Author discusses how the Pentagon and Silicon Valley are transforming the future of war

Christopher Kirchhoff, founder of the Pentagon's Defense Innovation Unit, sat down with ABC News to discuss his new book, "Unit X: How the Pentagon and Silicon Valley are Transforming the Future of War." The book provides crucial insights into the future of war and the role of the Defense Innovation Unit.

The war in Ukraine has highlighted the transformation of the battlefield through technology, including surveillance satellites, armed drones, AI labs, and missile defense systems, according to Kirchhoff. His book puts a spotlight on the pivotal role of the Defense Innovation Unit (also known as Unit X), a special team at the Pentagon, in this transformation, ensuring that the U.S. and its allies stay ahead of their adversaries.

Kirchhoff helped create the Unit while working for the National Security Council under the Obama administration.

ABC News sat down with Kirchhoff to discuss his thought process in creating the unit.

ABC NEWS: From surveillance satellites and armed drones to AI labs and missile defense systems, the war in Ukraine has shown how technology has transformed the battlefield. The topic of a new book, 'Unit X: How the Pentagon and Silicon Valley are Transforming the Future of War,' examines how a special team at the Pentagon, the Defense Innovation Unit, aka Unit X, has played a key role to help ensure the U.S. and its allies remain a step ahead of its foes. Co-author Christopher Kirchhoff, who helped create the unit, joins us now. Thank you so much for coming on the show.

KIRCHHOFF: Thank you, Linsey.

ABC NEWS: So you were with the National Security Council under the Obama administration. At what point did you realize, OK, we really need to bring Silicon Valley in to help out the Pentagon.

KIRCHHOFF: You know, you wish we've all seen, you know, James Bond and "Mission Impossible." It would be great if it actually worked like that. But, of course, in this country, there are actually two completely separate systems of technological production, and we illustrate this on the cover of Unit X by showing an F-35, the world's most advanced fighter jet, and an iPhone.

The F-35. It's design was actually finalized in 2001. It didn't start flying until 2016. In that time, a lot had changed with technology. So the iPhones that we carry around in our pocket today actually have a processor that's 100 times faster than the F-35. So the the whole idea behind the Pentagon's Silicon Valley Office Defense Innovation Unit was to try and bring those two systems of technological production, the much faster one for consumer devices and the slower one for our weapon systems, together.

ABC NEWS: And how difficult was it to to bring basically Silicon Valley in, in, in order to help revamp the military technology?

KIRCHHOFF: Well, it wasn't easy. You know, when we started a defense innovation unit under the leadership of Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, he was the first secretary to visit Silicon Valley in 20 years. So Silicon Valley invents cloud computing, AI, mobile phones, search. No one from the Pentagon bothers to come visit. And on the other side, if you're a startup in Silicon Valley, it's really hard to do business with the Department of Defense.

In fact, your investors will tell you not to for two reasons: One, the Pentagon typically takes 18 to 24 months to complete a contract, and you can't wait that long to demonstrate profitability to your investors. And even if you win that contract, it's totally possible another firm might swoop in when that contract moves from pilot to production and take it away.

ABC NEWS: Can you tell us about some of the technologies that those firms are, are helping with with regard to the Pentagon?

KIRCHHOFF: It was wild. You know, we found everything from incredible advances in cloud computing and cybersecurity, but also wild hardware. So flying cars, made by Joby Aviation, breakthrough spy satellites made by a company called Capella. So there was a lot of astonishing technology in Silicon Valley that the Pentagon didn't even know about.

ABC NEWS: What's at stake if we're not able to keep up pace technologically with countries like Russia and China?

KIRCHHOFF: Well, we're already seeing it in Ukraine. You know, just last month, the Ukrainians had to evacuate from the front all of the M1A1 tanks that we have provided Ukraine because a quarter of them had been destroyed by Russian kamikaze drones. These are not only the most advanced tanks in the U.S. arsenal. They're the most advanced tanks in the arsenal of all of our allies.

So if we're in a moment where a century of mechanized warfare that began in World War I might be coming to a close because of advances in drone technology, we have a, you know, a real military problem because we've made incredible investments in weapons platforms like tanks, like aircraft carriers that are now very vulnerable to hypersonic weapons. So, so the arsenal of democracy, in other words, might not be as strong as we think it is.

ABC NEWS: The arsenal of democracy, which is a really good way to put it. What do you say to those critics who say, 'Look, Silicon Valley should not be in the business of helping out the U.S. military.'?

KIRCHHOFF: It's really understandable. You know, if you are a tech worker, you go to work in Silicon Valley to make the world a better place by making incredible products. You don't necessarily sign up to making the world a more lethal place, but the reality is our adversaries today, in places like Ukraine and places like the Middle East, in places like the Red Sea, are starting to field really advanced technology.

And unless we find a way to stop and defeat that technology, where our security is going to be much more fragile than all of us ever imagined.

ABC NEWS: Christopher Kirchhoff, really fascinating information here. We thank you so much for your time. 'Unit X: How the Pentagon and Silicon Valley are Transforming the Future of War' by Christopher Kirchhoff and his co-author Raj M. Shah, goes on sale today [July 9].