On 9 January, the Department issued three complementary memoranda that together signal a decisive shift in how innovation, data, and artificial intelligence are governed and delivered. Read together, they establish a clear expectation: speed, accountability, and operational impact now define success.
Transforming the Defense Innovation Ecosystem to Accelerate Warfighting Advantage restructures the Department’s innovation enterprise around outcomes that matter to the warfighter. It designates the Under Secretary for Research and Engineering as the single, empowered Chief Technology Officer, streamlines governance, and aligns innovation efforts to three results—differentiated technology, scalable products, and new ways of fighting. Program offices and acquisition portfolios retain ownership of delivery, supported by an integrated ecosystem focused on rapid insertion and measurable impact
Transforming Advana to Accelerate Artificial Intelligence and Enhance Auditability reinforces that data-driven decision-making is fundamental to maintaining warfighting advantage and operating an efficient enterprise. The memorandum directs Advana’s restructuring around a War Data Platform, a dedicated financial management capability, and application services to simplify architecture, accelerate AI integration, and improve auditability. The result is standardized, secure access to trusted data that enables faster, better-informed decisions across warfighting, intelligence, and enterprise missions
The Artificial Intelligence Strategy for the Department of War sets the execution tempo for becoming an “AI-first” organization across warfighting, intelligence, and enterprise mission areas. Through rapid experimentation, barrier removal, and Pace-Setting Projects, the strategy accelerates AI-enabled battle management, compresses the intelligence-to-capability pipeline, and transforms enterprise workflows. Modular architectures, continuous test and evaluation, and rapid model updates are established as the standard for sustaining technological overmatch
Collectively, these memoranda redefine how the Department competes for advantage. Innovation, data, and AI are no longer supporting functions—they are core elements of warfighting power. The expectation is decisive execution: using trusted data, rapid iteration, and modular systems to deliver capabilities faster than adversaries can adapt.
