Can the Defense Department Rekindle Romance With Silicon Valley?

After spending two decades largely ignoring the very Silicon Valley tech start-up culture that it helped bankroll in the 1970s and ’80s, questions remain about a new Defense Department push to reconnect with the California tech world, especially in a post-Snowden era where trust between the two sides has been eroded.

Spearheading the new outreach initiative is Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, who after announcing a new cyber and technology strategy Thursday afternoon at Stanford, plans to hold a series of meetings with tech-related venture capital heads, Facebook execs, and owners of small companies to try and smooth the path for greater collaboration between the military and private industry.

The hoped-for partnership with Silicon Valley startups could be “hugely importantAfter spending two decades largely ignoring the very Silicon Valley tech start-up culture that it helped bankroll in the 1970s and ’80s, questions remain about a new Defense Department push to reconnect with the California tech world, especially in a post-Snowden era where trust between the two sides has been eroded.

Spearheading the new outreach initiative is Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, who after announcing a new cyber and technology strategy Thursday afternoon at Stanford, plans to hold a series of meetings with tech-related venture capital heads, Facebook execs, and owners of small companies to try and smooth the path for greater collaboration between the military and private industry.

The hoped-for partnership with Silicon Valley startups could be “hugely important” said P.W. Singer, senior fellow at the New America Foundation and author of the recent Cybersecurity and Cyberwar.” said P.W. Singer, senior fellow at the New America Foundation and author of the recent Cybersecurity and Cyberwar.

Read the full article at Foreign Policy.