense Innovation Unit’s 2021 annual report
Here are some excerpts from the Defense Innovation Unit 2021 annual report (I compiled the table below for your reading ease): In fiscal year (FY) […]
Palmer Luckey on rapidly fielding counter-UAS
Here’s a very interesting story from Palmer Luckey, co-founder of Anduril, at the 2021 Reagan National Defense Forum. There was an event where we were […]
Commercial tech, “fast follower” strategies, and a framework for rapid acquisition
Here’s a flash talk with DIU’s Mike Brown at the Aspen Security Forum: There are so many innovations in the commercial sector that could be […]
DIU update: the 2020 annual report
Key statistics from DIU’s 2020 annual report that I compiled: Subject 2020 2019 2016-2020 Projects 23 95 Commercial Proposals 944 466 2,381 Proposals per Solicitation […]
Tech competition in China and the United States with Michael Brown
In this special crossover episode with ChinaTalk podcast host Jordan Schneider, we interview director of the Defense Innovation Unit Michael Brown. We touch on a […]
Analysis: How DoD supports the COVID-19 response using Other Transactions
The DoD’s extensive contracting workforce is closely supporting Health and Human Services in executing Other Transactions (OT) contracts for COVID-19 under the joint Operation Warp […]
An innovation culture maximizes variation, a manufacturing culture decreases it
Most companies over-optimize for efficiency. They want to get so good at their current market that they lose flexibility to adjust to the future. And […]
What’s holding DIU back from scaling technologies?
“We’re not moving in government at an agile pace that reflects the nature of the competition. It’s about speed,” the DIU director said. “When we […]