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Douglas A. Beck

Senior Fellow, Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs

Doug Beck is the former Director of the US Defense Innovation Unit and Principal Staff Assistant to the US Secretary of Defense.
Doug Beck
Biography

Doug Beck is a Senior Fellow with the Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs.

Doug previously served as Director of the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and Principal Staff Assistant to the Secretary of Defense.

As Director of the DIU, Doug oversaw efforts to accelerate the Department's adoption of commercial technology throughout the military and also serves as a senior advisor to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense on technology innovation, competition, and strategic impact. In his previous experience with DIU, Doug founded and led its joint reserve component from the inception in 2015 through 2019.

Prior to joining DIU, Doug was Vice President at Apple, reporting directly to its CEO, Tim Cook from 2009-2023, At Apple, Doug co-led the worldwide business development and sales functions, led the company’s businesses across Northeast Asia and the Americas, including five years resident in Tokyo, and, most recently, led several of Apple’s purpose-driven businesses worldwide, including in health, education, and other institutions of public impact.