The Pentagon just closed out a two-day tour to win the hearts, minds, and technical talent of Silicon Valley.

At a lecture at Stanford yesterday, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter discussed plans to recruit engineers to the Pentagon's new cybersecurity force, invest in startups, and establish a Defense Department outpost here in the hoodie of innovation. Next he dropped by Facebook to meet with Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg. Today, Carter power-brunched at Andreessen Horowitz's headquarters, where he met Peter Thiel and Ben Horowitz, as well as CEOs from security startups in the firm's portfolio.

A Defense Department chief hasn't stopped by Silicon Valley in 20 years

The visit represents what locals might call a "pivot" at the Pentagon. Critics call it "a long-delayed shift" in recognizing cyber attacks as a national security threat.