The Pentagon plans to merge two of its advisory bodies to create a new Science, Technology, and Innovation Board (STIB) that will work to speed the development and delivery of capabilities to U.S. warfighters and address national security challenges.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth approved the plan to combine the Defense Innovation Board and the Defense Science Board, according to a department press release.
The Department of Defense (DOD) – rebranded as the War Department by the Trump administration – said the merger is intended to streamline advisory functions by unifying overlapping groups and providing consolidated guidance on science and technology issues.
Emil Michael, chief technology officer (CTO) for the secretary of defense for research and engineering, said the consolidation is intended to reduce delays and move ideas more quickly from development to operational use.
“Our warfighters can’t afford to wait. 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. 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,” Michael said in a statement.
The STIB will maintain two permanent subcommittees to ensure the board drives outcomes, the DOD said.
The Subcommittee on Strategic Options will focus on identifying concepts, capabilities, and strategies across the science and technology enterprise to strengthen deterrence and rebalance cost and benefit. The Subcommittee on National Security Innovation will examine innovation pathways, emerging and disruptive technologies, commercial best practices, organizational design, and workforce issues, while leveraging the broader U.S. innovation ecosystem.
In a statement posted on X, the DOD CTO office said the new board would combine the scientific rigor of the Defense Science Board with the private-sector perspective of the Defense Innovation Board to provide a single advisory voice on innovation.
“The STIB provides a single, authoritative voice on innovation and delivers clear, rapid solutions to the American warfighter,” the post read.
The new board is awaiting formal establishment through publication in the Federal Register.