Building the Base

In this episode, Hondo, Lauren, and Billy discuss the intersection of national security and public/private cooperation. They delve into the development of a full-scale sea glider prototype that can carry humans, highlighting the importance of de-risking and proving the viability of new technologies. Billy emphasizes the need for private companies to generate returns for their investors while also changing the world through passion and motivation. 

They explore the challenge of expensive manufacturing facilities and the necessity of building strategic relationships and leveraging financing options, and the conversation touches upon the role of diversity in scaling production and the value of assembling a team with the right skills. Throughout the discussion, they emphasize the core values of prioritizing human safety and adapting to different phases of development. Overall, the episode highlights the significance of public/private cooperation in advancing national security objectives and driving innovation in the aerospace industry.

Hondo, Lauren, and Billy go on to discuss:

1. Public-Private Partnerships
2. Cybersecurity Collaboration
3. Innovation and Technology
4. Workforce Development
5. Regulation and Compliance
6. Data Sharing and Privacy
7. Emergency Preparedness and Response

In this week’s episode of Building the Base, Hondo and Lauren join Debbie James, former Secretary of the Air Force, to discuss the future of the defense industrial network. Secretary James discusses changes in national security, including the prevalence of software in DoD operations and the importance of diversity in the workforce. The Secretary identifies room for improvement in both the DoD and industry by emphasizing the need for collaboration with nontraditional companies, suggesting reformation of requirements processes, and advising listeners to come to the DoD with humility and understanding of the decision-making process.

Hondo, Lauren, and Secretary James go on to discuss a variety of topics, including:

• Digital engineering & additive manufacturing in national security
• Small businesses in the future industrial network
• Changes to the SBIR program
• The Space Development Agency
• Open systems architecture

In this week’s episode of Building the Base, Hondo and Lauren join Bilal Zuberi to discuss the future of the defense industrial network. 

Bilal Zuberi is an experienced investor and current partner at Lux Capital with a passion for using technology to solve complex problems. He has worked adjacent to the national security industry and is committed to investing in innovative solutions. Bilal understands the importance of collaboration between the defense community and the private sector and believes in the critical role of emerging technologies. He likewise highlights the importance of investing in passionate people. He has invested in a range of sectors, including enterprise software, healthcare, and climate, and partners with good human beings to build responsible, ethical companies that positively impact the world.

Hondo, Lauren, and Bilal go on to discuss a variety of topics, including:

1. Public-Private Partnerships
2. Cybersecurity Collaboration
3. Innovation and Technology
4. Workforce Development
5. Regulation and Compliance
6. Data Sharing and Privacy
7. Emergency Preparedness and Response
8. Economic Competitiveness and Growth 
   
   

In this week’s episode of Building the Base, Hondo and Lauren join Suzette Kent to discuss the future of the defense industrial network. 

Kent’s impressive background across the public and private sectors has given her the unique ability to understand a wide range of perspectives, spanning a variety of industries. During her time as Federal CIO, she witnessed the rapid change of pace the government experienced to tackle the problems brought about by COVID-19. Kent emphasizes the importance of the public and private sectors meeting where their needs and motivations overlap in order to tackle the technology problems of tomorrow.

Hondo, Lauren, and Suzette go on to discuss a variety of topics, including:

• Digital competitiveness and digitization
• Acquisition reforms
• The White House’s Cybersecurity Strategy
• Pitching products versus ideas
• Remote work and the cybersecurity environment
• Cross-pollination between the public and private sectors

In this week’s episode of Building the Base, Hondo and Lauren join Schuyler Moore to discuss the future of the defense industrial network. 

Schuyler’s impressive and varied background across the public and private sectors has given her a powerful perspective regarding the defense industrial base. Her experiences in Afghanistan led her to understand the importance of national security. This, combined with her acumen for technology, is what led her to be the first Chief Technology Officer at CENTCOM. She emphasizes the importance of bringing together end-users in operations and the innovators in tech to find solutions to problems in the field. She advocates for a mission-focus to attract up-and-coming talent in the tech workforce and integrating tech from non-traditional commercial sectors.

