Dr. Craig Martell served as the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer for the DOD from June 2022 through April 2024. While at the Pentagon, he helped the Department of Defense modernize their approach to employing software. He now works as the Chief AI Officer for Cohesity, a cybersecurity startup that helps companies secure, analyze, and manage their data.

In this episode of the Defense Tech Underground, we discuss Dr. Martell’s path from teaching computer science to leading a major Pentagon office, his early career in big tech at the dawn of AI, his concerns about the use of generative AI in warfare, and how tech startups can be effective by innovating alongside warfighters.

This episode is hosted by Jeff Phaneuf and Andrew Paulmeno.

Full Bio: 

Dr. Craig Martell is the former Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer for the United States Department of Defense. 

As Chief AI Officer of Cohesity, Craig shapes Cohesity’s technical vision—and defines and executes a strategic roadmap for the company’s future. Craig brings extensive industry and public sector experience and expertise in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to his role. Most recently, as the first Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer (CDAO) for the U.S. Department of Defense, Craig accelerated the adoption of data, analytics, digital solutions, and AI functions. Prior to the DoD, he held senior roles at several leading technology companies. He served as Head of Machine Learning at Lyft, Head of Machine Intelligence at Dropbox, and was a leader of numerous AI teams and initiatives at LinkedIn. Craig was also a tenured computer science professor at the Naval Postgraduate School specializing in natural language processing. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Pennsylvania.

Dan Berkenstock is an entrepreneur, aerospace engineer, and Stanford PhD who co-founded Skybox Imaging, a satellite imaging company acquired by Google in 2014. He is a Distinguished Research Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution, focusing on space and defense policy research and recommendations. Dan sits on several boards of venture-backed aerospace start-ups and teaches aerospace entrepreneurship in the Stanford School of Engineering.

On this episode of the Defense Tech Underground, Dan describes the journey of building Skybox Imaging, launching SkySat-1, and joining Google post-acquisition. He discusses his recent Hoover publication, the Defense Tech Playbook, designed to help new founders in defense build a strategic, financial path to quickly transition capabilities to the warfighter. Dan shares detailed recommendations for expanding the impact of the STRATFI program and how the DoD can better articulate demand signals to the startup ecosystem. 

This episode is hosted by Helen Phillips and Jon Hoey. 

Full Bio:

Dan Berkenstock is a distinguished research fellow at the Hoover Institution. His work aims to ensure sustained American aerospace leadership well into the twenty-first century and provides space-related scholarship and policy recommendations through Hoover's Technology Policy Accelerator. From 2008 to 2017, Berkenstock was the founding chief executive officer, later chief product officer, of Skybox Imaging.

In his policy research, Dan focuses on the critical advancements needed to reduce the risk of conflict in space during a forthcoming period of rapid expansion. His technical research focuses on expanding convex and polynomial optimization techniques to identify globally optimal vehicle designs in aerodynamic shape optimization problems, with a focus on low-observability hypersonic vehicles.

At Skybox, he oversaw the fundraising of more than $100 million in venture capital, helped reset the benchmark for performance in the optical, small satellite arena, and led the company through a $500 million acquisition by Google. The twenty-one Skybox satellites continue to operate as the world’s largest high-resolution commercial imaging constellation, providing timely imagery of major conflicts that is often featured in major media outlets and imagery used daily by defense and intelligence customers.

For his work at Skybox, Dan was recognized as Via Satellite magazine’s Satellite Executive of the Year in 2014 and was named to MIT Technology Review’s “Innovators under 35” in 2011. He continues to engage with the space start-up community by serving as an independent director on several boards of venture-backed aerospace start-ups and teaching aerospace entrepreneurship in the Stanford School of Engineering.

Dan completed his PhD in aeronautics and astronautics at Stanford University, where he also received a master of science. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor of science in aerospace engineering. During this time, he completed four tours as a cooperative education student at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.

Dr. Jeff Decker is managing director of the Technology Transition for Defense Program and co-instructor of Hacking for Defense at Stanford University. Before academia, Jeff served in the U.S. Army as a 2nd Ranger Battalion light infantry squad leader in Iraq and Afghanistan. After, he received his PhD in International Relations and went on to teach at Stanford.

On this episode of the Defense Tech Underground, Dr. Decker discusses his experiences as a squad leader in the Army's elite Ranger Regiment in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he conducted more then 200 direct action raids. He tells of how he bet everything and moved across the country in the hopes of landing a teaching job with Hacking for Defense at Stanford. Finally, Jeff discusses the Hacking for Defense methodology - featured in his new book - for getting out of the building, knowing your users, and creating something your users will pull out of your hands.

Please check out his new book, The Hacking for Defense Manual: Solving National Security Problems with the Lean Methodology. 

