Deputy Secretary of Defense Dr. Kathleen Hicks hosted the Defense Business Board's third quarterly meeting for fiscal year 2024 at the Pentagon today in a closed, classified session. Defense Innovation Unit Director Doug Beck joined Deputy Secretary Hicks for the discussion.
During the session, she briefed board members on making work with the Department more attractive to new and non-traditional companies to grow the defense innovation base. Deputy Secretary Hicks noted she and Secretary Austin are focused on improving every stage of the innovation process to deliver capabilities to the warfighter by working more closely and more efficiently with the commercial sector.
The Deputy Secretary noted the maturation of DoD's effort to become a better innovation industry partner. She and Mr. Beck highlighted the evolution of the Defense Innovation Unit from an experimental project to a direct report to the Secretary of Defense to demonstrate the cultural shift taking place across the Department.
Board members asked questions and provided recommendations about transforming organizational culture based on best business practices from the private sector. Deputy Secretary Hicks thanked the board members for dedicating their time and expertise toward improving Department of Defense.
