Defense Innovation Unit
DIU exists to buy commercial technology on commercial timelines. It uses Other Transaction and Commercial Solutions Opening authorities to get from problem statement to prototype contract in months rather than years, and to give companies that do not otherwise sell to the government a path toward a program of record. It reports directly to the Secretary of Defense.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | DoD Agency |
| Headquarters | Mountain View, CA |
Mission
Accelerates adoption of commercial technology to solve national security problems. Uses OTA and CSO authorities.
The controlling statutory basis is 10 U.S.C. § 4127, added by Pub. L. 118-31 in December 2023, which establishes the Defense Innovation Unit in the Department of Defense and makes its Director a principal staff assistant who reports directly to the Secretary of Defense without intervening authority. That section does not designate the Unit as a Defense Agency or a Department of Defense Field Activity under 10 U.S.C. § 191, and 10 U.S.C. § 4022 names its Director alongside the Director of DARPA as a holder of prototype other transaction authority, a placement mapped at Title_10_Structure.
Key Subordinate Organizations
- AI/ML Portfolio
- Autonomy Portfolio
- Cyber Portfolio
- Human Systems Portfolio
- Space Portfolio