How to Increase Experimentation in the DoD with Victor “SALSA” Lopez

This week, Bonnie is joined by Major Victor “SALSA” Lopez, Chief of Autonomy Operations for AFWERX, to discuss how to push past bureaucracy to enable rapid experimentation in the DoD. He shares his insights on leading through innovation, creating a team culture built on psychological safety, speeding up software implementation, and cutting through contracting red tape. Tune in for an in-depth exploration into the world of defense experimentation and ingenuity.

TIMESTAMPS:

(2:29) Transitioning from piloting to military tech

(4:28) Why “SALSA” & where call signs come from

(7:38) How to enable airmen to innovate effectively

(13:31) Practical ways to facilitate widespread experimentation

(15:05) How to balance leadership, growth, and autonomy

(20:20) Why DoD fails at advertising

(21:59) How to improve lack of incentives for tech utilization

(25:56) The “team of teams” approach

(30:39) Contracting cheat codes

(33:07) Why we need experimentation in warfare

LINKS:

Follow SALSA: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victor-l-541512a2/

Follow Bonnie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonnie-evangelista-520747231/

CDAO: https://www.ai.mil/

Tradewinds AI: https://www.tradewindai.com/

AFWERX: https://afwerx.com/

Alexis Bonnell episode: https://www.defensemavericks.com/bridging-the-human-tech-divide-with-alexis-bonnell/