Emil Michael

Emil Michael serves as the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering and Chief Technology Officer for the Department of War, where he is responsible for ensuring the U.S. military's technological superiority. He leads key initiatives for technology deployment across the Department, including rapid AI integration through the Department’s official AI platform, GenAI.mil, and the development of investment priorities across the Department's six new critical technology areas. Emil’s mission is to create effective on-ramps to scale proven technologies through funding vehicles within the Department's restructured innovation ecosystem. His approach is informed by a career that blends distinguished public service with extensive private-sector success. Before his current appointment, Mr. Michael served as a White House Fellow and Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense—earning the Award for Outstanding Public Service—and served on the Defense Business Board, where he introduced commercial best practices into the Department. In the private sector, Mr. Michael was instrumental in building several successful companies and, as Chief Business Officer at Uber, helped launch its self-driving car division. Holding a B.A. from Harvard and a J.D. from Stanford Law School, Mr. Michael continues to leverage his private‑sector experience to accelerate the transition of breakthrough technologies into operational reality for the warfighter.