WASHINGTON — Secretary of Defense Ash Carter has announced three new members of his Defense Innovation Advisory Board.
The board, which is led by Alphabet CEO Eric Schmidt, will include LinkedIn head Reid Hoffman; former SOCOM Commander Adm. Bill McRaven (ret.); and historian Walter Isaacson, the biographer of Apple head Steve Jobs.
Carter also pledged that "we've got some additional amazing innovators lined up, so stay tuned for who else will be joining them."
The creation of the board was announced March 2 during a Silicon Valley visit by Carter. At the time, officials said the board could have as many as 12 members, but until today no members had been announced beyond Schmidt.
"They will begin their work over the summer, and I expect to receive their first recommendations in the fall," Carter said about the board while speaking at the Defense One Tech Summit in Washington, D.C.
"Among other things, I've charged them with keeping DoD imbued with a culture of innovation in people, organizations, operations and technology, to support people who innovate; to support those creative figures in the department who are willing to try new things, fail fast and iterate; and to ensure we're always doing everything we can to stay ahead of potential adversaries," Carter said.
One person who does not appear likely to join the board — SpaceX and Tesla head Elon Musk. While Musk visited with Carter during a Wednesday visit to the Pentagon, a senior official said Musk is not part of the board.
Email: amehta@defensenews.com
Twitter: @AaronMehta
Aaron Mehta was deputy editor and senior Pentagon correspondent for Defense News, covering policy, strategy and acquisition at the highest levels of the Defense Department and its international partners.