Hondo, Lauren, and Schuyler go on to discuss a variety of topics, including:

• Defense industrial base
• Comparing problem-solving in operations and tech
• Maintaining relationships between private and public sector
• Defense acquisition in tech
• Tech talent workforce development
• Integrating tech from non-traditional commercial sectors 

In this week’s episode of Building the Base, Hondo and Lauren join Raanan Horowitz, Chief Executive Officer of Elbit Systems of America, to discuss the future of the defense industrial network. 

Raanan's varied portfolio in key industries of the future industrial network and former military experience has made him an advocate for an engaged dialogue between the DoD and the private sector in a closed-loop, manufacturer-end-user system. He emphasizes the need to involve small- and mid-range companies in the conversation to avoid inefficiencies in the future industrial network. Raanan believes that the key to emerging technologies in national security is learning how to bring the needs of the warfighter to the innovator.

Hondo, Lauren, and Raanan go on to discuss a variety of topics, including:

• The private and public partnership
• International business in an era of great power competition
• Create a strong national security workforce
• Integrating new technologies into the public sector
• Diversifying businesses in the government portfolio

In this week’s episode of Building the Base, Hondo and Lauren join Brian Schimpf, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Anduril Industries, to discuss the future of the defense industrial network. 

Brian’s educational background as an industrial engineer, pioneer in automation and AI, and formative professional experiences at Palantir Technologies pushed him to co-found his own start-up in Silicon Valley. He thinks that the academic, commercial, and public sectors all have ways they can contribute and improve to create a stronger defense industry. Nonetheless, he shares an enthusiasm and optimism for the DoD’s acquisition and procurement potential and how the defense industry, especially tech companies, can help create a resilient and commercial future industrial network.

Hondo, Lauren, and Brian go on to discuss a variety of topics, including:

• The state of Silicon Valley and technology sector
• Future industrial network
• DoD acquisition and procurement
• Emerging technologies
• Academia in the sciences and the industrial base

Don't miss this week’s episode of Building the Base, we're hosting Congressman Joe Courtney, representing Connecticut’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives to discuss topics around the future of the defense industrial network, workforce development and defense spending.

Learn more about
Congressman Courtney’s extensive background as a member of the House Armed
Services Committee and the House Education and Labor Committee, as he shares
his unique perspective on both workforce development and the current defense
industrial base. Congressman Courtney stresses the importance of developing a
skilled workforce to better support the future industrial network, especially
as it relates to shipbuilding and Navy modernization.

In this week’s episode of Building the Base, Hondo and Lauren join Frank Finelli to discuss the future of the defense industrial network. 

Frank’s varied experiences in the military, on Capitol Hill, and in the private sector have given him a unique lens through which to view the future industrial network and a thorough grasp of the processes of the industrial base. He emphasizes the constraints the DoD is under due to its extensive Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) process and points out how the DoD can follow the lead of other departments and take advantage of capital markets through legislation such as the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. Frank’s interview builds on a War on the Rocks article he co-authored with GEN Joseph Votel and Samuel Cole on the need for the U.S. to better leverage capital markets in support of defense priorities. 

Hondo, Lauren, and Frank go on to discuss a variety of topics, including:

• Leveraging capital markets in support of defense priorities
• Public-private collaboration
• Agility of the commercial sector
• The Valley of Death
• China’s investments in science and technology
• Competition between publicly-funded R&D and private innovation

In this week’s episode of Building the Base, Hondo and Lauren join Representative Elissa Slotkin of Michigan’s 7th District to discuss the future of the defense industrial network. 

Elissa’s experience in a locally known family business in Michigan and her extended career in national security and defense makes her a strong advocate for public-private partnerships. She advocates for faster government acquisition and contracting cycles of emerging technologies to sustain an edge over our international competitors and, having now worked in both the Executive and Legislative branches, she hopes to continue to encourage inter-agency cooperation. Her constituency in the heavy industries has been directly impacted by supply chain issues and dependency on China’s industry, so she advocates for a stronger US future industrial network.

Hondo, Lauren, and Elissa go on to discuss a variety of topics, including:

• Public-private partnerships
• Inter-agency cooperation
• The state of the defense industrial base
• Competition with China
• Workforce development in manufacturing and other industries