Politico | Competition with China a tech marathon, not an arms race, says US Defence Innovation Unit director Michael Brown
- A Pentagon outpost in Silicon Valley is helping the US armed forces tap into cutting-edge science, from space systems to artificial intelligence
- Part of DIU head Michael Brown’s work involves thwarting Chinese efforts to pilfer the crown jewels of US technology
This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Bryan Bender on politico.com on March 16, 2021.
The Defence Innovation Unit remains an exceedingly small outfit by Pentagon standards, with a permanent staff of about 100 and an annual budget now upwards of US$130 million.
But the Silicon Valley outpost established five years ago is playing an outsize role helping the armed forces tap into some of the most cutting-edge technologies, from space systems to artificial intelligence to advanced energy and materials.
Its director, Michael Brown, has also been instrumental in revamping the federal government's efforts to thwart Chinese efforts to pilfer the crown jewels of US technology, having co-authored a landmark study in 2018 that heavily influenced adoption of the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernisation Act.
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Brown, a former CEO of cybersecurity firm Symantec who came to DIU in 2018, says that the unit, which also has offices in Boston, Austin and Washington, is steadily making strides to ensure the military is well-positioned in the commercial sector's innovation ecosystem.
But there are also few signs the Chinese have given up their aggressive efforts to invest in American start-ups.