Sean Heritage, acting managing partner at the Defense Innovation Unit, has said DIU is in a “period of thoughtful reflection†as it contemplates on recent experiences as a “learning organization,†Federal News Radio reported Wednesday.
“And as we continue to experiment there’s going to be hiccups and things we learn along the way and it’s important that we are modifying our processes and ways of doing business as a result,†he told the station.
DIU removed the “experimental†from its name, a move which Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said seeks to emphasize the organization’s permanence within the Defense Department.
Heritage provided updates on DIU’s progress with its projects and use of the Commercial Solutions Opening approach that aims to encourage nontraditional defense firms to work with the Pentagon.
“Yes, the number of CSOs have slowed down and yes it’s rather deliberate as we begin to focus more and more on choosing the most impactful projects and problems to solve and ensuring we are executing our processes in a defensible way,†he added.
