On this episode of The Future of GovCon, Jake Frazer sits down with Julian Setian, CEO of SOSi, one of the most respected privately held mid-tier government contractors in the industry.

Julian has been building SOSi for over three decades, growing it from his mother's language and linguistics business into a highly diversified national security and defense intelligence company with work spanning the DEA, COCOMs, the intelligence community, and more. He has done five acquisitions, navigated every budget cycle, and watched the industry transform from the Cold War through 9/11, two decades of deployed operations, and now what he calls the biggest structural changes he has ever seen.

In this conversation he breaks down the parallel acquisition world being built around OTAs and CSOs, why the traditional M&A playbook is no longer commanding the premiums it once did, his shift toward early stage tech investments, and why companies that are not changing how they sell are simply not going to survive.

🔔 Subscribe and leave us a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps more people in the GovCon community find the show.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Hook: OTAs and CSOs are creating a parallel acquisition world

00:47 – Welcome and introduction

01:28 – Who is Julian Setian: CEO of SOSi, three decades in GovCon

02:18 – How SOSi maps to the arc of the entire government contracting industry

03:03 – Julian's 30 year prediction from 2019: how is he tracking?

03:42 – SOSi at an inflection point: seasoned team, great customer relationships

04:34 – Jake's history with SOSi: running supply chains at Taji, Iraq

05:01 – From narrow niche to highly diversified: one building block at a time

07:10 – Intimacy with customers: Julian personally in the field

08:22 – Was it destiny? Columbia, journalism dreams, and baseball

09:38 – Joining his mother's language business as a temporary gig

10:21 – Two years in and realizing what the possibilities were

11:09 – Working with family: sister joined from JP Morgan as Chief Administrative Officer

13:16 – CFO Bruce Krall: 26 years and a cornerstone of SOSi's success

14:14 – How the business grew: cleared linguists to federal law enforcement to defense

15:00 – Moving into Iraq and Afghanistan: hungry aggressive mid-tiers filled the gap

17:53 – Capacity building, infrastructure, overseas operations

18:41 – Transitioning from deployed operations to home base and headquarters

19:33 – First customer DEA still a customer today: maintaining core while diversifying

20:05 – External growth: five acquisitions including STG in 2019

21:43 – The STG acquisition: Simon Lee's business and the long game

22:36 – Shifting from traditional M&A to early stage tech investments

23:04 – Investing in AB Tech: AI and machine translation

23:38 – First VC-level investment: software vulnerability discovery company

24:36 – Bridging the gap for non-traditional companies breaking into government

24:51 – How SOSi manages a highly diverse agency portfolio

25:25 – The common thread: national security, defense, intelligence, law enforcement

28:00 – What is happening right now in the market

32:00 – The AI opportunity: intelligence analytics, data processing at scale

36:00 – The new acquisition landscape: OTAs, CSOs, NATO task force X

40:00 – The parallel acquisition world being built around flexible vehicles

43:00 – The blurring of traditional and nontraditional: Google, AWS, Palantir

45:00 – SBA proposal to collapse NAICS categories: good for government buyers, hard for small businesses

46:37 – If companies are not changing how they sell they will not survive

47:51 – The old M&A playbook is no longer commanding the premiums

48:41 – Sticky relationships, unique IP, and access placement technology: the new survival criteria

49:05 – One word on the future: "Limitless"

50:02 – Closing thoughts

On this episode of The Future of GovCon, Jake Frazer sits down with Major General (Ret.) Pete Andrysiak, former Chief of Staff at U.S. European Command, former DCG of the 25th Infantry Division, licensed civil engineer, 36-year Army veteran, and now Senior Vice President at Palantir focused on European defense.

Pete was at UCOM when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, working alongside General Cavoli as the transformation of the entire European Command took shape in real time. He helped stand up the predecessor to the Security Assistance Group Ukraine, watched NATO fundamentally change its posture, and saw firsthand how the C2 and data integration gap was limiting what allied forces could do.

In this conversation he breaks down why PowerPoint-driven headquarters is a national security problem, what it actually takes to connect data across allies and partners at the speed of warfare, how NATO is implementing Maven Smart System, and why the opportunity in European defense right now is unlike anything he has seen.

