On this episode of The Future of GovCon, Jake Frazer sits down with Rear Admiral (Ret.) Mark Fedor, 34-year Coast Guard veteran, former Coast Guard CFO, and Senior Director of Programs at HII.

Mark pulls back the curtain on one of the most undercovered opportunities in GovCon: the Coast Guard. With $25 billion injected through budget reconciliation, a major headquarters reorganization with five new PEOs, and a rapid prototyping office called Raptor actively pulling in industry partners, the Coast Guard is open for business in a way it hasn't been before.

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⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Welcome and introduction

01:00 – Mark's background: 34 years, six ships, three commands, Coast Guard CFO

02:30 – Nickname "Bomber" and growing up in Bristol, CT

05:40 – Why the Coast Guard over the Navy

07:00 – Coast Guard Academy vs. sister service academies

12:10 – Harvard Kennedy School and the path to senior leadership

13:20 – First ship in Miami: counter-narcotics and 480 migrants aboard

15:40 – The leadership lesson that stayed with him

17:00 – Early exposure to government contractors

19:30 – The Deepwater acquisition collapse

23:45 – Becoming the Coast Guard CFO

25:30 – Post-9/11 budget step change

29:00 – The One Big Beautiful Bill: $25B and the pressure to execute

31:00 – Buying vs. leasing vs. contracting

33:00 – Five new PEO structures explained

35:20 – The Raptor Office: rapid prototyping for vendors

36:00 – How to engage the Coast Guard via SAM.gov

39:10 – Could the Coast Guard move from DHS to DOW?

41:50 – The Coast Guard as a geopolitical instrument

44:20 – Force Design 2028 and the three-year outlook

47:50 – One word on the future: "Optimistic"

Description: On this episode of The Future of GovCon, Jake Frazer sits down with Major General (Ret.) Ryan Heritage — former J3 at U.S. Cyber Command, Commanding General of Marine Corps Western Recruiting, and one of the most operationally grounded voices in the cyber domain today.

Ryan brings a perspective you don't often hear: an infantry officer who came up through the mud and guts of maneuver warfare and applied that same mindset to cyber operations. In this conversation he breaks down how the cyber domain works as a maneuver space, what industry is getting wrong in how they engage Cyber Command, why a dedicated Cyber Service may be on the horizon, and where the AI and cyber race is heading by 2029.

If you work in defense tech, cyber, or GovCon broadly, this one is essential listening.

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European defense is entering a historic shift.

In this bonus episode of The Future of GovCon, Jake Frazer breaks down the first edition of Precision Talent Solutions’ Monthly Industry Spotlight, focused on the rapidly evolving European defense market.

Jake explains the evolution of NATO from NATO 1.0 to NATO 3.0, why European nations are dramatically increasing defense spending, and what this means for companies operating in the government contracting ecosystem.

With lessons from Ukraine, new procurement models emerging across NATO, and growing pressure for Europe to build a stronger industrial base, the coming years could create significant opportunities across the defense sector.

In this episode we cover:

• The evolution from NATO 1.0 to NATO 3.0

• Why Europe is dramatically increasing defense spending

• How lessons from Ukraine are reshaping defense investment

• Major procurement and contracting opportunities emerging in Europe

• The technologies and capabilities attracting the most investment

If you work in government contracting, defense technology, or European security, this conversation provides important context for where the industry is heading.

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https://pts.careers/podcast

What does it take to manage the workforce of one of the largest organizations in the world?

In this episode of The Future of GovCon, Jake Frazer sits down with Lieutenant General (Ret.) Doug Stitt, former U.S. Army G-1, the officer responsible for personnel policy and talent management for over one million soldiers and civilians.

Doug shares insights from leading the Army’s people enterprise, including recruiting strategy, leadership culture, and how organizations can care for people at scale.

They discuss:

• Why leadership must care for people, not outsource it to HR

• Lessons from managing talent across a million-person organization

• How the Army adapted its recruiting strategy for a changing workforce

• What artificial intelligence may mean for the future of personnel systems

• How companies should rethink talent acquisition and leadership development

Doug also reflects on his career path from Armor officer to the Army’s senior human resources leader and what industry leaders can learn from military leadership.

KEY MOMENTS (TIMESTAMPS)

00:00 Intro

01:36 Doug Stitt joins the podcast

03:10 Early Army career and leadership lessons

11:38 Why he joined the Army

17:05 Transition from Armor officer to personnel leadership

23:22 Humanizing the personnel process

25:28 Leadership lessons from becoming Army G-1

29:07 Caring for people at scale

31:13 Advice for industry leaders on talent management

38:12 Fixing Army recruiting strategy

45:13 AI and the future of personnel systems

47:39 What the Army workforce could look like in 2030

52:46 Closing thoughts

Subscribe to the podcas: pts.careers/podcast

Major General (Ret.) Matt Van Wagenen joins Jake Frazer to discuss the future of European defense, NATO transformation, and the growing opportunities for the defense industry.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, European nations are rapidly rebuilding military capabilities that were reduced after the Cold War. Governments across the continent are increasing defense spending, modernizing their armed forces, and investing in new technologies across air defense, electronic warfare, and munitions production.

Matt Van Wagenen spent more than three decades in the U.S. Army and served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations at NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), where he helped oversee the transformation of NATO back into a warfighting command focused on collective defense.

In this episode, Matt shares an inside look at how NATO has evolved since 2022, the major capability gaps European nations are racing to fill, and where the largest opportunities may emerge for government contractors supporting the alliance.

