DIUx now simply DIU

The Defense Department announced Aug. 9 that it is renaming its innovation arm, the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental.

In a memo dated Aug. 3, Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan announced that, effective immediately, DIUx would become the Defense Innovation Unit, full stop, to convey a sense of permanence to the agency.

“Removing ‘experimental’ reflects DIU's permanence within the DOD,” Shanahan wrote in the memo.

“Though DIU will continue to experiment with new ways of delivering capability to the warfighter, the organization itself is no longer an experiment. DIU remains vital to fostering innovation across the Department and transforming the way DOD builds a more lethal force.”