In a crisis, national security initiatives move at the speed of a startup, yet in peacetime they default to decades-long cycles. Startups operate with continual speed and urgency and using Lean Startup methodologies have become extremely efficient with resources and time. Steve Blank, father of the Lean Startup movement, has created a class, Hacking for Defense, that connects the Department of Defense and intelligence community with Silicon Valley’s innovation culture mindset. Blank will discuss how the class helps the U.S. protect the homeland and Americans around the world and prevents the need to put our brave men and women in harm's way.