The administration is pressing the Pentagon to move faster, work more closely with commercial technology companies and find more affordable ways to address modern battlefield challenges.

The Trump administration is putting speed and innovation at the center of its defense agenda, pushing the Pentagon to rethink how the United States develops and acquires emerging military technology.

The effort reflects a broader philosophy that has become increasingly important in Washington: the military should be able to take advantage of America’s enormous private-sector technology base without allowing lengthy procurement processes to slow promising ideas.

For President Donald Trump and his supporters, that approach fits neatly with the administration’s wider promise to make government more efficient, strengthen American industry and ensure the United States maintains a technological advantage over potential adversaries.

At the heart of the effort is the Defense Innovation Unit, which works with commercial companies to adapt emerging technologies for military applications.

The goal is straightforward: move promising ideas from the laboratory into practical military use much faster than traditional acquisition programs have often allowed.

A Push to Break the Old Procurement Cycle

The Pentagon has spent years wrestling with an acquisition system that can take enormous amounts of time and money to move new technologies from development to deployment.