Defense Business Board to be briefed on commercial tech adoption, NDS, IT

The head of the Pentagon's Silicon Valley outreach arm is poised to brief the Defense Business Board on transitioning commercial capabilities to the military in a closed-door meeting next month.

The May 11 classified session, part of a two-day meeting announced in the Federal Register today, comes as Defense Innovation Unit Director Michael Brown has sought to beat the drum on his so-called “fast follower” strategy aiming to inject speed into the process for getting a hold of and regularly refreshing current commercially advanced tech.

Today’s notice says Brown’s briefing will center “on rapid access and adoption of commercial technologies for the DOD that strengthen the national security innovation base.”

During the May 12 sessions, the board will hear classified remarks from Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks surrounding the National Defense Strategy, DOD Chief Information Officer John Sherman on the IT landscape, and the Pentagon's Office of Net Assessment Director James Baker tied to “ONA’s current assessment of global competition and strategic challenges for DOD.”

Board members will then receive presentations in open session before adjourning, per the notice.