On this month’s innovation conversation to highlight key topics in the countdown to the Apex technology and innovation conference next January in Washington, sponsored by Clarion Defence, Gen. Dave Goldfein, USAF Ret., the US Air Force’s 21st chief of staff, who is now a Blackstone board member and Google Public Sector board chair and advisor to firms like Anduril and Shield Capital, discusses what he has learned since retirement that he wishes he new while in uniform, how to drive innovation, keys to quickly adapting commercial technologies for military needs, growing importance of data and software, the lessons from the Air Force’s decision to pick Anduril and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems as the finalists in the Collaborative Combat Aircraft contest, culture change and more with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian.