Rogue Squadron Transitions from Defense Innovation Unit to Defense Digital Service
Rogue Squadron Transitions from Defense Innovation Unit to Defense Digital Service
The Transition Strengthens the DOD’s Expertise in Counter-UAS
WASHINGTON — February 12, 2020 — Rogue Squadron, a Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) team based in Mountain View, California, which develops hardware and software solutions for small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) and counter-UAS (C-UAS) missions, will now report to the Defense Digital Service (DDS), a Department of Defense organization dedicated to providing the best in modern technical knowledge to the government.
"The role of DDS is to push boundaries and increase technical competency in the department to address emerging threats," said Brett Goldstein, DDS director. "Counter-UAS efforts directly impact the warfighter, and we will use these new resources to support those who protect and serve our country."
The Rogue Squadron team formally transitions to DDS today, following a natural transition path to a DOD partner. Rogue Squadron’s mix of military and contracting personnel will bolster the department’s top technical expertise in C-UAS and allow DDS to deliver a suite of capabilities in this space that are a department priority.
Over the last six months, in collaboration with the Department of the Navy (DoN) and Rogue Squadron, DDS has developed the real-time ability to detect and evaluate threats posed by sUAS. This project assists warfighters in understanding what they are seeing, helps developers build defeat capabilities based on what is actually flying and enables program offices to resource systems based on validated analysis.
"The adversary is agile and quickly evolves their technology," said Ellen Lord, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment. "DDS expertise will assist the Army, as the department's Executive Agent for C-UAS, in developing a rapid capability to counter adapting threats."
Rogue Squadron has a strong history of equipping U.S. warfighters with the best counter-UAS solutions today, and preparing them for challenges on the horizon. Since its establishment in 2017, Rogue Squadron has utilized modern software development practices to deliver cutting-edge products that help the warfighter operate safely and securely in environments with unknown autonomous systems. Rogue Squadron’s software is used by approximately 200 organizations across the DOD and federal government, and its custom ground station tools are widely used in major DOD C-UAS exercises.
Given the priority that the DOD is placing on C-UAS efforts, as well as the shared history and expertise in this space, both DIU and DDS felt it made sense to combine efforts, resources, and personnel to create a group fully devoted to sUAS and C-UAS missions.
"Rogue Squadron has solved some of the department's most pressing counter-UAS challenges by bringing together commercial methodologies and technical expertise in different ways," said Mike Brown, DIU director. "In the same way that today’s Kessel Run office grew out of a DIU software development prototype, we are excited to see Rogue Squadron’s transition to DDS that will build and scale a powerful capability in DOD."
About Defense Digital Service
The Defense Digital Service (DDS) was established by the Secretary of Defense in November 2015 as a SWAT team of nerds that provides the best in modern technical knowledge designed to bolster national defense. DDS is primarily based in the Pentagon, but also has permanent office space in Augusta, Georgia (Tatooine) and Mountain View, California (Rogue Squadron). DDS talent includes world-class software developers, designers, product managers, digital experts and bureaucracy hackers from both the private sector and within government. Learn more at https://dds.mil/.
About Defense Innovation Unit
The Defense Innovation Unit accelerates the adoption of commercial technology and methodologies by the U.S. military to strengthen national security. With offices in Silicon Valley, Boston, Austin, and the Pentagon, DIU connects the Department of Defense customers with leading technology companies to prototype solutions--in autonomy, AI, human systems, and space-- and then transition into the field within 12 to 24 months. Learn more at https://www.diu.mil/.
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