Accelerate Defense

Paul Scharre, Executive Vice President and Director of Studies at Center for a New American Security, joins ACME General Corp to talk about his recent trip to Ukraine and his observations of and predictions for autonomous weapons and artificial intelligence.

In addition to his work at CNAS, Paul is the award-winning author of Army of None: Autonomous Weapons and the Future of War and Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.

Craig Cummings, co-founder of Moonshots Capital, joins ACME General Corp to talk about investing in tech start-ups founded by military veteran entrepreneurs.

In addition to his work at Moonshots Capital, Craig is the Director of Military and Veteran Affairs for Capital Factory, Austin’s center of gravity for entrepreneurs in Texas.

Previously, Craig spent 17 years in the Army, most of that time as an Intelligence Officer serving in support of the National Security Agency.

Lt. Gen. Clint Hinote, former Deputy Chief of Staff for Air Force Futures, joins ACME General Corp to talk about representing the voice of tomorrow’s Airmen.

He most recently served as the Deputy Chief of Staff, Strategy, Integration, and Requirements at Air Force Futures, where he focused on integrated future force design and speaking on behalf of tomorrow’s Airmen in developing Air Force strategy. 

Lt. Gen. Hinote was also previously Deputy Executive Director of the Air Force Warfighting Integration Capability and Military Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense. He is now a Principal at Pallas Advisors, working to push “emerging technology solutions into the right hands within the national security ecosystem.”

Joseph Kopser, technology entrepreneur and president of consulting firm Grayline Group, joins ACME General Corp. to talk about disruptive change, technology innovation, and the national security implications of adapting to that innovation.

Joseph is a US Army combat veteran with 20 years of service who went on to co-found a company that later sold to Mercedes. He has run for Congress, served as an Executive-in-Residence at UT-Austin’s McCombs School of Business, and authored the book Catalyst. Joseph is now a public speaker, technology entrepreneur, expert in transportation, and president of Grayline Group, where he helps companies and institutions manage disruptive change.

Sue Gordon, former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, joins ACME General Corp. to talk about national security, cybersecurity threats, and what intelligence information holds the most value.

Sue served as Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence and Deputy Director of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency after having spent more than two decades at the CIA. She is currently an advisor to a number of organizations in the national defense and security space, including CACI International, with a special focus on information security.

Capt. Ben Van Buskirk, former director of NavalX, joins ACME General Corp. to talk about bringing an entrepreneurial and innovative spirit to naval technology research.

Before leading NavalX, Capt. Van Buskirk helped establish the Strategic Warfighting Innovation Cell within the Navy’s Warfighting Development Directorate. Find him on Twitter at @BenVB3 and find NavalX at @USNavalX. Learn more about NavalX here.

Jay Wisham, outgoing executive director of the Army Applications Lab, joins ACME General Corp. to talk about using the best commercial technology and talent to transform innovative tech into Army-ready solutions.

Prior to joining AAL, Jay was a Senior Army Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin, a Lead for Artificial Intelligence Applications for Army Futures Command's Next Generation Combat Vehicle Cross-Functional Team, and Program Director for Project Convergence. Find him on Twitter at @jaywisham and find the Army Applications Lab at @aal_innovation. Learn more about the AAL at aal.army.

Frank Finelli, managing director at the Carlyle Group, and Sam Cole, principal and co-founder of Stonecutter Ventures, both join ACME General Corp. to talk about the potential of capital markets to drive defense innovation.

Frank Finelli focuses on investments in the defense and aerospace sector at the Carlyle Group. Learn more here and find the Carlyle Group on Twitter at @OneCarlyle. Learn about Sam’s work at Stonecutter Ventures here.

Both Frank and Sam are involved with Business Executives for National Security. Find them on Twitter at @BENS_org.

Chris Albinson, CEO and president of Communitech, joins ACME General Corp. to talk about defense innovation in Canada and why Toronto might soon be the new Silicon Valley.

Communitech helps tech companies in Canada start and scale, supporting founders with talent, capital, markets, and community. Before his role at Communitech, Chris was one of the first to invest in startups like Pinterest and DocuSign. Learn more about Communitech at communitech.ca and on Twitter at @Communitech. Find Chris on Twitter at @chrisalbinson.

ACME General Corp. revisits the past three Accelerate Defense interviews, all focused on the role of innovation in addressing strategic challenges faced by the US Navy.

Captain Michael Brasseur (@brasseur_mdb) is the co-founder and current Commodore of Task Force 59. Logan Jones is the general manager and president of SparkCognition Government Systems. Bilal Zuberi (@bznotes) is a general partner at Lux Capital.