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The U.S. Department of Defense is restructuring its research, acquisition and technology organizations to speed the delivery of emerging capabilities to military operators, according to a department release and related reporting. The overhaul, led by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, is intended to better align entities including DARPA, DIU, SCO, CDAO, OSC and TRMC into a faster, more integrated innovation system focused on transitioning technology into operational use.
The effort prioritizes artificial intelligence, quantum technology, cybersecurity modernization, autonomous systems and drone acquisition reform. Reported initiatives include an AI-first strategy, DIU-backed quantum sensing work, a post-quantum cryptography strategy, the Drone Dominance program, APFIT, Microelectronics Commons and the Navy’s National Security Plug and Play Consortium, alongside security measures such as zero trust, DevSecOps telemetry, ICAM modernization and software delivery resilience to harden the defense technology base as the Pentagon seeks to compete more effectively with strategic rivals including China.
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The Department of the Navy Rapid Capabilities Office established the National Security Plug and Play Consortium to accelerate research, development, and production using Other Transaction Agreements. The article states the consortium was established on August 11.
In July, the Department consolidated autonomous and unmanned systems under a portfolio manager reporting directly to the Deputy Secretary. The move centralized oversight of autonomous and unmanned capabilities.
In July, the Department said it would allocate more than $200 million in FY2026 and more than $1.3 billion in FY2027 to national science and technology priorities through collaboration with the White House's Genesis Mission. The effort is intended to use AI to accelerate scientific discovery and ingest validated technical data.
By June, the Drone Dominance program had entered a second phase involving 49 companies and 79 unmanned aircraft systems. The program was intended to change both the acquisition strategy and economics of unmanned systems after an initial gauntlet with 25 suppliers.
In June, the Department published a Post-Quantum Cryptography Strategy. It called for quantum-resistant cryptography on high-impact systems by 2030 and across the force by 2031.
In June, the Defense Innovation Unit unveiled a multi-phase quantum sensing project with potential investment of up to $200 million over the following year. The effort focused on electric-field sensors, magnetometers, gravity gradiometers, and tactical clocks for ISR in contested environments.
The Department's January 2026 AI Acceleration Strategy set a goal of making the military an "AI-first" organization. The strategy was built around seven Pace-Setting Projects spanning enterprise operations, intelligence, and warfighting.
A January 2026 memo titled "Transforming the Defense Innovation Ecosystem to Accelerate Warfighting Advantage" said the existing innovation system had become fragmented, overlapping, and difficult for businesses to navigate. The memo framed the reorganization of organizations such as DARPA, DIU, SCO, CDAO, OSC, and TRMC.
In January 2026, Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a major makeover of the defense innovation ecosystem under the direction of Emil Michael. The reform aimed to replace a fragmented, overlapping innovation system with a more cohesive structure that speeds technology transition and accountability.
The Senate confirmed Michael Dodd as Assistant Secretary for Critical Technologies. He went on to oversee areas including contested logistics, quantum battlefield information dominance, and scaled directed energy.
President Donald Trump nominated Michael Dodd as Assistant Secretary for Critical Technologies. The role's portfolio was created to identify, prioritize, and transition critical technologies that could produce asymmetric military advantages.
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The White House issued **National Security Presidential Memorandum 11 (`NSPM-11`)** directing U.S. defense, intelligence, and homeland security agencies to accelerate adoption of advanced artificial intelligence across national security missions while cutting bureaucratic barriers to deployment. The policy applies to agencies including the **FBI, CIA, DHS, and ODNI** and is organized around four pillars: **adoption, adaptation, assurance, and accountability**. It calls for broader use of commercial and open-source AI models, reduced dependence on any single vendor, and expanded collaboration with private-sector and academic experts, while requiring AI use to remain secure, reliable, controllable, and consistent with constitutional command structures and civil liberties protections. The memorandum sets 90- and 120-day deadlines for agencies to update procurement, governance, testing, workforce development, and autonomous weapons policies, and it establishes an **AI National Security Strategic Reserve** of outside experts. It also orders baseline security standards for high-security national security AI systems and joint AI data and model exchanges, while directing agencies and vendors to harden frontier models, supporting infrastructure, and data centers against **cyberespionage, theft, cyberattacks, supply-chain risks, and malicious distillation attacks**. The move follows an earlier executive order that created a voluntary federal review framework for advanced AI systems before public release.
Jun 29, 2026
The White House released a National Security Science and Technology Strategy that calls for stronger safeguards across the U.S. research ecosystem, including automated research-security vetting, continuous monitoring of federally supported projects, expanded counterintelligence support, shared information repositories, and clearer cybersecurity guidance for researchers and institutions. The strategy argues that stronger defenses are needed to protect U.S. economic and military advantages from foreign interference, technology theft, and other threats targeting innovation, while also emphasizing workforce development and the need to attract top global talent in critical science and technology fields. The policy push coincided with a Pentagon order directing 30 U.S. universities and specialized technology institutes to audit their academic, financial, and research ties to foreign entities considered risky or hostile. The Defense Department said the reviews are meant to prevent unauthorized technology transfer and intellectual property theft tied to entities in countries including China, Russia, and Iran, as well as organizations linked to rebranded Confucius Institutes; schools must report findings and mitigation steps by **August 31, 2026** or risk losing eligibility for future federal research funding.
Aug 19, 2026
CIA Director John Ratcliffe said the agency has overhauled its technology strategy to speed adoption of artificial intelligence and other emerging tools, arguing that national security competition requires a less risk-averse approach. Speaking at the AWS Summit in Washington, D.C., Ratcliffe said the CIA will take “smart risks,” experiment, and course-correct rather than wait for risk-free deployment, while warning that frontier AI models could eventually resemble **“digital nuclear weapons”** in strategic impact. The agency has also signaled plans to introduce AI-powered “coworkers” into analysts’ workflows as part of broader operational integration. The restructuring includes elevating the Center for Cyber Intelligence into a standalone mission center and transforming the Directorate of Digital Innovation into the **Directorate of Mission Systems**, which will focus on cybersecurity, advanced data, and infrastructure services instead of offensive cyber or open-source functions. Ratcliffe said the CIA is also pursuing aggressive data modernization, cutting procurement timelines from nearly three years to about six months, completing roughly 400 acquisitions under a new framework, and creating an Office of Corporate Partnerships to streamline work with private industry.
Jun 30, 2026