Tech whizzes and CEOs find homes in Corps’ new Reserve innovation unit

LTC Eugene Chu
..."Helping with the Corps’ overhaul
The idea behind the unit is that reservists, thanks to the expertise and connections they have developed in their civilian careers, can be uniquely situated to help modernize the active force.

“The Marine Corps comes to MIU when it has changes it needs to implement and it’s not sure how, and through MIU’s support, MIU Marines are able to propose other changes (if necessary) to the Marine Corps,” 1st Lt. Devin Nathan, a unit spokesman, wrote via email to Marine Corps Times.

When an active force unit comes across a thorny technological problem, that’s where the Marine Innovation Unit comes in. It might clue the unit into relevant civilian technology. It might connect the unit with another military unit or governmental agency that is working on a solution.

“We don’t always have the answers, but we can provide perspective and also connect individuals with the people that already have an answer,” Treseder said.

And then it typically backs off — it doesn’t have the resources to support a program long-term, said Sgt. Maj. Robert Lusk, its enlisted leader. The unit is made up of just a few hundred Marines and will remain that way for the next couple of years at least.


Sgt. William Treseder signs his reenlistment paperwork in Madison, New Jersey, in September 2022. (Sgt. William Treseder)

When the Reserve sought to experiment with small boats of the kind that the active force could one day use for shore-based operations, it was connections within the Defense Innovation Unit that helped the Reserve plan a rapid acquisition process for the boats, Reserve spokesman Lt. Col. Craig Thomas said. (The Defense Innovation Unit is the Defense Department’s agency that focuses on adopting commercial technology for military purposes.)

Now the Reserve is set to receive four or five commercially available watercraft in the spring — a faster timeline than most defense acquisitions.

“That wasn’t a real heavy lift,” Thomas added. “That was just MIU having the right connections and the right people to make things happen.”

The unit also is working with the active force on revamping Marine Corps personnel policies and systems. And the innovation unit puts those ideas into practice, according to Nathan. One of the goals of Talent Management 2030 is to recruit and retain Marines with deep technological expertise — like the reservists at the Marine Innovation Unit.

The unit’s command is rank-agnostic, meaning that the Marines’ skillsets and experience levels are more relevant than rank when it comes to deciding who leads a team. The Marines there do much of their work remotely, Nathan said.

The unit kicked off operations in March 2022, but its activation ceremony is scheduled for May 5.

Though it operates globally, the Marine Innovation Unit is headquartered in Newburgh, New York, out of Stewart Air National Guard Base, about an hour and a half’s drive from the talent pool of New York City. It’s also within the Hudson River Valley, home to an up-and-coming tech industry.

Its inception comes as the Marine Corps is relying on the Reserve not just as a smaller, part-time version of the active force, but also as a force that can contribute special talent in its own right."...