Christopher Kirchhoff

Christopher Kirchhoff is an expert in emerging technology and the author of Unit X: How the Pentagon and Silicon Valley are Transforming the Future of War (Simon & Schuster, June, 2024). He founded the Pentagon’s Silicon Valley office, Defense Innovation Unit X, which created a new acquisition pathway for start-ups now responsible for $70 billion of technology acquisition by the Department of Defense. During the Obama Administration, he was Director for Strategic Planning at the National Security Council and the senior civilian advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Kirchhoff has penned four landmark reports: the Obama Administration’s Lessons Learned Report on Ebola, the White House Big Data Report, the U.S. official history Hard Lessons: The Iraq Reconstruction Experience, and the Space Shuttle Columbia Accident Investigation report.