Complaint Origin and Allegations
The DoD Hotline received a complaint against Mr. Michael A. Brown, Director, Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), on October 29, 2020. The complaint listed 15 different issues that the complainant described as problems within the DIU and “not appropriate.” In general, the complaint identified various personnel issues dealing with civilian, military, and contractor employees.
Scope and Methodology of the Investigation
During our investigation, we interviewed 10 witnesses. Of the 10 witnesses, 8 either worked in the DIU or in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD[R&E]), the DIU’s parent organization. We interviewed two witnesses with expertise in DoD hiring authorities and practices. We also interviewed Mr. Brown. In addition, we reviewed applicable standards and more than 1,000,000 documents, including e-mails, attachments, and personnel records.
Conclusions
We did not substantiate the allegations against Mr. Brown.