DefenseSystems covers an Atlantic Council google hangout hosted by the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security on the potential for a Department of Defense-Silicon Valley partnership:
One way to keep the initiative alive during the transitions is to draw bipartisan support, which Carter has done. Steve Grundman, Lund Fellow at the Scowcroft Center at the Atlantic Council, also said DOD should focus on early wins. “I would harken to one of the things [Carter] did when he was the Under Secretary of Defense and rolled out Better Buying Power, which was approaching the end of the first term,” Grundman said during an webcast hosted by the Atlantic Council. “I think one of the tactics he used there was to focus the initiatives on a couple of big objects” to “capture early wins.” Highlighting a few successful objects or signature acquisition strategies could propel the partnership beyond the current administration and into the next.
DOD’s slow acquisition speed also could present problems. One of the distinct differences in culture is that “Silicon Valley companies try to get an edge on competition, while the Pentagon tries to enforce competition,” said Patrick O’Reilly, nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center.