Goat Rodeo

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Dave breaks down a hidden gem in the bill: $690M for Budget Activity #9, aimed at counter-drone, drone effects, and electronic warfare. We dig into why this targeted funding is a better approach, and how it could give PEOs real flexibility to field capabilities faster.

Garrett offers an apology to FFRDCs, and the team debates why SBIR should focus less on phase 1s and 2s, and more on phase 3 transitions that actually deliver capabilities. Obviant gets a redemption arc, and we explore whether Ukraine, post-war, could become China’s top competitor in drone manufacturing, with hard-earned lessons in software, supply chain, and operational scaling.

Also, Simon is watching Love Island and Congress is chaos. A very Goat Rodeo week.

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Meanwhile, NATO makes waves with a new 5% defense spending pledge (sort of), and defense innovation dollars keep flowing. The team digs into Obviant’s $7M raise, the challenge of scaling neo-primes, and why so much of the RDT&E system—especially FFRDCs and UARCs—feels like a black hole for tax dollars.

Also: a $1.5B contract for Carnegie Mellon SEI IDIQ, why Congress still hasn’t dropped a draft budget, and Simon’s unofficial new job as the DoD’s interagency matchmaker.

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Meanwhile, OpenAI just landed a $200M Pentagon contract, signaling a new chapter in how the DoD engages with commercial AI players. We break down the implications for go-to-market strategy, compliance, and what this means for everyone still stuck outside the wire.

Plus: massive defense tech funding rounds, Capitol Hill’s budget mess, and why tech execs getting military rank has the community talking.

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This episode: Garrett’s got a fancy espresso in hand and a new 6.5 Creedmoor rifle in the safe. Simon lays out why he expects the DoD budget to tighten. And Dave breaks down why the House Armed Services Committee thinks acquisition needs a reboot—with the SPEED Act leading the charge.

The crew covers where the defense budget is actually changing (hint: it’s not shrinking overall, but it is shifting), and what startups should know about competing in a world of smaller slices and faster timelines.

Also on deck: Palmer Luckey eyes an Anduril IPO, the civil liberties questions raised by Palantir’s proposed government database, and how American capitalism still gives defense innovation a fighting chance—if the policy keeps up.

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This episode: Chris Naganuma joins the crew fresh off a trip to Ukraine, where he’s been working directly with frontline units, advising on drone tactics and strike operations against Russian targets. With a background spanning foreign military sales, pro shooting, OSINT analysis, and ground-level battlefield advising, Chris brings firsthand insight from a warzone most people only follow online.

This episode: We open with Memorial Day and the heavy reality that veteran suicide remains a crisis—one that’s still not widely understood or acknowledged by the broader public. The crew reflects on service, loss, and what it means to carry that forward.

We also dig into new legislative movement in Texas, where lawmakers have funded ibogaine treatment trials for veterans—a major moment for the “Right to Try” movement and an opening for alternative approaches to care in the veteran community.

Then it’s on to the sprint ahead: DoD’s end-of-year buying season is here. With Congress blowing deadlines and operating under continuing resolutions, the government is late to fund itself—again. That means contractors now face a four-month window to move fast, win work, and obligate dollars before September. Dave lays out tactical go-to-market advice for companies trying to navigate the most chaotic stretch of the federal funding cycle.

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This episode: Dave survived a cross-country move, Simon’s channeling ugly punk energy, and the crew gets real about one of the most critical parts of defense tech: systems integration. Who should actually own it? Legacy primes? New primes? The govvies? It’s complex, exhausting work. We dig into where smaller companies fit, and why integration and compliance remain two of the biggest hurdles in the space. Also on deck: virtue signaling in national security, Elon Musk reportedly cutting back on political spending, and why the integrators—ugly, proud, and essential—need to dial it in.

Our Podcast: National security, defense tech, and geopolitics—serious topics, but that doesn’t mean we have to be boring about it. The Goat Rodeo Podcast brings you three military veterans turned defense insiders, breaking down the biggest stories shaping the future of warfare. Expect sharp insights, unfiltered debates, and the occasional defense industry hot take—because let’s be honest, this space can be a total goat rodeo.

