"But a great deal of it concerns our most sensitive systems, including aircraft avionics, surveillance technologies, satellite communications systems, and network security protocols, " he said.

BBC: Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn

Instead of talking about cars, these geeks were showing off their aptitude in technology, talking about things like cloud computing, network security and advanced communications systems.

FORBES: Influx of Nerds Changes Tenor of Auto Industry's Summer Camp

Among the drivers are identity and security, data analysis and personalization, network optimization, contextual services, next generation communications services and monetization.

FORBES: CES: Live From The AT&T Developer Summit; To Offer Data Plans For Playstation Vita; New LTE Devices; HTC, Nokia Win Phones