🔔 Subscribe and leave us a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps more people in the GovCon community find the show.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Hook: Seeing all domains, deconfliction, and passing data at the speed of warfare

00:38 – Welcome and introduction

01:21 – Who is MG Pete Andrysiak: UCOM Chief of Staff, 36 years, now at Palantir

03:47 – What Pete is doing now: NATO Maven Smart System implementation and BD

04:41 – Eastern flank focus: Romania through Poland into the Baltics

05:15 – Why Palantir: the best C2 integration platform on the market

06:11 – Career overview: combat engineer to operational leader

07:10 – Corps of Engineers, 25th Infantry, US Army Pacific, Europe, UCOM

07:45 – Why data became his passion: driven by decision quality information

08:20 – The PowerPoint problem: a mediocre common operating picture

09:00 – Why Palantir: integrate, move fast, leave PowerPoint behind

09:45 – Engineering mindset meets innovation: process cannot stifle capability

10:20 – Six months into the DCG role: Russia invades Ukraine

10:55 – Standing up the CIU predecessor with General Cavoli

11:30 – Cavoli's mandate: turn UCOM into a war fighting headquarters

12:15 – The change management challenge of a large Cold War-era headquarters

14:00 – The intelligence picture and the sensor-to-shooter gap

16:00 – How data integration changes decision speed at the operational level

18:00 – Maven Smart System: what NATO bought and why it matters

22:00 – The NATO implementation challenge: from ACO to JFC to components

26:00 – Interoperability across allies: the hardest problem in NATO

30:00 – Eastern flank urgency: Romania, Poland, the Baltics, and counter UAS

34:00 – UAS crossing NATO borders and the integrated air picture gap

38:00 – Arctic and Indo-Pacom: Pete's geographic breadth across his career

42:00 – What has changed in European defense since February 2022

46:00 – The monopsony problem: five primes and a single buyer

48:00 – Lowering barriers vs. procurement reform: are we ready to move fast?

50:00 – Measuring outcomes not butts in seats: the new contracting imperative

52:00 – Ukraine in 2026: best position since 2023 but no geographic breakthrough

53:45 – Palantir's role in Ukraine's C2 solution

54:12 – One word on the future: "Opportunity"

55:00 – The Last Supper, monopsony, and the consolidation problem

56:02 – Forward deployed engineers asking: what problem do you want me to solve?

57:04 – Closing thoughts

A special solo episode of The Future of GovCon with Jake Frazer, CEO of Precision Talent Solutions.

This is the fifth edition of the PTS Monthly Industry Spotlight, and this month Jake digs into what he is calling the new breed of business development talent in GovCon — and why every growth leader needs to be doing something different right now.

With a $1.5 trillion defense budget request on the table, DHS surging on homeland security, European defense bubbling up, and two active wars shaping procurement priorities, the way you sell to the government has fundamentally changed. The traditional long-cycle capture model is not enough anymore. And the talent set you needed two years ago on your BD team is not the same talent set you need today.

Jake walks through the article from this month's Industry Spotlight, shares perspectives from Andy McWilliams on positionless basketball in BD, references insights from Tim Garnett and Jim Carroll, and breaks down the full PTS toolbox for GovCon growth leaders.

🔔 Subscribe and leave us a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps more people in the GovCon community find the show.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Hook: What are you doing differently to prepare for the generational investment?

00:47 – Welcome and introduction to the fifth Monthly Industry Spotlight

01:31 – The new breed of business development talent: the core question

02:52 – What are CEOs and CGOs doing differently right now?

03:12 – $1.5 trillion, DHS surge, European defense, and two active wars

04:01 – Speed, AI, drones, counter UAS, and space driving procurement change

04:57 – Andy McWilliams and the positionless basketball analogy

05:17 – The Knicks, the championship, and what it means for GovCon BD

05:43 – Topics the government is buying that did not exist ten years ago

06:09 – Shortage of talent on the government side and new acquisition vehicles

06:32 – Big budgets, speed, new technology, OTAs, and direct awards

07:18 – The new BD cycle: know the problem, develop the solution, iterate

07:50 – The new talent set: solution architects, account execs, capture folks

08:09 – The seats have changed: you need to know where people are sitting

08:39 – What are you doing differently on your BD team right now?

