JANUARY 29, 2026 – Secretary of War Pete Hegseth today has approved a major overhaul of the War Department’s legacy advisory boards, directing the merger of the Defense Innovation Board (DIB) and the Defense Science Board (DSB) into the new Science and Technology Innovation Board (STIB), pending formal establishment by the Federal Register. This move continues the transition of the Department away from the alphabet‑soup era of indecisive overlapping groups that delay results to the American warfighter. The STIB is built on speed and clarity for rapid resolution to complex national security problems.
As the Department reestablishes a warrior ethos, the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering continues to assist in eliminating the bureaucratic blockers that undermine the decision-making velocity expected of a fighting force. The unification of two powerful advisory bodies into one will create one voice for innovation that replaces competing recommendations with fast, coherent guidance. The STIB brings together the DSB’s deep scientific and technical rigor with the DIB’s private‑sector agility and disruptive mindset. This merger results in one board with the authority, expertise and urgency to deliver real answers, not more processes.
“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,” said Emil Michael, Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering.
To ensure the board drives outcomes, the STIB will maintain two permanent subcommittees:
- Subcommittee on Strategic Options – Charged with identifying concepts, capabilities, strategies, and courses of action across the S&T enterprise that rebalance cost and benefit, strengthen deterrence, and ensure U.S. operational dominance.
- Subcommittee on National Security Innovation – Tasked with examining and advising on innovation pathways, emerging and disruptive technologies, commercial best practices in strategy and management, organizational design, human capital, decision‑making, and scaling — while leveraging America’s broader innovation ecosystem for national security.
This merger transforms two respected boards into a unified force multiplier for the War Department. It reduces bureaucratic drag, eliminates redundant operations and ends the churn of siloed advisory groups that often hinders progress. The STIB will attract top talent from science, technology and commercial innovation hubs, giving them a single, powerful venue to shape both disruptive advancement and foundational scientific priorities.
The War Department is moving with renewed order and purpose. The STIB now stands as the forum where America’s leading scientists and industry experts provide grounded, mission‑focused counsel to solve our warfighter’s toughest problems.
View the new board appointments here: www.stib.cto.mil