Emerging Tech Horizons

Matt Dooley, NDIA Robotics Division Chair and Defense Strategic Initiative Lead at Forterra, and Pat Acox, Head of Government Growth at Forterra, join live from the floor of the 2024 Future Force Capabilities Conference & Exhibition. They discuss featured robotics panels at the conference, how the Robotics Division is focusing on multi-domain operations and cross-industry collaboration, and the development and integration of autonomy for unmanned vehicles.

Forterra: https://www.forterra.com/

NDIA Robotics Division: https://www.ndia.org/divisions/robotics

Leveraging Artificial Intelligence in Acquisition Symposium: https://www.ndia.org/events/2024/10/18/ai-in-acquisition-symposium

____________________________________________________This episode is sponsored by Booz Allen: https://www.boozallen.com/ ____________________________________________________

DOD's new Acquisition Innovation Research Center brings together the best minds in academia with experts in defense acquisition to help address some of the thorniest and most challenging acquisition challenges facing the Pentagon. Join Dr. Dinesh Verma, Executive Director of the Acquisition Innovation Research Center, as he discusses the AIRC's research portfolio, how it is helping to address perennial acquisition problems, and how industry and government can access its expertise.

Acquisition Innovation Research Center: https://acqirc.org/Systems Engineering Research Center: https://sercuarc.org/AI4SE & SE4AI Workshop: https://sercuarc.org/event/ai4se-se4ai-workshop-2024/Leveraging Artificial Intelligence in Acquisition Symposium: https://www.ndia.org/events/2024/10/18/ai-in-acquisition-symposium

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How has Estonia, a country of just 1.5 million people, blessed with few natural resources, developed a flourishing defense technology sector? For this NATO and EU member, and vibrant democracy, necessity is the mother of invention. Estonia, where the prime minister is often just an email away, has often been praised for its pioneering efforts in digital “E-government.” Less well-known may be the large bets Estonia’s public and commercial sectors have placed on developing a robust innovation ecosystem specializing in AI and cyber. Joel Burke, a researcher focused on AI and technology policy, joins us to discuss Estonia’s collaborative approach to integrating government and private resources, personnel, and technologies to support national defense.

Book website: Rebooting a NationReference to KAPO's report: https://news.err.ee/1609309593/internal-security-service-publishes-2023-2024-annual-reviewTomas' study on Defence AI in Estonia: https://defenseai.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/daio_study2320_caught_between_today_and_tomorrow_tomas_jermalivicius.pdfE-Estonia briefing center (as the best place for folks to contact to start a collaboration with the Estonian defence-tech ecosystem): https://e-estonia.com/e-estonia-briefing-centre-services/about-us/E-governance Academy: https://ega.ee/Video Testimonies: https://exhibits.stanford.edu/baltic-video/feature/no-boundaries-the-digital-nomads-of-estonia-collection

How well is the DoD positioned to field systems at the speed of relevance? Has the DoD effectively used additional Congressional acquisition authorities and its new Adaptive Acquisition Framework to deliver warfighting capabilities at a lower cost and accelerated schedule? Shelby Oakley, Director, Contracting and National Security Acquisitions, for GAO joins today’s podcast episode to discuss the GAO’s 22nd Weapons Systems Annual Assessment, which analyzes the characteristics and performance of 108 of DoD’s costliest weapon programs to include their implementation of leading practices for product development and software development approaches.

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This episode is sponsored by Booz Allen: https://www.boozallen.com/ ____________________________________________________

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Join us for Part Two of the discussion of the ReaganInstitute’s 2024 National Security Innovation Base Report Card with Rachel Hoff (Reagan Institute) and Dale Swartz (McKinsey & Company). What data and methodologies were used to determine the grades? Why did DOD get a failing grade for “customer clarity”? Is the defense market getting more or less interesting to VCs and other private investors? How can we strengthen the defense technology workforce? What is the role of Allies and Partners in defense innovation? What are some policy options to address some of the bad grades in the report?

