The Pentagon is trying to move as fast as Ukraine.
This week, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) launched Project GI, a new initiative aimed at radically shrinking the timeline between frontline feedback and field-ready drone upgrades. It’s a clear nod to the pace of battlefield innovation in Ukraine, where soldiers and engineers have been co-developing tools on the fly—often within striking distance of Russian artillery.
Unlike traditional acquisition programs, which follow strict deadlines and long procurement cycles, Project GI is built to run continuously. The goal is to create a live feedback loop—design, test, deploy, repeat—where companies are in constant contact with drone operators, not just contract officers. Submissions to the program will be open through the end of the year, and DIU officials say they’re deliberately removing the constraints of older systems.
“We want to start trying to solve the problem in 24 hours,” said Trent Emeneker, who leads the Blue UAS program inside DIU. That’s a far cry from the current norm, where even so-called “rushed” efforts can take five years to move from requirement-writing to a working prototype.
That pace isn’t going to cut it anymore.
Ukraine’s success has highlighted the strategic edge that comes from pushing rapid updates directly to the front lines. Shield AI, one of the U.S. firms operating inside Ukraine, has embraced this model. Its engineers work side-by-side with Ukrainian units, gathering insights and feeding them straight back to their U.S.-based teams. During a GPS-jamming attack by Russian forces last August, Shield AI shipped a software fix in less than 24 hours. The updated drones were back in the field within a day, taking out Russian missile systems.
That’s the kind of response time Project GI is trying to enable—not just for software, but for hardware too.
But speed isn’t the only issue. The Pentagon still faces serious supply chain risks, particularly its dependence on Chinese-made parts. Emeneker flagged critical components like magnets, lenses, and actuators—many of which still come from China. Even with a full-scale reshoring push, he estimates it would take at least a year to reach meaningful production levels.
In the meantime, the program aims to cut drone design cycles from years to months, at least for systems already in the pipeline. If successful, it could signal a broader shift in how the Pentagon works with dual-use startups and deploys technology at the edge.
