A panel of innovators, including some who have been critical of President-elect Trump, said they will continue serving in the next administration if asked because of a commitment to a “higher mission” and to helping the troops.
The Defense Innovation Board, which Defense Secretary Ash Carter created as a way to drive culture change in the Pentagon and draw recommendations for industry leaders, met for the first time since the election on Monday to vote on several proposals, including appointing a chief innovation officer in the Defense Department and making computer science a career specialty in the military.
Neil deGrasse Tyson, an astrophysicist and member of the board, has been a vocal critic of Trump, saying that the president’s questioning of climate science should put the country on a four-year mission to “Make America Smart Again.”
Despite that, Tyson said he would continue to serve on the Pentagon board if asked by the next secretary because of a commitment to making the country better.
“All of the carefully-selected quotes that you find in these halls, they pledge allegiance to the Constitution. I have yet to see a quote that talks about the president, so I think there’s a higher mission statement that we all live by here and expect that that will continue,” Tyson told reporters following a 90-minute public board meeting.
Jennifer Pahlka, the founder and executive director of Code for America, said she too would continue to serve if asked because of the troops she’s met during exploratory trips as a board member.
“It’s those people personally who I feel very compelled to continue to serve if we can help them,” she said.
Eric Schmidt, the chairman of the board and chairman of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, also said he would be “very happy” to serve under Trump and his pick to be defense secretary, retired Gen. James Mattis, if he is invited to stay on and suspected that at least a majority of board members felt the same way.
Schmidt reportedly helped draw up the campaign plan for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
Since 1998, the 15 members who make up the board have donated almost $2.4 million to Democratic candidates and political action committees, according to data compiled by Defense News. Only about $236,000 has been donated to Republican candidates or organizations.
The board exists at the discretion of the secretary and has been a key focus for Carter. While it’s unclear what focus Trump or Mattis will put on driving technological innovation, or if they will keep the board alive, Schmidt said, “we have every reason to believe it will continue.”
Schmidt also said he has talked with the transition team, but not about the future of the innovation board.
Trump has clashed with leaders in Silicon Valley on a number of issues, especially immigration, since tech companies want to hire the best talent they can, regardless of where that person is from. In one example, Apple refused to support the GOP convention over the summer because of Trump’s comments about immigrants, as well as women and minorities.
Innovative defense start-ups are often hesitant to partner with the Pentagon to begin with because of the massive bureaucracy with which they must contend. Following the election, experts predicted it would become even more difficult to convince these companies to partner with the Pentagon.
The board has been a key part of Carter’s efforts to encourage more businesses to work with the Pentagon. In addition to the board, Carter has set up innovation hubs across the country to build relationships in Silicon Valley, Boston and Austin, Texas, and has made the Defense Department take on best practices from the private sector, such as hosting a hackathon to find and patch security vulnerabilities.
