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