09:05 – The top talent is not looking for a job — you have to go get them

09:29 – PTS's track record across BD, capture, proposals, and multiple agencies

09:58 – Tim Garnett episode: bring the solution, do not ask what they need

11:05 – Byron Bright at Atkins: industry must partner with government

11:28 – Jim Carroll at PSC: talent drain, acquisition overhaul, and what it means for BD

12:16 – Big moves: Acclaim becoming Quantum, KBR spinning off into Intrinsic

13:04 – PTS toolbox: how we support chief growth officers

13:48 – BD talent search: the hardest labor category in GovCon

14:17 – Screening tools: video interviews, personality assessment, nine block predictor

14:57 – Win sheets, referral process, and finding needle moving talent

15:23 – Key personnel searches: bolt on to capture teams, find non-obvious candidates

16:07 – Increasing P-Win: the government is savvy to bait and switch

16:41 – Precision Experts: over 100 flag officers, SES, ambassadors on the catalog

17:28 – Smart ways to use Precision Experts for speed and access

17:48 – Bespoke searches and temp to perm options

18:07 – Career Transition Services: protect your brand when you reorganize

19:32 – Our Rolodex is your Rolodex: network, events, and introductions

20:17 – Closing: if you wait until 2027, your competitors will already be ahead

On this episode of The Future of GovCon, Jake Frazer sits down with Major General (Ret.) Adrian Ciolponea, 41-year Romanian Army veteran, former NATO ACT Representative in Europe, former Special Operations Brigade Commander, doctoral researcher in drone and counter UAS integration, and author of the upcoming book "Drone Revolution: Transforming Future Military Operations."

Adrian joined the Romanian military in 1981 as a cadet under the communist bloc, witnessed the fall of communism, trained at US institutions including Ranger School, Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, National War College, and Joint Special Operations University, and spent the last three years building the bridge between NATO's Military Committee in Brussels and Allied Command Transformation.

In this conversation he describes a robotic battle in Ukraine in November 2025 that lasted four hours with no humans on the ground, breaks down the ten drone mission types that now exist for land forces, explains how the OODA loop has compressed from 24 hours to five minutes, and lays out exactly what the defense industrial base needs to be building right now.

🔔 Subscribe and leave us a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps more people in the GovCon community find the show.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Hook: The first robotic battle in the history of humanity

00:58 – Welcome and introduction

01:17 – Adrian's background: 41 years, Romanian Army, NATO ACT

02:22 – Starting as a cadet in 1981 under the communist bloc

03:54 – What is NATO ACT and why it matters for the future of warfare

04:19 – ACT as NATO's future warfare laboratory: concepts, experimentation, transformation

05:30 – 10 years in Special Operations: the most rewarding years of his career

06:20 – Nine years in NATO: SHAPE, working with Scaparrotti, Walters, Cavoli

07:05 – The book: Drone Revolution — Transforming Future Military Operations

07:23 – Robotics as the word that encompasses everything coming next

08:09 – The robotic battle in Ukraine: four hours, no humans on the ground

09:07 – Did he ever imagine warfare would look like this as a young soldier?

09:51 – Starting his doctoral research in 2021 before the war in Ukraine

10:30 – From two drone mission types to ten: ISR, strike, resupply, relay, security

11:20 – Loyal wingman concept: protecting expensive platforms with cheap barriers

12:00 – Three elements of future warfare: OODA loop compression, transparency, autonomy

13:00 – The killing cycle compressed to five minutes at tactical level in Ukraine

14:20 – The transparent battlefield: if you are seen, you will be hit in minutes

16:00 – Anti-thermal blankets, EW signature reduction, and why legacy platforms are vulnerable

18:00 – Counter UAS: the most dynamic and fast-evolving sector in defense right now