Read more and download the report card here: https://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan-institute/centers/peace-through-strength/national-security-innovation-base-program/Read a report from McKinsey & Co. about the future of defense innovation here: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/a...

What is the 2024 National Security Innovation Base (NSIB) Report Card? Have U.S. grades improved since last year? How have venture capital and private equity played a role in defense innovation? Why did we get a D in defense modernization? Rachel Hoff, Policy Director at the Ronald Reagan Institute, and Dale Swartz, Partner at McKinsey & Co., Silicon Valley join the podcast to discuss how the NSIB Report Card’s newest iteration measured the effectiveness, productivity, and resilience of our nation’s innovation ecosystem, and how we fared compared to last year’s metrics. Also, learn about how this year’s report methodology changed from last year’s inaugural report.

Read more and download the report card here: https://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan-institute/centers/peace-through-strength/national-security-innovation-base-program/ 

Read a report from McKinsey & Co. about the future of defense innovation here: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/aerospace-and-defense/our-insights/a-rising-wave-of-tech-disruptors-the-future-of-defense-innovation

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This episode is sponsored by Booz Allen: https://www.boozallen.com/ ____________________________________________________

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What delineates surrogate from intelligent drone swarms? What are the threats, vulnerabilities, and consequences associated with these systems to the U.S. homeland, especially as these technologies evolve? Dr. Daniel Gerstein, Senior Policy Researcher and Professor of Policy Analysis at Pardee RAND Graduate School, joins today's podcast episode to discuss a recently published report titled, "Emerging Technology and Risk Analysis: Unmanned Aerial Systems Intelligent Swarm Technology," which assesses intelligent swarm technology, considering technology availability, as well as risks and scenarios (threats, vulnerabilities, and consequences) in the next three years, three to five years, and five to ten years.

Report: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA2380-1.html

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How healthy is the U.S. defense industrial base? What challenges does it face at a time of accelerating innovation, regulatory challenges, and the need to scale up productive capacity while strengthening supply chains? The National Defense Industrial Association's (NDIA) own Jen Stewart, Executive Vice President for Strategy and Policy, joins today's episode to unpack NDIA's Vital Signs 2024 Report. The report findings are based on over 1,300 survey respondents, including government officials, private sector leaders, and experts from academia, research institutions, and NGOs. This year’s report offers an unmatched perspective on the interplay between government and industry, showcasing the collective vision for a robust U.S. DIB.

Download the report at: https://www.ndia.org/policy/publications/vital-signs

Registration is now open for the second annual Emerging Technologies for Defense Conference! Please click here to learn more and register: www.ndiatechexpo.org

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This episode is sponsored by Booz Allen: https://www.boozallen.com/ ____________________________________________________

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Description:

What are the emerging technologies that will shape future national defense and how will they be fielded? Ahead of the upcoming Emerging Technologies Conference, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Heidi Shyu joins to preview timely conference topics including government-industry partnerships to accelerate procurement pathways, Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), contested logistics, and Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) interoperability. She shares how her professional background informs her current position and the initiatives her team is leading, including rapid prototyping and fielding of innovative technologies.

Registration is now open for the second annual Emerging Technologies for Defense Conference!

Please click here to learn more and register: https://www.ndiatechexpo.org

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Energy is critical for anything we do. Power beaming is an emerging technology that could reshape how we generate and distribute energy and how our devices and autonomous systems are powered. Today’s guest is Tom Nugent, CTO and Co-founder of PowerLight Technologies. Tom walks us through power beaming and what it might provide to both the Department of Defense and commercial industry. Tom is the author of "Power Beaming: History, Theory, and Practice", which provides a foundation needed for researchers, technology developers, and end users to understand the promise and challenges for power beaming.

The book is available here: https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/12438#t=aboutBook.

PowerLight Technologies: https://powerlighttech.com/

Registration is now open for the second annual Emerging Technologies for Defense Conference! Please click here to learn more and register: www.ndiatechexpo.org

To receive updates about the conference please join our mailing list here: https://www.emergingtechnologiesinstitute.org/sign-up

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