BOSTON (AP) — The Department of Defense is hoping to tap into the East Coast’s cutting-edge technology by opening a new office in Cambridge.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter said in a statement Tuesday the new office will create a hub for collaboration between the Defense Department and innovative companies to identify and develop pioneering technologies and business practices.

Carter says the office, known as a Defense Innovation Unit Experimental, or DIUx, will complement the work of a similar unit established last summer in Silicon Valley.

Republican Gov. Charlie Baker says the decision to locate the office in Massachusetts reflects what he calls the state’s competitive climate and dedication to academic and industrial innovation.


Massachusetts is already home to six military installations with $13 billion in economic activity.