22:00 – Jamming, kinetic, laser, microwave: the counter UAS toolkit explained

26:00 – High energy lasers and directed energy: where the investment is going

28:00 – The integration challenge: drones with legacy systems and C2

30:00 – How the Romanian Army has adapted faster than most NATO allies

32:00 – What NATO is learning from Ukraine and applying to doctrine

36:00 – The drone threat to naval vessels and what happened in the Black Sea

38:00 – Swarm attacks and saturation: overwhelming air defense with numbers

40:00 – What US industry is doing right and where the gaps are

44:00 – Anduril, autonomous systems, and cheap precision strike

46:00 – What industry should be building for 2029

48:00 – Russia's hybrid warfare playbook: Baltics, Balkans, shadow fleet, jamming

52:00 – If you are not in the game right now you will not get the contract later

57:41 – Closing thoughts on hybrid warfare and what is happening daily

01:01:00 – One word on the future: "Robotics"

01:01:48 – Closing remarks and book release

On this episode of The Future of GovCon, Jake Frazer sits down with Brigadier General (Ret.) Melissa "Mel" Stone, former Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for ISR, U.S. Air Force, former commander of the 363rd ISR Wing, Air Force Academy graduate, and founder of Keystone Strategic Solutions.

Mel comes from a three-generation Air Force family. Her grandfather commanded the same wing she would command 64 years later — a fact she discovered through Air Force microfilm records at Maxwell and wove into her change of command speech. Her father served in Vietnam and retired as a colonel. And her husband is a retired Air Force Intel colonel.

In this conversation she breaks down where ISR is heading over the next three years — attritable systems, sensor queuing, AI in cyber defense — what the CMMC pause means from an intelligence professional's perspective, why the government talent hemorrhage may not be entirely bad news, and why she is skeptical of a standalone Cyber Service.

🔔 Subscribe and leave us a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps more people in the GovCon community find the show.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Welcome and introduction

01:02 – Who is BG Mel Stone: former Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for ISR

01:27 – Recommended by Ryan Heritage: "my favorite Marine"

02:23 – Why Mel is the right guest for this moment in ISR

03:03 – Adjusting to retirement: more time with family, summer activities

03:46 – Keystone Strategic Solutions: playing on the Stone name and Pennsylvania roots

04:10 – Husband is a retired Air Force Intel colonel: talking shop at home

05:06 – Career overview: Cyber Command, Senate liaison, 35th Intelligence Squadron

05:53 – The 363rd ISR Wing: the same wing her grandfather commanded 64 years earlier

06:23 – Discovering the family connection through Air Force microfilm at Maxwell

07:32 – Father served in Vietnam, retired as a colonel, worked for her grandfather

07:59 – Mom graduated from Randolph High School when grandpa was stationed there

08:42 – Why the Air Force Academy was never really a question

09:02 – Getting the acceptance letter: coming home to a surprise party

09:55 – Two daughters including Anna: the curveball that made her a better leader

10:47 – Filming the resilience video during COVID and why she has never watched it

11:24 – Anna checking off things she was told she would never do

12:55 – What Anna taught her about leadership: understanding the story behind each person

14:03 – Career as an Intel officer: how you get selected for the path

16:00 – Cyber Command and working alongside Ryan Heritage

18:00 – Senate liaison: getting comfortable with the political side of the Air Force

20:00 – The Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for ISR role: what it actually means

22:00 – ISR in an era of great power competition: what has changed

24:00 – Attritable systems and the lessons from Ukraine and the Middle East

26:00 – Sensor queuing: why this is the most important development in the next three years

28:00 – CMMC pause: sympathy for small businesses but awareness of the threat

29:28 – AI giving defenders an edge at scale: vulnerability discovery at speed

30:53 – Cyber defenders are overwhelmed: AI as force multiplier not replacement

32:36 – CMMC and allies: the challenge of getting partners to baseline cybersecurity standards

33:39 – Zero trust architectures and the mission partner environment

34:22 – What Mel brings to industry: leading at scale, risk decisions, global threat perspective

36:41 – Fast forward to 2029: what does ISR look like

37:26 – Attritable systems, sensor queuing, AI in cybersecurity

38:39 – Industry has the speed and the talent: the hemorrhage and why it may be a net positive

39:37 – Hook: We are hemorrhaging talent from government. Industry is picking it up.

