Watch live: Secretary of Defense at Stanford

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter is visiting Silicon Valley today to unveil a new military cyberstrategy and recruit computer engineers and programmers.

The two-day visit underscores a shift in Pentagon priorities to recognize cyberattacks on government agencies, key companies and crucial infrastructure as a major threat to national security.

Carter's visit to Silicon Valley is the first by a Pentagon chief since the mid-1990s, when the Internet was in its infancy, Wi-Fi and smartphones didn't exist and America's digital dominance was unquestioned.

In a scheduled speech at Stanford University, Carter is to announce an effort to recruit tech talent to help the Pentagon build "the force of the future." The speech is scheduled to start at 11:10 a.m. PDT.

Carter also plans to visit Facebook's campus in Menlo Park to make his pitch.