This episode is hosted by Jeff Phaneuf and Josh Pickering.

Representative Rob Wittman is a Republican representing Virginia’s 1st Congressional district in the US House of Representatives. Representative Pat Ryan is a Democrat representing New York’s 18th Congressional district, and is a former Army intelligence officer who deployed to Iraq.  Together, they formed the House Modernization Caucus, driving key policies in national security innovation.

On this episode of the Defense Tech Underground, Representative Wittman and Representative Ryan discuss the launch of the bipartisan Defense Modernization Caucus and early wins from the caucus in the 2025 NDAA. They explain the challenges for the Pentagon to move from a hardware centric organization to a software centric one, and discuss opportunities for the caucus to drive impact in defense innovation. 

This episode is hosted by Jeff Phaneuf and Helen Phillips. 

Congressman Wittman: 

Congressman Rob Wittman was first elected to the United States Congress to serve Virginia’s First Congressional District in 2007. While in office, he has focused on strengthening our military and supporting our nation’s veterans, promoting a flourishing economy through fiscal responsibility and pro-growth policies, fixing our crumbling infrastructure, increasing access to high-speed internet, and promoting workforce development through Career and Technical Education (CTE) and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) programs.

In the U.S. Congress, Congressman Wittman serves as vice chairman of both the House Armed Services Committee and the House Natural Resources Committee, where he is well-positioned to represent the needs of Virginia's First District. He has earned a strong reputation for being an advocate for our men and women in uniform and for being a champion of the Chesapeake Bay.

Congressman Wittman was re-elected for his ninth full term in the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2024 and prior to that, he served in several levels of government. Congressman Wittman won his first campaign for public office in 1986 when he was elected to the Montross Town Council, where he served for 10 years, four of them as mayor. In 1995, he was elected to the Westmoreland County Board of Supervisors and was elected its chairman in 2003. In 2005, voters in the 99th Legislative District elected Rob to the Virginia House of Delegates, where he served until his election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2007.

Prior to his election to Congress, Rob spent 26 years working in state government, most recently as field director for the Virginia Health Department's Division of Shellfish Sanitation. Earlier in his career, he worked as an environmental health specialist for local health departments in Virginia's Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula regions.

He holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University, a Master of Public Health degree in Health Policy and Administration from the University of North Carolina, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Virginia Tech.

Congressman Ryan: 

Congressman Pat Ryan is a fifth-generation Hudson Valley native, proud Kingston High School alum, and the first West Point graduate to represent the Academy in the U.S. House of Representatives. Ryan served two combat tours in Iraq, earning two Bronze Stars.

Prior to his 2022 election to Congress, Ryan served the community that raised him as Ulster County Executive. There, Ryan led the County through the COVID-19 pandemic and spearheaded policies that delivered relief to working families while never raising taxes. He led the charge to revitalize the former IBM site, now known as iPark 87, helped put money back in small business owners and residents’ pockets, took on corporate special interests, and delivered new investments in mental health services.

In Congress, Ryan is focused on defending fundamental freedoms and delivering relief for Hudson Valley families. Serving on the House Armed Services Committee, Ryan is working on issues of military preparedness, countering the threat of a rising China, and investing in the United States Military Academy and the next generation of military leaders. As a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Ryan is committed to improving the daily lives of all residents in NY-18. Whether you commute to work on Metro North, travel Route 17 through Orange County, or need broadband access in Dutchess County, he will fight every day to improve our region’s infrastructure.

Ryan has also championed efforts to expand access to affordable health care, support local law enforcement, preserve Social Security and Medicare, prevent gun violence, and protect a woman's right to choose.

Ryan lives in Gardiner, NY with his wife, Rebecca, and their two young sons, Theo and Cameron.

On this episode of the Defense Tech Underground, RADM (ret.) Wyman Howard - the former commander of the elite Navy Special Warfare Group and later the entire SEAL community - shares leadership lessons learned from his 32 years as a naval officer. He dives into the changing nature of warfare, crafting the SEAL brand with lessons from Louis Vuitton, and the importance of technical innovation in near-peer competition. 

Wyman Howard is a retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral with a distinguished 32-year career in special operations, having commanded critical units including Naval Special Warfare Command and being among the first to deploy to Afghanistan after 9/11. A fourth-generation Naval Officer and graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Howard has extensive experience in leadership roles across joint, intelligence, and interagency operations, earning multiple prestigious unit citations and personal awards. In the private sector, he serves as a senior advisor, public board director, and consultant, with expertise in sustainability, disruptive technologies, and strategic risk assessment. He holds advanced degrees, including an MBA from the TRIUM consortium and a Master of Science in National Security and Resource Strategy, and has completed professional certificates in artificial intelligence from MIT. 

