Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks convened the Defense Innovation Board (DIB) for its winter meeting at the Pentagon on January 13, 2025. The board, chaired by Michael R. Bloomberg, focused on innovation within the Department of Defense (DoD) and the defense industrial base.

Deputy Secretary Hicks highlighted efforts to overcome innovation challenges over the past four years. "Innovation is a never-ending imperative for DoD, and I'm deeply proud of the progress we've made over the last four years — substantially lowering barriers to innovation across the DoD-enterprise, from the boardroom to the battlespace," she stated. She emphasized that adopting innovation is fundamentally about change management, involving trust-building and rewarding successful ideas.

The DIB presented two studies: Scaling Nontraditional Defense Innovation and A Pathway to Scaling Unmanned Weapons Systems. These studies were requested by Heidi Shyu, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, in September 2024.

This meeting was the eighth full Board session since October 2022 under Mr. Bloomberg's leadership. During this session, members discussed partnering with nontraditional defense companies and scaling manufacturing capabilities for unmanned systems.

Mr. Bloomberg urged faster action from DoD, Congress, and other leaders to address procurement challenges. The Board stressed eliminating unnecessary bureaucracy to ensure servicemembers have access to advanced capabilities quickly.

The DIB expressed gratitude for contributions from innovators within DoD and across various sectors. Established in 2016, the DIB provides independent advice on fostering innovation within DoD.

More information about DIB activities can be found at https://innovation.defense.gov/