Ashton Carter, former secretary of the Defense Department, has called on DoD Secretary James Mattis to continue to forge partnerships with technology professionals in Silicon Valley and other regional hubs in the country in an effort to advance the “force of the future†initiative, Federal News Radio reported Thursday.
Jory Heckman writes Carter said in his keynote speech before the Atlantic Council that he wants the Trump administration to continue to advance the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental.
He said DIUx has facilitated deals with tech firms and helped service branches build “bridges†with the tech community in the areas of procurement and innovation.
Carter, who was named director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School in March, urged DoD to continue to invest in research and development efforts.
He also cited how the department during his tenure tapped industry tech professionals to work on some of the Pentagon’s projects for a specific time period through the Defense Digital Service program, the report added.
