April 17, 2026 – Like wildfires, wars are unpredictable, but conditions make them more likely. Our adversaries are scaling war production. The President, Congress, and the Secretary of War have ordered an urgent rearmament. Our world-leading tech entrepreneurs, funded by surging private capital, are critical to the solution. DIU exists to accelerate the conversion of commercially derived technology into combat power.
DIU’s leadership team is accountable for producing reasonable results for our operational units. DIU has welcomed five new top-level hires in recent months, each uniquely qualified to help the joint force solve tough problems with economical commercial and non-traditional solutions.
Service is our business. We will harness the full power of America's markets and entrepreneurs on behalf of our military will reduce the likelihood of war and increase the certainty of victory if our enemies choose unwisely.
The new faces of DIU’s senior leadership include:
Owen West, Director
Joining DIU as Director on March 2, Owen is the former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations. He also worked previously for Goldman Sachs as the trading partner-in-charge of the global natural gas and U.S. power businesses. While at Goldman, Mr. West took two leaves of absence to activate and deploy with fellow Marines to Iraq.
Matthew Shortal, Principal Deputy Director and Chief Commercial Officer
Matthew started his career as an F/A-18 fighter pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps. He flew out of Miramar and deployed multiple times to locations in the Far East and Middle East for combat operations. He is a graduate of the Naval Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) and a former U.S. Navy Blue Angels pilot. Matthew joins DIU after working as an Operating Partner and Chief of Staff at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), a leading Venture Capital firm.
Joseph Kunkel, Military Deputy
Maj. Gen. Joseph D. Kunkel is the Military Deputy at DIU. He has broad operational experience as an F-15e and F-22 pilot, with 10 combat deployments in support of global operations. He was previously the Director of Force Design for the U.S. Air Force. In this position, he led advanced efforts for future force design, capability development integration, and disruptive technology.
Travis Metz, Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer
Travis joined DIU following his time at the Office of the Secretary of War, where he primarily focused on the Drone Dominance Program, an initiative now led by DIU. Prior to working in the Department of War, Mr. Metz founded and managed timberlineDS, an AI consulting firm doing work for both private industry and government clients. Mr. Metz also had a long career managing venture capital and private equity funds.
Jay Alonzo, Chief Financial Officer
Jay joined the DIU from the Office of the Secretary of War, Comptroller. Prior to joining the Department as a civilian, he was on active duty in the United States Air Force. Over his civilian and military career, he has served in a variety of positions including financial management, aircraft maintenance and logistics, acquisitions, and congressional and public affairs.