Greywolf teams up with innovative government organization

Photo By Sgt. Jessica DuVernay | Col. David Robinson, senior service lead, DIUx Pentagon, briefs Lt. Gen. Aundre Piggee, Deputy Chief of Staff, G-4, on the capabilities DIUx has and what they can offer Army units April 9.  

TX, UNITED STATES

04.09.2018

Story by Sgt. Jessica DuVernay 

3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division

FORT HOOD, TX – The 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team “Greywolf,” 1st Calvary Division, hosted members of the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx) as well as Lt. Gen. Aundre Piggee, Deputy Chief of Staff, G-4, April 9, to discuss challenges the Brigade faced on its most recent deployment and how DIUx could support solutions to those challenges.

“DIUx is an Office of the Secretary of Defense organization that brings commercial innovation to the warfighter often more quickly and efficiently,” explained Army Col. David Robinson, senior service lead, DIUx Pentagon.

The 65-person DIUx team identifies and prototypes commercial innovation to solve real Army and DOD problems. DIUx focuses in five key technology areas: Artificial Intelligence, Autonomy, Human Systems, Information Technology and Space. The team is positioned to tap into the various innovation hubs around the country from its headquarters in Mountain View, CA, and offices in Austin, Boston and in the Pentagon.

In order to stay ahead of our competitors the U.S. needs to think differently, said DIUx Texas Lead, Air Force Maj. Zach Walker. “The Department of Defense must become a fast adapter of breakthroughs in commercial technologies such as artificial intelligence, autonomy, robotics and biotechnology.”

The speed of identifying solutions is key to units such as Greywolf when operational conditions prevent leaders from using more traditional methods.

“The innovation that [DIUx] is able to identify makes Army leaders and more importantly, our Soldiers more lethal,” said Lt. Col. Andy Kiser, commander, 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3ABCT, 1CD. “Updated systems allows us to get the information to the Soldier faster for him to make better decisions on the ground and allows the warfighter a greater understanding of what’s going on around them before they put themselves in harm’s way.”

Over the past two years, DIUx has made headway experimenting with new acquisitions methods, exposing warfighters to commercial methodologies and putting technology in the hands of the warfighter. One of the ways they have done this is learning about operator’s needs first-hand by speaking with the leaders and soldiers about their experiences.

“With 3rd Brigade and their recent support to Iraqi Security Forces in the liberation of Mosul, having these types of meetings really highlights what we do and how we can support the warfighter,” Robinson said. “It really puts a point on our use of technology, the threat’s use of technology, especially in the areas of the drones and autonomy, but also in situational awareness and intelligence surveillance reconnaissance capabilities.”

To effectively use DIUx for what it has to offer the Army and the DoD, Robinson says the culture may need to change.

“Changing the Army and DoD’s culture to the potential of doing things more quickly is essential. I think it’s recognizing not the risk inherent in doing it, but recognizing the risk of not doing it which is [putting the] mission in jeopardy, which is not keeping pace with our peer adversaries and being eclipsed on technology.”

• Date Taken: 04.09.2018
• Date Posted: 04.16.2018 14:50
• Story ID: 273230
• Location: TX, US