Defense Innovation Network

The Defense Innovation Network (Est. 2012) connects Americans and our allies to inspire collaboration, which leads to improvements for our national security.

[InfantryDort @infantrydort]

Patriotism is not believing your country is perfect.

Patriotism is refusing to let people who hate it be the only ones willing to fight for its future.

[Defense Innovation Unit @DIU_x]

Drone Dominance Program Gauntlet Phase II qualifiers conclude this week at Camp Grayling, Michigan.

This high-stakes test pits 49 companies and 79 unique unmanned aerial systems against rigorous mission scenarios, including long-range strikes and close-quarters tactical assaults. Each company brought 20 drones to take on the challenge.

"This is an urgent matter," said Owen West, DIU director. "Our adversaries are scaling their UAS technology, tactics and industries at an alarming rate. Following Secretary of War [Pete] Hegseth's orders, we are acting decisively to develop new defensive and offensive capabilities to match these threats."

Read more here: https://t.co/BfS8XTZI5G

[AFWERX @AFWERX]

⏳ https://t.co/2FaJ67VsnC Release 2 closes soon! AFWERX seeks solutions in AI, hypersonics, quantum tech & directed energy to address critical @usairforce needs. 🚀

If your technology can deliver mission impact, don't wait—submit today🔗 https://t.co/dEXzan2jFe

[Department of War CTO @DoWCTO]

The @DeptofWar’s Office of Strategic Capital announced a $500 million conditional loan commitment to Phoenix Tailings (@PhoenixTailings) to scale the company’s domestic processing of rare earth elements.

Phoenix Tailings specializes in rare earth separation and metallization, a highly technical midstream process that bridges the critical gap between raw extraction and permanent magnet production.

The company’s increased production will directly support permanent magnet facilities across the broader U.S. industrial base and strengthen supply chains for other specialty defense and industrial products.

[Defense Innovation Network @InnovateDefense]

@BillGertz We're just PACOM now... https://t.co/MC5QzUXoA3

[U.S. Pacific Command @USPACOM]

Department of War Restores U.S. Pacific Command Designation.

CAMP H.M. SMITH, Hawaii — The Department of War announced today that the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) will officially restore its name to the U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM).

Originally established on January 1, 1947, by President Harry S. Truman, the command operated under the USPACOM banner for over 70 years, standing as the oldest and largest of the United States' unified combatant commands.

Restoring the legacy USPACOM designation honors the command’s deep historical roots, fostering a sense of pride and collective spirit among all who serve in the Pacific. From its critical role in establishing the post-WWII regional security architecture to its coordination of joint forces during the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and countless humanitarian operations, the USPACOM namesake carries decades of military heritage and enduring regional partnerships.

USPACOM’s vast area of responsibility—spanning from the waters off the West Coast of the United States to the western border of India—remains exactly the same. The command's fundamental mission and its unwavering commitment to maintaining a free and open theater alongside regional allies and partners are unchanged.

https://t.co/5zeycP2lip

[U.S. Pacific Command @USPACOM]

Department of War Restores U.S. Pacific Command Designation.

CAMP H.M. SMITH, Hawaii — The Department of War announced today that the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) will officially restore its name to the U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM).

Originally established on January 1, 1947, by President Harry S. Truman, the command operated under the USPACOM banner for over 70 years, standing as the oldest and largest of the United States' unified combatant commands.

Restoring the legacy USPACOM designation honors the command’s deep historical roots, fostering a sense of pride and collective spirit among all who serve in the Pacific. From its critical role in establishing the post-WWII regional security architecture to its coordination of joint forces during the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and countless humanitarian operations, the USPACOM namesake carries decades of military heritage and enduring regional partnerships.

USPACOM’s vast area of responsibility—spanning from the waters off the West Coast of the United States to the western border of India—remains exactly the same. The command's fundamental mission and its unwavering commitment to maintaining a free and open theater alongside regional allies and partners are unchanged.

https://t.co/5zeycP2lip

[Pete Hegseth @PeteHegseth]

U.S. Pacific Command…is back.

[FBI Director Kash Patel @FBIDirectorKash]

On June 10, FBI and our law enforcement partners became aware of a potential threat to the UFC America 250 event in Washington, D.C. involving individuals outside of the National Capital Region – and thanks to the rapid action of this FBI, our partners, and the Department of Justice in a multi-state operation, multiple individuals are now in custody and allegedly planned attacks were stopped cold.