40:22 – Healthy tension between government and industry on AI: how it resolves

41:41 – Should there be a standalone Cyber Service in three years? Mel's honest answer

43:06 – Empower Cyber Command first. Then have the Cyber Force conversation.

44:07 – One word on the future: "Dynamic"

44:24 – Closing thoughts and well wishes

On this episode of The Future of GovCon, Jake Frazer sits down with Major General (Ret.) John Phillips, former EUCOM J6 and Deputy Chief of Staff for Signal and Cyber, 36-year Army veteran, Citadel graduate, and one of PTS's own Precision Experts.

John just retired on day six when this was recorded, fresh off the job of running IT, cyber, and communications for U.S. European Command. In this conversation he breaks down what is really happening in NATO's technology transformation, why cloud adoption in military environments is harder than anyone admits, the role of AFCEA in connecting industry to European opportunities, what the US role in NATO looks like in 2029, and why Europe's apprehension about US commitment may be its most dangerous vulnerability.

If you are doing business in Europe, working with NATO, or operating in the cyber and IT space, this one is essential listening.

🔔 Subscribe and leave us a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps more people in the GovCon community find the show.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Welcome and introduction

01:10 – Who is MG John Phillips: EUCOM J6, 36 years, Precision Expert

01:58 – Day six of retirement: calling from Lake Lure, North Carolina

02:23 – Why John is the right guest for the European GovCon audience

03:08 – Lifetime AFCEA member and the expanded mission of AFCEA

04:06 – Paul Fredenburgh and the AFCEA European community

04:57 – Bruce Crawford: John's company XO from 1993 now leading AFCEA

05:21 – John as a Precision Expert: how to engage him

05:42 – Growing up in Pennsylvania: Army dad, Detroit Arsenal, BAE Systems

07:12 – Choosing the Citadel over West Point: palm trees and Charleston sold him

08:10 – A mediocre cadet with a good reason for being there

09:00 – Signal Corps: the job nobody picks and why it was perfect

10:00 – Early career: Germany, the Cold War, and learning the European environment

12:00 – Middle East experience: Iraq, Afghanistan, and the IT challenges of deployed operations

15:00 – UCOM J6: running IT and cyber for the entire European Command

18:00 – What the J6 actually does: from the tactical edge to the strategic level

20:00 – NATO's technology transformation: where things stand today

24:00 – Cloud adoption in military environments: the hardest change management challenge

28:00 – Why soldiers are afraid of cloud: the artillery battery in Poland scenario

32:00 – What industry can do to help bridge the cloud trust gap

35:00 – AFCEA as the bridge between industry and the European defense community

38:00 – Where the technology investment is going in Europe right now

40:00 – Sensor queuing, attritable systems, and the ISR evolution

43:07 – NATO partners and cloud by 2029: which countries will get there

44:31 – The US role in European cyber and communications in 2029

45:00 – UCOM, Stratcom, and nuclear weapons: the strategic reality

46:27 – Will SACEUR ever be non-US? John's honest answer

47:27 – Germany growing the Bundeswehr by 60% and what that means

48:02 – Belgium, Greece, and the politics of defense spending in Europe

49:11 – One word on the future: "Apprehension"

49:44 – We have been providing the fish for 75 years. It is time to teach them how.

50:25 – Albania's cyber general officers and why that matters for NATO

51:18 – Closing thoughts and how to engage John as a Precision Expert

On this episode of The Future of GovCon, Jake Frazer sits down with Josh Herren, CEO of Yulista Holdings, one of the leading Alaska Native Corporations in the government contracting space.

Josh grew up in Nenana, a town of 300 people in the middle of Alaska, joined the Air Force as an EOD operator after watching Keanu Reeves in Speed as a kid, was recruited by the FBI and CIA coming out of the military, and eventually found his way into GovCon through Yulista. He also sits on the board of the EOD Warrior Foundation, founded Versus Data, a GovCon M&A platform, and runs Land Mindset, a leadership philosophy initiative.

In this conversation Josh shares his philosophy on culture and leadership, makes the case that nobody in Washington is making on ANCs and natural resource development, breaks down his approach to M&A, and shares what GovCon looks like in 2029.

