MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA - (October 10, 2024) The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) announces the appointment of Lieutenant Colonel Raj Shah as Director of its Joint Reserve Detachment (JRD). The Director of DIU JRD leads the nearly 50 Guard and Reserve personnel from across the uniformed Services. The DIU JRD is responsible for the operational employment of DIU Reservists to support and advise Combatant Commands and the Joint Forces within their areas of operation, as well as for supporting critical DIU missions in furthering the cutting edge of technology partnerships through the active leverage of reservists with experience in both the tech sector and the military.
“Raj is both a proven leader and tested entrepreneur, having taken leading roles in commercial technology as both a founder and funder, as well as with both military combat and support operations and the details of defense acquisition," said DIU Director, Doug Beck “He is the right individual to lead the JRD and communicate across multiple industries in support of a national mission force for innovation that extends across the joint force, and we are thrilled to welcome him back to DIU in this new role.”
DIU 3.0 strategy outlines the need for dual fluency - understanding the culture and process of both military requirements and commercial innovation. This ability to bridge the military and commercial sectors is critical for DIU to scale its strategic impact across the Department of Defense. The DIU-JRD is expanding its ability to cultivate and grow this vital dual-fluent human capital.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve the DIU mission in uniform. The JRD plays a critical role in supporting the joint force by recruiting and developing dual-fluent members across its six branches. I look forward to helping scale the JRD’s impact and reach, and helping the incredible talent resident in our reserve force to play their unique role in support of DIU’s mission to deliver strategic impact through focus, speed, and scale,” said Lt Col Shah.
Shah is a member of the California Air National Guard and completed three combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan as an F-16 pilot. He served as Director of the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental from 2016-2018.
In his civilian career, Shah is a Managing Partner of Shield Capital. He previously founded two venture backed startups focused on cybersecurity. He also serves on the Board of Directors to the NATO Innovation Fund and was a Commissioner on Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) Reform Commission.