Doug Beck Returns to CNAS Board of Directors

Today, the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) is pleased to announce the return of Doug Beck, former director of the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and principal staff assistant to the secretary of defense, to its Board of Directors.

Beck previously served on the CNAS board from 2015 to 2023, stepping down when appointed as director of the DIU, reporting directly to the secretary of defense.

“We are thrilled to welcome Doug back to CNAS,” said Michèle Flournoy, CNAS cofounder and chair of the CNAS Board of Directors. “Doug’s leadership in bridging the gap between Silicon Valley and the Pentagon across two administrations was critical in accelerating innovation in the Department of Defense. His experience and voice on our board will ensure that the Center continues to help prepare America for the threats and opportunities of tomorrow.”

As director of the DIU during both the Biden and Trump administrations, Beck served as the Department of Defense’s (DoD’s)principal liaison to the tech sector in Silicon Valley and around the world. He leveraged his combination of deep private sector and military experience to push the Pentagon toward the “generational transformation” he had called for in his influential report “DIU 3.0”: Scaling Defense Innovation for Strategic Impact, published by CNAS.

During his tenure at the Pentagon, Beck oversaw the DoD’s procurement and initial fielding of commercially derived technologies, working closely with partners across the DoD, Congress, and the private sector to drive a step change in the military’s ability to integrate operationally critical technologies with the focus, speed, and scale required for strategic effect.

“Doug has been a leader in business, in the U.S. military, and across two administrations,” said Richard Fontaine, chief executive officer of CNAS. “He rejoins our board at a critical time and will help guide CNAS as it continues to develop innovative and bipartisan national security policies.”

Before serving at the DIU, Beck was vice president at Apple from 2009 to 2023, reporting directly to CEO Tim Cook and overseeing Apple’s businesses across the Americas and Northeast Asia; prior to that, he was chief strategy officer at Charles Schwab and a partner at McKinsey & Company. He has spent over 15 years in the Indo-Pacific region, living and working across Japan, China, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Indonesia.

Beck is a captain in the U.S. Navy Reserve and served in both Iraq and Afghanistan with a joint special operations task force. His personal and unit awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal (two awards), the Bronze Star Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon, and the Presidential Unit Citation.

To learn more, contact Charles Horn at [email protected].