Topics discussed include:

• How NATO transformed from expeditionary operations back to collective defense

• Why European defense spending is accelerating rapidly

• The biggest capability gaps across European militaries

• Air and missile defense as the top priority investment area

• Why electronic warfare has become the “invisible high ground”

• The urgent need to rebuild munitions production capacity

• What defense contractors should expect from the European market

As Europe rebuilds its defense posture, the scale of investment required will reshape procurement, industry partnerships, and NATO’s military capabilities for years to come.

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https://pts.careers/podcast

The global supply chain is no longer just an economic issue. It has become a core national security challenge.

In this episode of The Future of GovCon, Jake Frazer sits down with Brandon Daniels, CEO of Exiger, to discuss how AI, supply chain intelligence, and data analytics are reshaping how governments and companies manage risk.

They explore how supply chain vulnerabilities drive inflation, disrupt defense production, and create national security threats. Brandon explains how AI driven analytics are helping governments and companies identify hidden risks and build more resilient systems.

This conversation offers a unique look at how technology is transforming the way the GovCon ecosystem understands risk, resilience, and national security.

Russia is back at the center of global conversation. But what does that actually mean for the future of geopolitics, defense, and the GovCon industry?

In this episode, Jake sits down with Andy Kuchins, one of the leading experts on Russia and Eurasia, to break down what is really happening beneath the surface.

From the war in Ukraine to NATO, China, and the Middle East, Andy shares a clear-eyed perspective on where things are heading over the next three years and why Russia continues to play a central role in nearly every global issue.

He also shares insights from decades of experience, including time spent in Moscow, advising U.S. leadership, and even direct interactions with Vladimir Putin.

Key themes include:

• Why Russia is “always dangerous to count out”

• How the Ukraine war could realistically end

• What NATO 3.0 looks like

• Russia’s evolving relationship with China and the U.S.

• Why the global balance of power is becoming more fluid

Andy’s final word on the future: challenging

In this episode of The Future of GovCon, Jake Frazer speaks with Callie Groth, a defense technology entrepreneur working at the intersection of UAS, AI, and autonomous systems.

Callie shares her journey from studying international diplomacy and Mandarin to building companies in the defense technology space. She discusses the realities of launching a startup in the GovCon ecosystem, learning the acquisition process from scratch, and working directly with end users to build practical capabilities.

The conversation also explores how the UAS industry is evolving, how venture capital is influencing defense innovation, and why the future of defense technology will depend not just on hardware, but on how humans interact with autonomous systems.

Key topics in this episode include:

• building defense technology startups from the ground up

• the evolution of the UAS and autonomous systems market

• how venture capital is influencing defense innovation

• lessons learned from working directly with military operators

• where defense technology may be heading over the next few years

Subscribe to the podcast to hear more conversations with leaders shaping the future of government contracting and national security.

Subscribe here:

https://pts.careers/podcast

The defense industry is changing faster than ever.

In this episode of The Future of GovCon, Jake sits down with Dennis Kelly, CEO of Tyto Athene and a five time CEO in the government technology sector. Dennis shares insights from decades of leadership across both public companies and private equity backed defense firms.

They discuss how private equity is reshaping the GovCon landscape, why innovation is moving faster than traditional procurement, and how emerging defense tech companies are challenging the old model dominated by large primes. Dennis also explains the economic problem facing modern warfare.

“What we cannot do is use a two million dollar missile to shoot down a thirty thousand dollar drone.” 

The conversation explores AI adoption, cyber capabilities, defense investment trends, and why speed is becoming the most important competitive advantage in the national security market.

Topics include:

• The difference between public companies and private equity backed GovCon firms

• Why defense tech startups are accelerating innovation

• The economics of modern warfare and counter drone technologies

• How AI is transforming every role in the industry

• What the GovCon ecosystem could look like three years from now Dennis closes with his outlook for the future of the sector in one phrase: cautious optimism. Subscribe for more conversations with leaders shaping the future of government contracting.

https://pts.careers/podcast

On this episode of The Future of GovCon, Jake sits down with Mike Benitez, former Marine, Air Force Weapons School graduate, Pentagon legislative fellow, and now CEO of Purple Rhombus.

Mike shares his journey from enlisted Marine mechanic and door gunner to flying F 15Es, serving in the Pentagon, and ultimately leading a defense tech startup focused on radically affordable mass in the UAS space.

The conversation explores one of the most important shifts happening in defense today: recharacterizing expendable drones as ammunition.If drones are treated like precious assets, they will not be used. If they are treated like ammunition, doctrine, procurement, and culture must change.

Mike explains:

• Why deterrence requires credibility

• What radically affordable industrial scale mass actually means

• How Purple Rhombus leverages existing industrial base capacity

• Why design for manufacturing matters more than concept prototypes

• What must change between now and 2029 in UAS acquisition

• How culture, not technology, may be the biggest barrier.

This is a strategic conversation about where the drone ecosystem is heading and what industry must do to keep pace.If you want to listen to the full episode and subscribe to the podcast, go here:https://pts.careers/podcast

Important Minutes

00:00 Expendable drones reclassified as ammunition

01:18 From Marine door gunner to defense startup CEO

09:32 Lessons from boot camp and grit in leadership

12:22 Transitioning from the Marine Corps to the Air Force

19:01 First exposure to government contractors

23:08 How industry truly partners in national security

24:22 Injury, career pivot, and thinking about force design

26:46 Working in Congress and learning the policy process

29:24 Transitioning from active duty to industry

30:37 Joining Shield AI and leading autonomy programs

32:32 Why Purple Rhombus is different

35:50 What radically affordable mass actually means

36:44 Scaling production without building new factories

39:06 Deterrence requires credibility

43:28 The culture shift required to treat drones as ammunition

45:31 Why standardization matters for real scale

47:03 One word