The Defense Innovation Unit is always hunting for the most cutting-edge tech—but the office’s business model only works if regulators are on board.
That’s where Omar Pimentel comes in.
Meet Omar: Pimentel, the DC-based policy and strategy lead for DIU’s space portfolio, said the office’s goal is to find commercial tech with national security applications and help integrate it into the DoD. But for that to be successful, any new technology must also be commercially viable—and approved by federal regulators.
“To tick that box of commercial viability, we need to have a bigger presence in Washington and work with policymakers and regulators to make known what awesome stuff industry is making,” the 27-year-old said. “The last thing we want to do is find cool tech…but [not be able to] bring it to market because of regulatory burdens.”
Pimentel, who received a master’s degree in international policy focused on national security, cyber, and space policy from Stanford University, has seen multiple sides of the regulatory debate. Before joining DIU in July 2023, he worked in the US House of Representatives for 2+ years and interned at NASA.
High praise: “He is one of the unsung heroes who contributed significantly to the 2024 Department of Defense Commercial Space Integration Strategy, which fundamentally shifts the department’s view of commercial space technology,” Steve “Bucky” Butow, director of DIU’s space portfolio, wrote in his nomination. “Equally important, Omar advanced the idea that the department should assist companies in clearing regulatory hurdles where national security imperatives are present.”
Globetrotting: In addition to fighting for DIU’s interests in DC, Pimentel has also represented the organization on the world stage.
- He has visited Australia twice in the past year to build the relationship between the two countries in space under the AUKUS agreement. “It’s a misconception we’ve tried to clear the air on,” he said. “Space isn’t technically a word in AUKUS, but space is a domain, it enables everything in AUKUS.”
- Pimentel, who grew up in the Dominican Republic, has also been DIU’s liaison to U.S. Southern Command, exploring how the space economy can help emerging economies on everything from securing the border to studying to climate change.