🔔 Subscribe and leave us a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps more people in the GovCon community find the show.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Hook: Happy teams deliver for customers and happy customers come back

00:36 – Welcome and introduction

01:39 – Who is Josh Herren: CEO of Yulista Holdings, EOD veteran, Alaska native

02:21 – Huntsville is booming: why everybody is moving there

03:30 – Bringing GovCon CEOs onto the show

04:11 – Growing up in Nenana, Alaska: a town of 300 people

05:02 – Driving past Denali as an adult and seeing it differently

05:52 – Rural Alaska values: quiet, resourceful, planning for everything

06:17 – Dad building a 69 Chevelle from scratch in rural Alaska

06:57 – The Athabaskan community and traditional Alaska heritage

07:31 – Running an ANC: blending the soldier and the shareholder

08:45 – Board members getting emotional seeing Yulista's work for national defense

09:53 – The Yup'ik people: 40,000 shareholders across 56 villages

10:18 – The most remote region of Alaska: you cannot drive there

11:14 – Joining the Air Force: Keanu Reeves and the movie Speed

11:55 – EOD training: the best mentorship Josh ever had

12:54 – Staying connected: board of the EOD Warrior Foundation

14:38 – How Josh fell in love with business

15:01 – Recruited by the FBI and CIA — but ended up in GovCon

15:48 – Getting his first BD job at Yulista without really being qualified

16:40 – The competitive nature of business development and what hooked him

17:07 – Taking EOD operator mindset into business

18:00 – Growing Yulista and the M&A philosophy

22:00 – Culture eats strategy: why most M&A fails

26:00 – Chicago Booth, continuous education, and leadership development

28:00 – Versus Data: building a bridge in GovCon around M&A

32:00 – The 8(a) debate: what the administration is missing

35:00 – The argument nobody is making: ANCs, national security, and natural resources connected

38:00 – ANCs own the subsurface rights to Alaska's oil, gold, and precious metals

39:17 – Weakening ANCs weakens the administration's own resource development priority

40:45 – ANCs as the strongest GDP producers in the state of Alaska

41:38 – Framing the argument correctly: national security not shareholder sympathy

42:03 – Land Mindset: Josh's leadership philosophy platform

42:22 – Versus Data: the new M&A venture worth watching

42:38 – Fast forward to 2029: forming, storming, norming in GovCon

43:24 – Nontraditional contractors will have stronger footing by 2029

44:17 – New opportunities, new companies, new ways into government contracting

44:35 – One word on the future: "Opportunity"

45:27 – Closing thoughts

On this episode of The Future of GovCon, Jake Frazer sits down with Nancy Andrews, recently retired SES Tier 3 from the U.S. Air Force, former Program Executive Officer for Services overseeing 51% of the Air Force budget, former Director of Administration overseeing $5 billion at the headquarters level, and one of PTS's own Precision Experts.

Nancy climbed from GS-2 intern to one of the highest ranking civilians in the Air Force, spending her career across Los Angeles Air Force Base, Patrick Air Force Base, the National Reconnaissance Office, Hanscom Air Force Base, Air Command and Staff College, and Air Force Materiel Command.

In this conversation she breaks down the shift from PEOs to Portfolio Acquisition Executives, what AFCAP VI means for industry, how to build trust with the Air Force acquisition workforce, why RFIs are one of your most powerful tools, and what Air Force contracting looks like in 2029.

🔔 Subscribe and leave us a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps more people in the GovCon community find the show.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Hook: 2029, new skill sets, and AFCAP VI

00:31 – Welcome and introduction

01:35 – Who is Nancy Andrews: SES-3, former Air Force PEO for Services

03:18 – From GS-2 intern to overseeing 51% of the Air Force budget

05:00 – Growing up in Grantsville, Utah: small town to big city

06:00 – First assignment: teaching acquisition to operators at Patrick Air Force Base

08:47 – The moment she knew acquisition was her calling

09:32 – The pilot who said thank you — and why it changed everything

10:43 – Career path: LA Air Force Base, Space Systems, NRO

11:32 – Source selection after source selection: becoming a FAR 15 expert

12:22 – Becoming the first GS-12 to earn an unlimited contracting officer warrant

