This report is a product of the Defense Innovation Board, a Federal Advisory Committee established to provide advice to the
Secretary of Defense. Statements, opinions, conclusions, and recommendations in this report do not necessarily represent the
official position of the Department of Defense.
An Innovation Strategy for the Decisive Decade
National Defense Science & Technology Strategy Review Task Force
July 17, 2023
The Defense Innovation Board was tasked to assess the National Defense Science and Technology
(S&T) Strategy in meeting Congressional requirements and National Defense Strategy priorities. The
Task Force conducted this effort in the larger context of geopolitical and technological developments.
The Task Force engaged military and civilian leaders within the Office of the Secretary of Defense,
Joint Staff, Services, and Combatant Commands; industry – both traditional and non-traditional
companies and start-ups, as well as industry and trade associations; and academic research institutions
of various sizes and histories working on critical S&T for our nation.
The Task Force arrived unanimously at one overriding conclusion: the Pentagon is not moving at the
speed necessary to meet the national security needs of the United States.
Task Force: Hon. Mac Thornberry (Chair), Dr. Gilda Barabino, Admiral (Retired) Michael G.
Mullen, and Mr. Ryan Swann | Staff Co-Leads: Zackariah Crahen, Elliot Silverberg
Overview
Our nation is awash in innovation, and we believe that the Department of Defense’s
(DoD) challenges are not primarily about technology but instead center around culture and
process. It takes far too long to transition technology to the warfighter, and DoD’s process-
focused, risk-averse culture creates enough obstacles to make it nearly impossible for non-
traditional defense companies to contribute to the DoD mission. Many studies have made
recommendations to address DoD’s innovation adoption and scaling problem, but the solution
boils down to changing a culture that favors caution and existing processes into a culture of
innovation that embraces experimentation, agility, learning, and risk. We must create a defense
innovation ecosystem that brings innovators closer to the warfighter and can rapidly adopt and
scale innovative solutions. While established military research labs and traditional defense
primes have an integral role to play, they cannot be the de facto arbiters and gatekeepers of
innovation. The 20
th
century defense innovation ecosystem will not win a 21
st
century conflict. It
is imperative for the Department to engage a wider, more diverse network of innovators, drawing
on the strengths and ingenuity of our whole nation, as well as those of key partners and allies, to
meet the national security challenges of this century. Having a National Defense S&T Strategy
(NDSTS), the first-ever for DoD, is important and can reinforce key tenets of the National
Defense Strategy, but it only matters if the Department actually delivers technological advantage
to the warfighter. We believe doing so requires a sense of urgency, strict accountability for
outcomes, and inspiring talent to contribute to the mission.
The innovations needed to deliver decisive advantage are not found solely within the
traditional defense industrial enterprise, and decisive advantage will not be gained using
traditional approaches. We are obligated to equip our service men and women with the best and
most cutting-edge capabilities the nation can produce; leaving them vulnerable with anything
