On Tuesday, the U.S. Defense Department said it has named Apple executive Doug Beck to lead its Defense Innovation Unit, a special group that seeks out and certifies commercial sector technologies for use by the armed forces.
Beck will report to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, creating a direct-report line between the DIU chief and secretary of defense for the first time in years. With that change, and the appointment to the role of an executive from a high-profile tech industry company, the DOD appears to be underscoring its ambition to access more cutting-edge technologies from the commercial sector. The move comes as the agency is learning lessons about future war from Ukraine and as the U.S. rivalry with China heats up.
“The DIU director will serve as a focal point for new and emerging commercial technology sectors to help identify dual-use pathways and adaptations that enable rapid transition and fielding of new technologies,” Austin said in a statement.
Beck will advise Austin and Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks on technology innovation, competition, and strategic impact. The elevation of Beck’s position also may elevate the profile of the DIU as a whole among the Pentagon’s many engineering groups and innovation labs, such as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA.
Beck has worked at Apple since 2009, reporting directly to CEO Tim Cook. He’d held the title of VP for worldwide education, health, and government at the tech giant since 2019. Prior to that he held sales and business development roles in Apple’s businesses across Northeast Asia and the Americas. He’s lived in various parts of Asia for the past 15 years.
Above all, a source tells Fast Company, Beck’s knowledge of prototyping and scaling high-tech products was seen by the Pentagon as a valuable asset and factored heavily in his appointment. Over decades, the Pentagon has been most comfortable turning to large defense contractors for big hardware like ships and tanks. Its processes are far less suited to accessing advanced technology products that rely on software or AI to operate. Some in defense tech circles have said the Pentagon must learn how to acquire products that, like the iPhone, are never really finished because they’re continually being renewed by software upgrades. Beck could play a substantial role in reforming some of the DoD’s acquisition habits.
Beck also brings a high comfort level with military culture. He’s a highly decorated 26-year veteran and Bronze Star recipient who served with special operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and currently serves as a captain in the U.S. Navy Reserves. He was previously appointed to the secretary of state’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board, and served as executive adviser to three chiefs of Naval Operations and to Special Operations Community leadership. He’s an adjunct lecturer on strategy and innovation at the Naval Postgraduate School.
Beck holds a bachelor’s degree summa cum laude from Yale and a master of philosophy in international relations from Oxford, where he was a Rhodes scholar.
He’ll assume his new role atop the DIU on May 1.
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