Defense Innovation Unit Commercial Programs

The Defense Innovation Unit, headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices in Austin, Boston, Chicago, and the Pentagon, is the DoW's primary vehicle for transitioning commercial technology into operational use at the speed of private industry. DIU leverages Commercial Solutions Openings and Other Transaction Authority contracts to award prototype agreements in months rather than years.

DIU's portfolio spans autonomy, artificial intelligence, cyber, human systems, space, energy, and advanced materials. Under DIU 3.0, announced in 2023, the unit was elevated to report directly to the Secretary of Defense and given an expanded role in scaling successful prototypes into programs of record. DIU has become a leading example of how DoW plans to absorb commercial innovation in the era of strategic competition with China.

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