At the annual meeting of the Association of the United States Army, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll made headlines when he declared: “We cannot f-ing wait to innovate until Americans are dying on the battlefield.”

In his Oct. 13 speech, Driscoll previewed major changes to the Army’s acquisition system that could prove vital to emerging defense tech companies, noting: “After seeing the power of combining venture capital, money and mentorship with startup culture, I can say unequivocally that the Silicon Valley approach is absolutely ideal for the Army.”