Talent gap concerns loom larger than ever.

• Author: Erwin, Sandra I.
• Position: Defense Watch

An innovation deficit in the Defense Department and the weapons-making industry has been a central focus of Pentagon chief Ashton Carter's agenda.

The topic for the most part has been treated as a footnote in the larger debate about national security priorities. Discussions on aging workforces and skills gaps frequently induce eye rolling inside the Washington Beltway and fall into the category of "problems that need to be solved" after we deal with more pressing concerns, like shooting wars, terrorism and budget sequestration.

Carter's push to reach out to millennial and tech startups around the country has been viewed with some skepticism, as an academic exercise that stands little chance against the Pentagon's entrenched culture and aversion to change.

During visits to military posts and forward bases, Carter likes to remind audiences that the United States has the best and most technologically advanced military in the world. He also argues frequently that the failure to attract fresh talent--both in the government and the defense industry--will eventually erode the competitive advantage the U.S. military currently has.

"One of my core goals as secretary of defense has been to push the Pentagon to think outside this wonderful five-sided box, and be more open to new ideas and new partnerships that can help our military remain what it is today--the finest fighting force the world has ever known--as we confront a changing and fiercely competitive world," Carter said at the inaugural meeting of the Defense Innovation Board, a group of prominent tech executives and academic advisers he brought in to infuse new perspectives.

Whereas the tech industry was once embedded in the defense establishment, they now live in separate worlds, which is worrisome to those who, like Carter, fear that the Pentagon has created an inhospitable environment for innovators and creative thinkers. "The world of technology is changing too fast," he said. "You'll fall behind and people won't want to work with you because they're not going to work with people who fall behind."

And oh by the way, the defense industry is in the same boat. Carter has warned Pentagon contractors that they are just as challenged in this area as the government. He has been frustrated by the defense industry's response to his outreach efforts--turning the debate into a turf battle between "traditional vs. nontraditional" contractors instead of joining forces with the Pentagon in the pursuit...