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Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos joins Pentagon innovation board

Bezos and celebrity astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson are among the latest to join the agency's Defense Innovation Advisory Board.

Terry Collins Staff Reporter, CNET News
Terry writes about social networking giants and legal issues in Silicon Valley for CNET News. He joined CNET News from the Associated Press, where he spent the six years covering major breaking news in the San Francisco Bay Area. Before the AP, Terry worked at the Star Tribune in Minneapolis and the Kansas City Star. Terry's a native of Chicago.
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Terry Collins

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is now part of a growing group of tech leaders that are advising the US government on innovation.

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Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who owns private space company Blue Origin, has joined a board tasked with advising the Pentagon.

 Blue Origin

Bezos was named to the Pentagon's Defense Innovation Advisory Board. In addition to being the CEO of Amazon, Bezos is also the head of private space company Blue Origin, which is working to make reusable rockets a reality.

Bezos, as well as celebrity astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, is among 10 new members of the board Defense Secretary Ash Carter formed in March to advise the Pentagon on innovation-related issues.

The board is headed by Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Alphabet, Google's parent company. Other tech-related board members include LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, Instagram Chief Operating Officer Marne Levine and Code for America founder Jennifer Pahlka.

The board will be working over the summer to provide initial recommendations to Carter by October.