13:11 – Air Command and Staff College: ten months in Montgomery, Alabama

13:55 – Moving to the NRO and earning her warrant in two months

15:03 – Standing your ground: knowing your value and making them understand it

16:00 – Hanscom Air Force Base: leading 200 acquisition professionals

17:00 – Moving into senior SES roles and headquarters-level oversight

20:00 – The trust factor: why it matters more than ever in Air Force acquisition

22:00 – How to engage the Air Force acquisition workforce as an industry partner

26:00 – RFIs and draft solicitations: one of your most powerful tools

28:00 – The difference between good and bad industry engagement

30:49 – Respond to RFIs: it signals engagement and helps the government get it right

31:56 – The shift from PEOs to Portfolio Acquisition Executives explained

32:57 – How many PAEs are there and how do you get access to them

33:36 – Follow the money: how to find and approach the right people

34:20 – AFCAP VI: what is new, what is different, and the LPTA issue addressed

35:13 – Why AFCAP VI is bigger and what that means for industry

36:07 – Task order competitions and how pricing strategy is evolving

37:16 – A bigger industry base means more competition — and that is a good thing

37:39 – Fast forward to 2029: Air Force acquisition and AFCAP VI

38:59 – Speed, adaptability, and a different skill set in the acquisition workforce

39:29 – What industry needs to do: get on board early and often

40:14 – How does the Air Force fare in the current budget cycle vs Navy and Space Force

41:08 – UAS, counter UAS, Golden Dome, and the Air Force's role

42:15 – Epic Fury and the proof that air power still matters

42:42 – One word on the future: "Adaptable"

44:27 – Closing thoughts: humbled by the heroes and warfighters alongside her

On this episode of The Future of GovCon, Jake Frazer sits down with Lieutenant General (Ret.) Paul Chamberlain, former Army Comptroller overseeing a $185 billion budget, former Army Budget Director, former Commanding General of the Soldier Support Institute at Fort Jackson, Ranger, Special Forces officer, and one of PTS's own Precision Experts.

Paul spent the last eight years of his 37-year Army career in the Pentagon, going before Congress on a regular basis to make the case for the Army's budget. In this conversation he breaks down the $1.5 trillion defense budget request, where the Army's money is actually going, how the CR and government shutdown risk plays out, when the money actually hits the street for contractors, and what companies need to do right now to position themselves to win.

If you work in GovCon and the defense budget is on your radar, this episode is essential listening.

🔔 Subscribe and leave us a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps more people in the GovCon community find the show.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Welcome and introduction

01:00 – Who is LTG Paul Chamberlain: Ranger, SF, Army Comptroller

02:15 – From New Jersey to Clemson: meeting his wife and joining the Army

03:17 – Signal officer in Germany and the pivot to Special Forces

04:02 – Ranger school as a senior captain and the SF battalion commander who changed his career

04:51 – The Pentagon in 2001 and how 9/11 changed the next 20 years

05:51 – Eight years managing the Army's $185 billion budget

06:17 – Special forces background and how it shaped his Pentagon approach

07:35 – Commanding General, Soldier Support Institute at Fort Jackson

08:21 – Training 10,000 soldiers, officers, and NCOs across finance and AG

09:26 – Going to Capitol Hill: the budget cycle from February to reprogramming season

11:21 – The dynamic between the Pentagon and the Hill: mission vs. politics

12:38 – Competing with the other services for scarce resources

13:52 – Space Force, nuclear forces, and the balancing act

15:10 – The $1.5 trillion request: a generational investment explained

16:00 – The reconciliation bill and the Army's $37 billion

17:00 – Missiles, drones, command and control, and new helicopters

18:00 – $100 billion for the industrial base and scaling production capacity

22:33 – The CR and shutdown risk: what does the legislative calendar look like

24:28 – When does the money actually hit the street for contractors

25:38 – Nine to twelve months out: how to position now before the money flows

26:44 – First to the trough: put your skin in the game before the contract is awarded

