Pentagon’s innovation unit chief stepping down in latest shake-up, sources say
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Mr Doug Beck, director of the Silicon Valley-based Defence Innovation Unit, told staff in an e-mail that he was stepping down, the people said.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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NEW YORK - The head of a Pentagon unit responsible for accelerating the military’s adoption of new technology resigned on Aug 25, according to four people familiar with the matter, the latest exit of a senior military official whose political views have clashed with those of US President Donald Trump.
Mr Doug Beck, director of the Silicon Valley-based Defence Innovation Unit, told staff in an e-mail that he was stepping down, the people said.
He did not provide a reason for his departure in the e-mail, but wrote that working at the DIU was “basically the greatest honour of my life,” according to a person with direct knowledge of the e-mail.
He wrote that the DIU will be transitioned to new leadership overseen by Mr Emil Michael, the Under Secretary of Defence for Research and Engineering.
“I will help, however I can from my private capacity,” added Mr Beck, according to the source.
Three of the sources said officials at the Department of Defence had previously raised concerns about political donations made by Mr Beck to Democrats.
The DIU declined to comment. The Pentagon did not respond to a comment request. Reuters was unable to immediately reach Mr Beck for comment.
Mr Beck’s departure is the latest high-profile exit from the Pentagon.
Last week, the chief of the Defence Intelligence Agency,
Mr Beck’s departure comes at a crucial moment for the DIU, which collaborates with military technology firms developing drones and AI-driven weapons.
These account for a growing share of the Pentagon’s spending and are reshaping modern warfare.
The DIU was launched in 2015 to speed up the US military’s adoption of technology coming out of Silicon Valley.
The unit, which in 2024 received close to US$1 billion (S$1.28 billion) from the National Defence Authorisation Act, primarily grants contracts to smaller startup companies with less-proven track records with the goal of transitioning them to larger contracts across the Pentagon.
Mr Beck, a special operations veteran who previously held top roles at McKinsey, Charles Schwab and Apple, was appointed director of DIU in 2023 by then-Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.
He oversaw the DIU’s embrace of autonomous technology, and its role in spearheading the Replicator initiative, which aims to acquire thousands of autonomous aerial and maritime drones to combat China. REUTERS