Howard currently serves as a Senior Advisor with McKinsey & Company, sits on the boards of Bridger Aerospace and Invitation Homes, and provides strategic guidance across advanced industries, energy, bioscience, and communications. He is a Council on Foreign Relations member, a Navy Distinguished Service medal and Silver Star medal recipient, and brings deep expertise in geopolitical risks, multi-domain autonomous systems, electronic warfare, and cyber threat mitigation.

John Goodson is the co-founder and CEO of Darkhive, an early stage drone startup based in San Antonio, TX. John served from 2007-2016 in the United States Navy, primarily as a combat technician supporting the West coast SEAL Teams. John completed 4 tours of duty in Afghanistan and received multiple awards, including the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat "V" Valor designator. After separating from active duty, John joined CTI and served in a variety of roles across the business. In 2021, he founded Darkhive with Steve Turner, to address the deficiencies in military tactical drones that he experienced first-hand during combat operations. 

On this episode of the Defense Tech Underground, John shares about his role as a combat technician in the U.S. Navy, operating military drones during combat, which led him to found Darkhive. John discusses the specific products that Darkhive is developing, and the underpinning Red Queen software that enables actionable information for operators. He shares his concern about China’s entrenchment in the drone market through DJI, as well as a call to action for more entrepreneurship within defense.

This episode is hosted by Jeff Phaneuf and Helen Phillips.

Full Bio:

John is a US Special Operations veteran and experienced defense industry executive.  He served from 2007-2016 in the United States Navy, primarily as a combat technician supporting the West coast SEAL Teams where he completed 4 tours of duty in Afghanistan receiving multiple awards including the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat "V" Valor designator.  After separating from active duty in 2016, he went on to join CTI, a US-based small defense technology company, where he served in a variety of roles including product management, contract strategy, and business development.  In the Fall of 2021, he founded Darkhive with Steve Turner to address the deficiencies in military tactical drones that he experienced first-hand during combat operations.

Raj Shah is a former US Air Force F-16 pilot and was the head of the Defense Innovation Unit, Experimental.  He now leads Shield Capital, an early stage venture capital firm investing in technologies that will secure America’s future.  Raj is the author of Unit X: How the Pentagon and Silicon Valley Are Transforming the Future of War. 

In this episode of the Defense Tech Underground, we discuss Raj’s journey from small town Georgia to becoming an Air Force pilot, his experience leading the Defense Innovation Unit, the founding and mission of Shield Capital, and his new book Unit X: How the Pentagon and Silicon Valley are Transforming the Future of War, which explores the evolving nature of the Department of Defense’s acquisition of cutting-edge technology for the warfighter.

This episode is hosted by Jeff Phaneuf and Josh Pickering.

Full Bio: 

Raj Shah is the co-founder and managing partner of Shield Capital, an investment firm focused on technologies applicable to both the commercial and defense markets. He is also the chairman of Resilience, a cyber-security start-up and a commissioner on the Department of Defense’s Commission on Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution Reform (PPB&E). 

Raj also serves on the Board of Directors to NATO’s Innovation Fund. Most recently he was the managing partner of the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx), reporting to the Secretary of Defense. Raj led DIUx in its efforts to strengthen U.S. armed forces through contractual and cultural bridges between Silicon Valley and the Pentagon.

He is the author of the book, Unit X: How the Pentagon and Silicon Valley are Transforming the Future of War. Previously, Raj was senior director of strategy at Palo Alto Networks, which acquired Morta Security, where he was chief executive officer and co-founder. Raj serves as an F-16 pilot in the US Air Force and has completed multiple combat deployments. He holds an AB from Princeton University and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Trae Stephens is the co-founder and executive chairman of Anduril, and partner at Founder’s Fund.  After fighting his way into Georgetown University, Trae began his career working in Congressman Rob Portman’s office and at the Embassy of Afghanistan to the United States.  He went on to work at Palantir and then found defense tech juggernaut Anduril, which raised a $1.5B fundraising round at a $14B valuation this month.

In this episode, Trae shares his unconventional journey from rural Ohio to Silicon Valley. Starting with his determination to attend Georgetown, Trae’s career has been defined by a commitment to public service and innovation. While in college, his work at the Afghan embassy during its post-Taliban reopening provided early insights into the challenges of modernizing DOD protocols, discovering the need for a company like Palantir. Trae's move to Palantir marked his entry into tech, where he navigated the complexities of selling software to the government. This experience laid the groundwork for his co-founding of Anduril and his work as a partner at Founder’s Fund.

Trae discusses the importance of mission-driven work, the challenges of navigating government procurement, and his experiences rapidly scaling the new era of defense companies. His story is a testament to the impact of combining technological innovation with a deep sense of purpose.