27:43 – How Paul helps companies navigate the noise

28:29 – Government shutdown risk: Paul's honest assessment

30:51 – The $39 trillion debt and how long the spending can continue

31:20 – Where to focus in the Army portfolio: missiles, drones, C2, housing

32:21 – Speed vs. risk: the acquisition dynamic and what companies need to know

33:51 – Industry bringing solutions to government: the new BD model

34:16 – Companies that can scale up and scale back down will win

35:15 – How long does the budget bulge last

36:01 – FY2029 budget outlook: staying at $1.5 trillion or contracting

38:04 – O&M and personnel: where the bulk of the budget always goes

39:19 – One word on the future: "Dynamic-Unknown-Opportunities"

40:30 – The unprecedented openness between government and industry right now

41:30 – Closing thoughts and how to engage Paul as a Precision Expert

On this episode of The Future of GovCon, Jake Frazer sits down with Brigadier General (Ret.) Terri Borras, 40-year Army veteran, former Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff at the Army G2, veteran of CJTF-HOA in Africa, and one of PTS's own Precision Experts.

Terri brings a perspective that is almost impossible to find in the GovCon market: an intelligence professional who started as a PV1 enlisted soldier and climbed all the way to brigadier general, spending her career understanding exactly how adversaries think, what they target, and how companies can protect themselves.

In this conversation she breaks down the CMMC pause and why it absolutely does not mean stop, the three lenses she uses to think about CMMC, how insider risk is far broader than most companies realize, why zero trust is no longer aspirational, and what the defense industrial base looks like as a battlespace in 2029.

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⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Hook: Three lenses for CMMC — modernization, Intel, and insider risk

00:42 – Welcome and introduction

01:36 – Who is BG Terri Borras: 40 years, Army G2, Precision Expert

03:04 – Joining the Army in 1985: the "Be All You Can Be" moment

05:01 – Leaving college on a scholarship to join the Army

06:27 – Growing up in a military family: dad was a Marine, furious she enlisted

07:13 – Family of service: husband and oldest son both combat veterans

08:28 – Basic training: the bug she could never get rid of

09:19 – Calling home from basic: "I'm not sure I made the right decision"

10:15 – The moment she knew she was graduating no matter what

10:34 – Starting as an intelligence analyst: the puzzle and the critical thinking

11:27 – How the Intel job evolves from analyst to general officer

13:17 – The defining moment: the chief of staff of Special Forces Command says become an officer

14:41 – Green to Gold scholarship and George Washington University

15:23 – CJTF-HOA in Africa: serving as DCG under General Rohling

17:08 – The tyranny of distance across 52 countries and what that means for Intel

17:49 – Using Africa as a testbed for modernization in real operations

18:25 – Moving to the Pentagon: Assistant DCOS at Army G2

19:37 – Transformation in Contact: changing the Army while continuing to operate

23:14 – The shift from traditional adversaries to insider risk

24:28 – Modernization will be judged by survivability, not speed

25:30 – AI governance and ethics: is AI driving the train or are we

26:28 – Modernization is the adversary's target: delay, disrupt, destroy

28:05 – Your workforce is the first layer of defense

29:41 – Insider risk is much broader than a malicious employee stealing secrets

30:11 – The CMMC pause: what does it actually mean for industry

31:08 – Three lenses for CMMC: modernization, Intel, insider risk

32:23 – The compliance burden seesaw: too heavy and companies walk away

33:49 – The pause signals to adversaries: do not wait for requirements to protect

34:51 – The land of exceptions: why waiting is itself a risk

35:48 – How BG Borras helps companies from an advisory perspective

36:46 – The adversary is not trying to build what you built — they want to take it

37:21 – Protecting the road to market, not just the end product

39:04 – Fast forward to 2029: five lanes for the defense industrial base

40:14 – Lane one: modernization judged by survivability

40:47 – Lane two: Intel as the foundation of everything

41:20 – The defense industrial base becomes the primary battlespace

42:20 – Lane three: compliance alone will not be enough by 2029

44:04 – Lane four: zero trust is the baseline, not the aspiration

45:43 – Lane five: AI and the trust question — can you trust the model

47:59 – One word on the future: "Protection"

49:18 – Closing thoughts and how to engage Terri as a Precision Expert