Defense Innovation Unit head Doug Beck resigns

The director of the Pentagon’s commercial innovation hub, Doug Beck, has resigned from his post, Defense News has learned.

First reported by Politico, the circumstances of Beck’s resignation from the Defense Innovation Unit were not immediately clear. A DIU spokesperson declined to comment, and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for details.

Beck, a Navy Reserve captain and former Apple executive, took the helm of DIU in 2023. At the time, the organization was at an inflection point. Then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had just elevated the small, experimental unit to report directly to his office and Congress was proposing nearly $1 billion in funding for the office. Beck’s role was to help DIU field commercial technology to military units on faster timelines and in much larger quantities.

DIU and Beck have played a key role in major Pentagon programs like Replicator, an effort to change the way the Defense Department prioritizes, tests and buys high-need technology.

His departure follows the sudden announcement last week of Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin’s retirement and the firing of Defense Intelligence Agency Chief Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse on Friday.

Defense Innovation Unit head Doug Beck resigns

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