Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Tuesday announced nine new members of its main outreach board to the technology community, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and celebrity astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. The Defense Innovation Advisory Board was established in March to push to make the Pentagon more tech friendly. The board, chaired by Alphabet Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt, also includes names such as former Special Operations Command chief retired Navy Adm. William McRaven and Code for America founder Jennifer Pahlka, among others. (Full list of board members.) (See also: The Pentagon’s New Hires for Innovation.)
The U.S. military is sending more fighter jets to the Middle East to step up its war with Iran, adding to what is already the largest buildup of airpower in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. For now, the operation shows little sign of coming to a quick…