Alphabet’s Eric Schmidt to Lead Pentagon Board to Make Defense Department Tech Savvier

The Pentagon is turning to Silicon Valley. Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced plans to create a new “innovation advisory board” for the bellicose department and appointed Alphabet chairman and Google CEO emeritus Eric Schmidt to lead it. Filling out the rest of the board will be up to 12 leaders who have “excelled at identifying and adopting new technology concepts,” according to the Pentagon. “The board’s mandate is to provide department leaders independent advice on innovative and adaptive means to address future organizational and cultural challenges, including the use of technology alternatives, streamlined project management processes and approaches — all with the goal of identifying quick solutions to DoD problems,” the Pentagon said.