Navy Establishing 'Tech Bridge' in South Carolina.

* The Navy is setting up a new office dubbed the Palmetto Tech Bridge in Charleston, South Carolina, to focus on developing innovative technologies.

The effort is part of a set of "tech bridges" the service is creating under the Naval Information Warfare Center to develop partnerships among industry, academia and the services. The upcoming Palmetto Tech Bridge will be the sixth office. Other locations indude: Newport, Rhode Island; Keyport, Washington; San Diego; Orlando, Florida; and Crane, Indiana.

Michael Merriken, director of the Palmetto Tech Bridge, said the office will be concentrating on autonomous systems, cybersecurity and communications. Specific problem sets will be determined by the Navy, he noted.

Cmdr. Sam "Chubs" Gray, director of Tech Bridges, said the centers are a platform that each of the regional offices can utilize to better connect to different resources. The service wants to tap into Charleston's advantages, such as the city's academic community and technology sector, Gray noted.

Charleston's community will be particularly useful for exploring 5G technologies, Merriken said. The service hopes that will allow it to leverage industry input early in the technology development process.

"5G is a great example of a technology that's really being led by industry" he said. "This is where Tech...