While the result represented the best of investigative work, it was also nothing out of the ordinary for this law enforcement team – we are built to detect, respond to, and bring to justice those who threaten the lives of American citizens - particularly during large gatherings like the historic UFC 250 fight. That’s exactly what we did here. I want to thank our great agents and partners, this work remains ongoing and we will continue to update the public as permitted. 

We continue to encourage any American to report anything suspicious at 1-800-CALL-FBI or https://t.co/m55w5cqC7Y.”

[Defense Innovation Network @InnovateDefense]

@stuartscheller Sir, can you realign metrics on fit reps for leaders based on joint comms, including helping industry vendors reach the right DoW decision makers? Often times a company calls the public affairs office and their query goes into a black hole of voicemail, never to be returned.

[Defense Innovation Network @InnovateDefense]

@nuko_yokohama This looks tasty... What is the name of the restaurant?

[The White House @WhiteHouse]

“At my direction, the United States Southern Command delivered a swift and lethal kinetic strike to successfully execute Niño Guerrero, the infamous leader of Tren De Aragua, one of the most bloodthirsty Terrorist Organizations on Planet Earth.” - President DONALD J. TRUMP 🇺🇸

[Defense Innovation Network @InnovateDefense]

@mako_63 What does that mean? Cool skyscrapers

[House Republicans @HouseGOP]

Tonight, at the direction of President Trump, the U.S. military conducted a precision strike to take out the head of Tren de Aragua, a bloodthirsty Venezuelan terror group. #PeaceThroughStrength

[Defense Innovation Network @InnovateDefense]

@hidekihirayama How fun! Yes, I emailed these addresses in screenshot. I don't want to post my name publicly, but they will have an email from me. Hopefully the schedules can work out. Do you know if any of the clubs have executives supporting military research / engineering / innovation? Thanks

[Sean Parnell @SeanParnellASW]

The first TV ad from THE War Department—JOIN THE FIGHT.

https://t.co/Dr72UieSQc

[Department of War CTO @DoWCTO]

The @DeptofWar is moving to secure our domestic critical mineral supply chain and is mobilizing the full power of American industry. 🇺🇸

[InfantryDort @infantrydort]

The more I look at this lighthearted monument idea. the more I think it accidentally captured the entire story of the Global War on Terror.

Not the war itself, but what it became.

A giant restraint stretched across open ground, another buckle fastened by people convinced that every problem can be solved by tightening the strap one more notch.

Those of us who fought that war were not fragile. We crossed oceans, climbed mountains, walked through cities filled with bombs, and carried burdens that would break most people. Yet somewhere along the way an entire generation of leaders became convinced that the greatest threat to those men was not the enemy, but risk itself.

What followed was twenty years of wrapping warriors in procedures, approvals, permissions, reviews, assessments, oversight mechanisms, and legal opinions until the institution slowly forgot the difference between protecting a force and restraining it.

Every buckle arrived with good intentions. Every layer was justified. Every restriction was sold to us as profound wisdom. Nobody noticed that the accumulation of caution was producing its own form of recklessness. We became so obsessed with preventing small failures that we lost the ability to achieve great successes.

That is the lesson staring back at me from this seemingly funny image.

Civilizations are not preserved by eliminating danger. They are preserved by producing men capable of confronting it. A people that spends enough time worshipping safety eventually begins treating courage like a pathology and initiative like a threat. The instinct for survival remains, but it becomes detached from the willingness to act.

History has never been kind to societies that make that trade.

What makes this monument joke so powerful is that it unintentionally captures the hangover of an entire era. An era spent tightening straps while the muscles beneath them slowly atrophied. An era spent managing risk while forgetting that the greatest risks are often the ones created by excessive caution.

If the Global War on Terror means anything, it should be this: never again confuse bureaucracy for strategy, process for progress, or restraint for strength.

The buckle is perfect.

Not because it honors what we were.

Because it reminds us what we became.

And it reminds us what we should never be again.

Cautious to the point of calamity.

[Defense Innovation Network @InnovateDefense]

@hyakkacoffee Yum

[Defense Innovation Network @InnovateDefense]

@tochinoshin @chinatown_y Congratulations

[Defense Innovation Network @InnovateDefense]

@yokohamasisters @HotelNewGrand_ Congratulations on your 50th anniversary! Are you having any other Rotary meetings around Yokohama this coming week?