Defense Innovation Board, Defense Business Board to meet next week

By Audrey Decker / January 27, 2023 at 10:40 AM

Next week, the Pentagon's Defense Innovation Board and Defense Business Board will convene for their first meetings of 2023.

In partially closed sessions, DIB will meet on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 and DBB will meet on Feb. 1 and Feb. 2, according to notices posted in the Federal Register. Historically, both groups have met on a quarterly basis.

The current DIB panel, which met for the first time last October, is a fraction of the size when compared to the 20 representatives it had at its start in 2016. Now the board has seven members, not including Chairman Michael Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor and one-time presidential candidate.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has directed DIB to tackle two main objectives: assess the Pentagon’s ties to investment capital and help shape the military’s science and technology strategy.

The innovation board will discuss and listen to classified briefs on S&T threats posed by adversaries and innovation “pain points” for the Pentagon.

The mission of the DOD’s business board is to advise the defense secretary on overall management and governance, and DBB will be briefed on topics such as how the department is avoiding the acquisition “valley of death” and challenges impacting DOD supply chains.

“[DBB] provides independent, strategic-level, private-sector and academic advice and counsel on enterprise-wide business management approaches and best practices for business operations and achieving National Defense goals,” the notice states.

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