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Spotify: spoti.fi/3J1kGcO

Apple Podcasts: apple.co/3IdB9gA

YouTube:    / @goatrodeopodcast  

This episode: Les Craig, General Partner at Next Frontier Capital, joins the crew to talk defense venture trends, budget dysfunction, and whether innovation theater is masking a system in need of real change. From AI hype to institutional inertia, Les offers a candid look at how the funding landscape is shifting—and what startups (and policymakers) keep getting wrong. The crew also digs into defense budget priorities, including the controversial decision to move Army infrastructure funding to the border, and whether piling billions onto legacy systems actually gets better tech to the warfighter. Plus: “budget cannibalism,” callsigns, Congress as a herd, and the eternal fight between speed, scale, and reality.

Our Podcast: National security, defense tech, and geopolitics—serious topics, but that doesn’t mean we have to be boring about it. The Goat Rodeo Podcast brings you three military veterans turned defense insiders, breaking down the biggest stories shaping the future of warfare. Expect sharp insights, unfiltered debates, and the occasional defense industry hot take—because let’s be honest, this space can be a total goat rodeo.

Listen on other platforms!

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2mTJ1oJEgB3rCbQouCL7XD?si=45c67d5954a443b5

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/goat-rodeo/id1801310605

Youtube: www.youtube.com/@GoatRodeoPodcast

This episode: Rip-It still isn’t sponsoring us, Garrett’s got a new tattoo, and we’re talking punk shows, MARPAT pants, and startup knife fights.

This week’s guest is Brian MacCarthy, Senior Vice President of Ventures in the Chief Technology Office at Booz Allen Hamilton—a venture investor with TS/SCI clearance and a front-row seat to the shifting landscape of defense tech. Brian joins the crew to share sharp insight on how the momentum-funding frenzy looks from the inside, what startups often get wrong when chasing big rounds, and why integration still matters more than hype. We also dig into the Senate Byrd Bath, budget reconciliation mechanics, and what $14 billion labeled as “innovation for the warfighter” really means. From impatient capital and stalled buying cycles to China's IP theft and America’s scaling problem, this episode covers why our tech is better—but still not getting where it needs to go. Plus: Legacy primes vs. neo-primes, Halloween candy metaphors, and the gap between a tradeshow demo and operational relevance.

Our Podcast: National security, defense tech, and geopolitics—serious topics, but that doesn’t mean we have to be boring about it. The Goat Rodeo Podcast brings you three military veterans turned defense insiders, breaking down the biggest stories shaping the future of warfare. Expect sharp insights, unfiltered debates, and the occasional defense industry hot take—because let’s be honest, this space can be a total goat rodeo. Listen on other platforms!

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2mTJ1oJEgB3rCbQouCL7XD?si=45c67d5954a443b5

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/goat-rodeo/id1801310605

Youtube: www.youtube.com/@GoatRodeoPodcast

This episode: It’s office-warming week, Garrett’s officially a Lieutenant Colonel, and Simon’s haircut is getting more attention than the President’s budget—which, by the way, still hasn’t shown up.

The team dives into the latest budget signals from Congress and the White House, including $100B in drone-related spending and a $2B boost to DIU’s budget. But will that money actually move the needle?

Garrett, Simon, and Dave unpack the tension between flashy funding announcements and the still-painful bottleneck of transition. Spoiler: more front doors isn’t the answer—better ones are.

They also get into venture studios, defense incubators, and whether the market is quietly building what government can’t.

Plus: DIU as a recruiting office, regional on-ramps, the myth of defense capitalism, and why trying to out-China China just won’t work. Oh, and SOF Week? Basically a 3-day frat party.

Our Podcast: National security, defense tech, and geopolitics—serious topics, but that doesn’t mean we have to be boring about it. The Goat Rodeo Podcast brings you three military veterans turned defense insiders, breaking down the biggest stories shaping the future of warfare. Expect sharp insights, unfiltered debates, and the occasional defense industry hot take—because let’s be honest, this space can be a total goat rodeo.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/54Y55S1FkTrPOkKpjtSLi1?si=cAhKhYWhR6qej2A5L-MKTw

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/goat-rodeo-8-big-budgets-bigger-doors-and-the-new/id1801310605?i=1000705684559

Youtube: https://youtu.be/JAZtjdKnXXc?si=aUWUVwOUTWLS8Etn