Then-U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Joseph Kunkel, 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing commander, stands in an F-15E Strike Eagle July 9, 2021, in an undisclosed location somewhere in Southwest Asia. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Cameron Otte)
A target is hit by a first-person view small unmanned aircraft system strike during an FPV sUAS live fire demonstration at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Jan. 29, 2026. I Marine Expeditionary Force, in partnership with Defense Innovation Unit, evaluated fiber-optic drones for use in signal-degraded environments. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Joshua Bustamante)
In an exclusive interview with DefenseScoop, Owen West shared new details about his vision to reshape DIU’s operational structure to fit its modern mission.
A U.S. Navy Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC) maneuvers in the Atlantic Ocean during UNITAS 2025, the 66th iteration of the world’s longest-running multinational maritime exercise. (Official U.S. Navy photo)
Mike Madsen, VP, National Security, Obviant and former Deputy and Acting Director, Defense Innovation Unit
Mar 30, 2026
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A U.S. Air Force XQ-58A Valkyrie, an autonomous, low-cost tactical unmanned air vehicle, flies over Eglin Air Force Base’s Gulf Test and Training Range. (U.S. Air Force photo by Ilka Cole)
U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Carlos Perez-armenta, a logistics specialist with 1st Distribution Support Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 1, 1st Marine Logistics Group, operates an Autonomous Low-Profile Vessel during testing on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Jan. 22, 2026. The ALPV is an autonomous logistics delivery system the Marine Corps is experimenting with to deliver supplies and equipment in a timely manner throughout the littorals. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Mary Torres)
The Hypersonix DART AE vehicle aboard Rocket Lab’s HASTE launch vehicle at the Virginia Spaceport Authority’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia. (Photo credit: Hypersonix)
The Cassowary Vex mission marked the first deployment of a commercial-built hypersonic testbed developed under the Hypersonic High-Cadence Advanced Testing program.
U.S. Navy Corpsmen assigned to Task Force Ashland, I Marine Expeditionary Force and Royal Thai Navy service members conduct tactical combat casualty care at Hat Yao Beach, Rayong, Thailand, Feb. 25, 2026. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Austin Salazar)
Gone are the days of stationary medical facilities and the “golden hour” common to the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan — a “foregone luxury in a…
