We drive tactical innovation by fostering continuous, direct collaboration between service members and public and private innovators.
Our approach ensures that solutions are not only visionary but also immediately applicable, enhancing Soldier readiness and operational lethality from day one.
The Civil-Military Innovation Institute (CMI2) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to accelerating military modernization through hands-on, warfighter-driven innovation. We close critical gaps in the defense innovation ecosystem by rapidly developing and deploying solutions that sharpen tactical advantage, boost lethality, and elevate mission preparedness.
Our approach, “Innovation in the Dirt™,” means focusing on tactical innovation, engaging service members, and transforming raw concepts into real-world tools that improve warfighter performance in austere and high-threat environments.
CMI2 merges extensive senior military experience with public and private sector innovators and commercial agility to deliver rapid innovation cycles that match the tempo of today’s missions. We champion forming a robust, agile civil-military innovation workforce in partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense and national public safety communities.
Proximity to the warfighter is the cornerstone of our work. By embedding directly with Soldiers and units, we capture authentic operational needs, drive field-tested innovation, and provide combat-ready solutions that reinforce readiness, survivability, and lethality on tomorrow’s battlefield.
The Civil-Military Innovation Institute (CMI2) is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit that bridges the gaps in defense innovation, creating functional solutions to support the warfighter with immediate impact and effect. We call it ‘Innovation in the Dirt™,’ a frontline approach to fostering military modernization.
CMI2 offers management capabilities such as senior military expertise, university innovation, and commercial research. CMI2 supports the idea of creating and utilizing a dynamic civil-military innovation workforce in partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and public safety communities.
CMI2 builds close relationships with military units and service members to understand requirements, the cornerstone of our work. So, CMI2 team members are embedded with Soldiers and warfighters at installations nationwide.
Almost 60 percent of the CMI2 workforce comprises current or former military personnel, giving CMI2 a decisive advantage in developing solutions grounded in real-world operational demands. This foundation ensures our efforts focus on enhancing tactical innovation, improving readiness, and driving mission effectiveness from the ground up.
Our veteran employees bring diverse expertise across key warfighting domains, including special operations, infantry, armor, field artillery, electronic warfare, and cybersecurity. Their firsthand experience informs every stage of our innovation process, ensuring that solutions are both relevant and resilient in dynamic operational environments.
Complementing military insights, our team also includes entrepreneurs and commercial sector innovators who inject agility, cutting-edge technology expertise, and scalable thinking into our development cycles.
Since 2017, CMI2 has maintained embedded personnel at both the tactical and strategic levels of the force.
CMI2 supports national security objectives through its contributions to U.S. Southern Border operations, leveraging tactical innovation and experimentation to enhance surveillance, communication, and response capabilities to support homeland defense. Additionally, CMI2 actively contributes to the Golden Dome mission, reinforcing its commitment to force protection, resilience, and integrated readiness initiatives.
CMI2 organizational capabilities strengthen unit readiness, accelerate effectiveness, increase lethality, support resilience, and ensure a technological edge across the force. Working shoulder to shoulder with service members, CMI2 continues to deliver relevant, agile, and lethal capabilities that prepare America’s warfighters for success on today’s and tomorrow’s front lines.
