Alphabet’s Eric Schmidt to chair Pentagon’s new ‘Defense Innovation Advisory Board’

The U.S. Department of Defense today announced the formation of a new Defense Innovation Advisory Board, with the idea of improving the department with help from people in the private sector from Silicon Valley and other areas.

Eric Schmidt, the executive chairman of Google’s umbrella company Alphabet, will be the chair of the board. He and Defense Secretary Ash Carter will be choosing the rest of the board members, of which there will be as many as 12, according to a statement.

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The areas of focus will be both technology and management, according to the statement.

The timing is interesting. Currently Apple is squaring off against multiple parts of the federal government over the encryption of an iPhone that belonged to one of the San Bernardino shooters, and a Google executive was tapped here, rather than someone from Apple.

The board will not delve into military efforts, the statement said.