This episode is hosted by Jeff Phaneuf and Josh Pickering.

Full Bio:

Trae is a Partner at Founders Fund. He is also Co-founder and Executive Chairman of Anduril Industries, a defense technology company focused on autonomous systems, and Co-founder of Sol, a next generation wearable e-reader.

Previously, Trae was an early employee at Palantir Technologies, where he led teams focused on growth in the intelligence/defense space as well as international expansion, helping large organizations solve their hardest data analysis problems. He was also an integral part of the product team, leading the design and strategy for new product offerings. While at Palantir, Trae also served as an adjunct faculty member at Georgetown University.

Prior to Palantir, Trae worked as a computational linguist building enterprise solutions to Arabic/Persian name matching and data enrichment within the United States Intelligence community. He began his career working in the office of then Congressman Rob Portman and in the Political Affairs Office at the Embassy of Afghanistan in Washington, D.C. immediately following the installation of Hamid Karzai’s transitional government. Trae graduated from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.

Nand Mulchandani joined the Central Intelligence Agency as its first-ever Chief Technology officer in 2022, but his career started a long way from Langley.  With degrees from Cornell, Harvard, and Stanford, he spent more than 25 years in tech as a serial entrepreneur and senior executive.  He then served as the Chief Technology Officer and Acting Director of the U.S. Department of Defense Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC), before joining the CIA.

In this episode of the Defense Tech Underground, Nand discusses working astride the worlds of Silicon Valley and Washington DC, and what the government can do to better adopt new technology for national security.  Nand discusses the importance of software-defined warfare, the role tech plays in the intelligence community, and why the US needs more technologists in government.

This episode is hosted by Jeff Phaneuf and Kyle Kennedy.

Full Bio: 

Nand Mulchandani joined the CIA as Chief Technology Officer in June 2022. In this role, he focuses on driving CIA’s efforts in leveraging cutting-edge and future innovations to further CIA’s mission. He previously served as the Chief Technology Officer and Acting Director of the U.S. Department of Defense Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC). Prior to that, he spent 25+ years in the technology industry as a serial entrepreneur and senior executive in the enterprise infrastructure and security software industry as co- founder & CEO of Oblix (acquired by Oracle), Determina (acquired by VMware), OpenDNS (acquired by Cisco), and ScaleXtreme (acquired by Citrix), and as an EIR at the venture capital firm Accel Partners.

Mulchandani holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Mathematics from Cornell University, a Master of Science in Management from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, and a Master of Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Michèle Flournoy served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy from February 2009 to February 2012 where she was the principal advisor to the Secretary of Defense in the formulation of national security and defense policy, oversight of military plans and operations, and in National Security Council deliberations. With decades in defense policy, Michèle has led and advised many critical national security innovation entities, including the Center for a New American Security, the Atlantic Council Commission on Defense Innovation Adoption, and the Defense Innovation Unit. 

On this episode of the Defense Tech Underground, Michèle discusses her tenure in the Department of Defense, and the evolution of the United States’ relationship with President Xi’s China. She details the decision making behind the Bin Laden raid and the leadership style of President Obama, Secretary Gates, and Secretary Panetta.  Michèle also talks about the need for the right incentives in the DoD’s acquisitions systems to ensure that acquisitions professionals are rewarded for adopting innovative technology.

Michèle closes by telling our audience: “Your country needs you.”  There has never been a more critical time to build things that protect our nation and our way of life.

This episode is hosted by Jeff Phaneuf and Helen Phillips. 

Full Bio:

Michèle Flournoy is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of WestExec Advisors, and a Co-

Founder, former Chief Executive Officer, and now Chair of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS).

Michèle served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy from February 2009 to February 2012.  She was the principal advisor to the Secretary of Defense in the formulation of national security and defense policy, oversight of military plans and operations, and in National Security Council deliberations. She led the development of the Department of Defense’s 2012 Strategic Guidance and represented the Department in dozens of foreign engagements, in the media and before Congress. 

Prior to confirmation, Michèle co-led President Obama’s transition team at the Defense Department. In January 2007, Michèle co-founded CNAS, a bipartisan think tank dedicated to developing strong, pragmatic and principled national security policies. She served as CNAS’ President until 2009, and returned as CEO in 2014. In 2017, she co-founded WestExec Advisors, a strategic advisory firm. 

Michèle serves on the boards of CNAS, Booz Allen Hamilton, Amida Technology Solutions, The Mission Continues, and CARE. She is a Senior Fellow at Harvard’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affair, a current member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Aspen Strategy Group, and a former member of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board, the CIA Director’s External Advisory Board, and the Defense Policy Board.

Michèle earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a master’s degree from Balliol College, Oxford University, where she was a Newton-Tatum scholar.