If the next great war is fought in space, Even Rogers wants the U.S. to be ready. On this episode of Valley of Depth, the True Anomaly CEO and former Air Force weapons officer joins us to break down how he’s building autonomous systems for space superiority and why space is the next warfighting domain. A graduate of the Air Force Weapons School, Even brings rare tactical and strategic insight into how the U.S. must fight and win in orbit.

In this episode, we unpack the doctrine, technology, and strategy shaping the next phase of military competition in space. We cover:

•  Why 2007 was the turning point for space as a warfighting domain
• How to think about offense, deterrence, and domain control in orbit
• What the Space Force needs—and why $60B is the real number
• The role of private industry vs. the primes in defense innovation
• Golden Dome, missile defense, and the future of space-based interceptors

…plus how we may one day have Guardians stationed permanently in space.

Check out Valley of Depth #007 on YouTube, Apple, or Spotify.

• Chapters •

00:00 - Intro

00:57 - Payload Pro

01:39 - True Anomaly's mission

02:51 - How Even started the company

04:02 - $220m Series C

05:48 - When did space become a place to defend?

09:20 - The challenge to US space dominance

11:16 - What made Even realize that the US was unprepared?

16:05 - What does space superiority look like?

17:49 - What does space warfare actually mean?

21:48 - The R&D the Space Force needs

24:01 - What it meant to form the Space Force

27:11 - The cultural shift on the Space Force

30:49 - Current US Space capabilities and gaps

32:44 - Why was the Space Force budget cut despite its importance?

35:06 - Primes and the US's space capabilities

37:12 - Procurement for the space domain

41:29 - Space components of the Golden Dome

43:35 - Phases of a ballistic missile

44:56 - Intercepting missiles at its boost phase

46:15 - What to prioritize today for space superiority

49:20 - Guardians in space

51:20 - Moon & Mars

52:40 - Lessons learned for the next True Anomaly mission

56:01 - What is the strategic impact True Anomaly is hoping to have?

57:31 - Will NASA blur the lines between civil and military?

• Show notes •

True Anomaly’s socials — https://x.com/the_trueanomaly

Even’s socials — https://x.com/jollyrogersta

True Anomaly’s website — https://www.trueanomaly.space/

Mo's socials — https://twitter.com/itsmoislam

Payload’s socials — https://twitter.com/payloadspace / https://www.linkedin.com/company/payloadspace

Ignition’s socials — https://twitter.com/ignitionnuclear /  

https://www.linkedin.com/company/ignition-nuclear/

Tectonic’s socials  — https://twitter.com/tectonicdefense / https://www.linkedin.com/company/tectonicdefense/

Valley of Depth archive — Listen: https://pod.payloadspace.com/

• About us •

Valley of Depth is a podcast about the technologies that matter — and the people building them. Brought to you by Arkaea Media, the team behind Payload (space), Ignition (nuclear energy), and Tectonic (defense tech), this show goes beyond headlines and hype. We talk to founders, investors, government officials, and military leaders shaping the future of national security and deep tech. From breakthrough science to strategic policy, we dive into the high-stakes decisions behind the world’s hardest technologies.

• Payload: www.payloadspace.com
• Ignition: www.ignition-news.com
• Tectonic: www.tectonicdefense.com