Unit X

How the Pentagon and Silicon Valley Are Transforming the Future of War

By: Raj M. Shah, Christopher Kirchhoff

Narrated by: Sean Patrick Hopkins, Raj M. Shah, Christopher Kirchhoff

A riveting inside look at an elite unit within the Pentagon—the Defense Innovation Unit, also known as Unit X—whose mission is to bring Silicon Valley’s cutting-edge technology to America’s military: from the two men who launched the unit.

A vast and largely unseen transformation of how war is fought as profound as the invention of gunpowder or advent of the nuclear age is occurring. Flying cars that can land like helicopters, artificial intelligence-powered drones that can fly into buildings and map their interiors, microsatellites that can see through clouds and monitor rogue missile sites—all these and more are becoming part of America’s DIU-fast-tracked arsenal.

Until recently, the Pentagon was known for its uncomfortable relationship with Silicon Valley and for slow-moving processes that acted as a brake on innovation. Unit X was specifically designed as a bridge to Valley technologists that would accelerate bringing state of the art software and hardware to the battle space. Given authority to cut through red tape and function almost as a venture capital firm, Shah, Kirchhoff, and others in the Unit who came after were tasked particularly with meeting immediate military needs with technology from Valley startups rather than from so-called “primes”—behemoth companies like Lockheed, Raytheon, and Boeing.

Taking us inside AI labs, drone workshops, and battle command centers—and, also, overseas to Ukraine’s frontlines—Shah and Kirchhoff paint a fascinating picture of what it takes to stay dominant in a fast-changing and often precarious geopolitical landscape.

In an era when America’s chief rival, China, has ordered that all commercial firms within its borders make their research and technology available for military exploitation, strengthening the relationship between Washington and Silicon Valley was always advisable. Today, it is an urgent necessity.

©2024 Raj Shah and Christopher Kirchhoff (P)2024 Simon & Schuster Audio

Thoroughly Enjoyed

I’ve been thinking about executing on some ideas I’ve been considering for some time. I found the book illuminating, and I’m excited at the prospect of a more accessible ecosystem in the defense hemisphere.

This was an excellent read, and I highly recommend.

Hope for our national security!

A fabulous tale of how forward leaning patriots can tackle hard problems, address world challenges, and develop a path forward for our collective national security.

Chapter 7 was awful, but book is still worth reading

Good history of DIU, even if self-congratulatory. Chapter 7 was absolutely awful — would highly recommend skipping in its entirety as it was a weird misleading political screed amidst otherwise good analysis/storytelling.

Connects the dots

This book helped me decipher some trends that are apparent in defense for better or worse. Certainly, legacy defense companies have a lofty price tag but house incredibly capabilities. PM management and resistance to committing to networked model based systems has led to lofty price tags, rework and common delays. That said, it’s systems based models that enable agility. Let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water. Let’s also not undermine the advanced technology that does exist. Meaning AI and ML have been apart of every platform I have worked, not new or even improved across all applications.

Great eye opener

Great look at the relationship between modern technology and national security, as well as the roadblocks and reality of changing our ways and getting new programs started

Sustained Leadership

I’m afraid that November 2024 is upon us. Unit X is an amazing example of an opportunity for future American ingenuity; but not without collective cooperation. How the hell are we so different? That I don’t understand.

Want next?

A little ponderous with names, but overall and honest assessment. I think the last two chapters should be read twice.

Poor Job Telling a Great Story

The authors seemed mostly interested in highlighting themselves as brilliant disrupters. Spent a lot of time justifying why the only reason they didn’t do more is that people were too dumb to understand what they were trying to do.

I read/listen to about 30 books a year and rarely decide to not finish a one. About two thirds of the way through Unit X I decided the rest of the book wasn’t worth my time.