The Department of Defense (DOD) tech innovation chief, Doug Beck, has resigned following the ousting of three top military officials by DOD Secretary Pete Hegseth. Beck, who has led the California-based Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) since 2023, focuses on accelerating the adoption of commercial technology throughout the U.S. military and partners with organizations across the DOD to prototype and field dual-use capabilities that solve operational challenges at speed and scale. The DIU has five offices across the country, including Silicon Valley, Boston, Austin, Chicago, and the Pentagon. Beck, a captain in the Navy Reserve, served in Iraq and Afghanistan with a joint special operations task force. His departure comes just three days after Hegseth terminated three senior military officials, including the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, Rear Adm. Milton Sands, and Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore. The Air Force announced that its chief of staff, Gen. David Allvin, will retire two years into his four-year term.
The Defense Department’s tech innovation chief has resigned amid ongoing organizational changes. Huong DN Member 041
