The US Army has added three technology executives to its Executive Innovation Corps, a unit created to bring commercial sector expertise to the military. Dane Knecht, Sam Pallara, and Serkan Piantino were commissioned into the Army in a ceremony at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Virginia.
The trio is the second batch of leaders to join the unit, which was launched in June 2025. They will serve as advisors in the reserves, helping the Army innovate and adapt to new technologies. The first cohort included executives from Palantir, Meta, OpenAI, and Thinking Machines Lab.
The Army's direct commissioning program has been revamped to make it easier for technology leaders to serve without leaving their civilian jobs. The onboarding timeline has been cut from over 18 months to around six months, allowing the detachment's ranks to increase.
