Eric Schmidt, a former CEO of Google and a noted Clinton lamey, urged the American tech sector to play a greater role in national defense. CNBC interviewed the ex-tech executive Monday who said that the Ukraine war would “solidify” the need for deeper ties.

Schmidt stated to CNBC that the war will help tech companies understand why national security is so important.

“If you believed that 10 years ago that war was over, that conflict was over, then you would have said, “Let’s stop working with the government, let us not focus on these things.” Unfortunately, this argument has been put to rest. The tech industry must support strong national security.

Breitbart News previously reported that Schmidt has longstanding ties with the U.S. defense sector, something he established as CEO of Google.

Obama’s Department of Defense established a “Defense Innovation Board (DIB)” in 2016. It was chaired and included Milo Medvin who was then the head of wireless at Google.

Schmidt, who left Google in 2009, has invested over $60 million in Rebellion Defense, a defense startup already closely tied to the Biden administration.

Schmidt predicted previously that the internet would split, with one internet being led by the U.S., and the other, independent by China.

Schmidt stated in 2018 that “If you take a look at China, and i was just there), the scale of companies being built, services being built. The wealth that is being generated is phenomenal.”

“Chinese Internet makes up a larger percentage of China’s GDP than the US. This is a significant number.”

Schmidt had deep ties with Hillary Clinton’s 2016 failed presidential campaign.