They get it. They understand it. Their disruption is pretty th clear. In the 20 century, the country was essentially facing a single adversary. Now you need a scorecard. They need to scale [their innovations] to today’s [much higher] number of adversaries. They now realize the answer is not only tech, which is machine learning and robotics and whatever, but also innovation processes that are radically different than the way they’ve been building requirements and acquiring products and services. The Defense Department has adopted not just lean but this notion of an innovation pipeline incredibly fast. The 2018 National Security Strategy, written by the Secretary of Defense, is probably one of the most important innovation st documents so far of the 21 century. It said, “Organize for innovation.The Department’smanagement structure and processes are not written in stone, they are a means to an end–empowering the warfighter with the knowledge, equipmentand support systems to fight and win. Department leaders will adapt their organizational structures to best support the Joint Force. If current structures hinder substantial increases inlethality or performance, it is expected that Service Secretaries and Agency heads will consolidate, eliminate, or restructure as needed. The Department’s leadership is committed to changesin authorities, granting of waivers, andsecuring external support for streamlining processes and organizations.” It feels a lot like the lean startup take-up that we had in Silicon Valley. It’s catching on in the U.S. government, and it’s saving lives.