Ex-Google CEO to head new Pentagon innovation board

San Francisco

ERIC Schmidt, the former chief executive officer of Google, will head a new Pentagon advisory board aimed at bringing Silicon Valley innovation and best practices to the US military, US Defence Secretary Ash Carter said on Wednesday.

Mr Carter unveiled the new Defense Innovation Advisory Board with Mr Schmidt during the annual RSA cyber security conference in San Francisco, saying it would give the Pentagon access to "the brightest technical minds focused on innovation".

Mr Schmidt, now the executive chairman of Alphabet Inc, the parent company of Google, said the board would help bridge what he called a clear gap between how the US military and the technology indu…