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Owen West has been appointed to lead the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), with leadership set to commence in February or March. This unit, tasked with integrating startup technology into the military, has experienced recent turmoil following the ousting of former director Doug Beck and several staff members.

West, who previously worked with Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, will take over from Emil Michael, the acting director. He was recently assigned to lead the Drone Dominance program, which aims to supply low-cost drones to military units by 2027, utilizing $1.1 billion allocated by Congress.

The DIU, established in 2015, has faced criticism for its slow procurement processes and failure to effectively shift funding towards startups. It was previously responsible for the Replicator initiative, which has since been reassigned to Special Operations Command due to procurement issues.