The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) recently merged the Defense Innovation Board and the Defense Science Board into the new Science and Technology Innovation Board (STIB).
The STIB will be a forum where leading scientists and industry experts can provide mission‑focused advice to solve defense related problems. The department intends to attract top talent from science, technology and commercial innovation hubs to give them a method to shape disruptive advancement and foundational scientific priorities.
“We are unifying our best scientific minds and our most innovative private-sector leaders into a single board built to provide clear answers, not more bureaucracy,” Emil Michael, under secretary of defense for research and engineering, said. “The creation of the STIB ensures that ideas on the bleeding edge move quickly from concept to the field, directly making a difference to the joint force,”
The STIB will maintain two permanent subcommittees:
The Subcommittee on Strategic Options will identify concepts, capabilities, strategies and courses of action that rebalance cost and benefit, strengthen deterrence and ensure U.S. operational dominance.
The Subcommittee on National Security Innovation will examine and advise on innovation pathways, emerging and disruptive technologies, commercial best practices in strategy and management, organizational design, human capital, decision‑making, and scaling.