Introduction

A few years ago, John Fogle initiated an effort to support and coordinate people from a military background seeking career transitions with an impact focus - High Impact Defense (HI-DEF). The majority of this effort looked a bit like the career-advice services provided by 80000 Hours and others. There's a lot of context implicitly shared between military people, and I'm sure those involved appreciated John's time in trying to understand their specific circumstances.

Owing to changes in his spare capacity, John has been unable to continue this project and graciously offered me the keys for HI-DEF. After some deliberation, I have accepted the offer, as I think I'm in a particularly good position to lead this effort:

• I have been around the EA community for a while.
• My transition to civilian life has led me to a job in the AI Security community. Military experience is precisely what enables me to add value to our team, so my advocacy on behalf of those with similar experience has credibility.
• Transferring to the Reserves, I will retain my rank and remain current in my professional niche. These come with significant networking benefits.
• I have the time and inclination to [...]

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Outline:

(00:10) Introduction

(01:47) Military experience through the EA lens

(04:20) #1 General advising

(05:47) #2 Targeted advising/outreach

(08:07) #3 Research x Military

(10:16) #4 Community engagement

(11:22) Networking

(11:52) Concluding remarks

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First published:

Source:

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.