The Burn Bag Podcast

RE-RELEASE: This episode was originally recorded in March 2022, at the onset of the Russo-Ukrainian WarIn this episode, Dr. Ken Dekleva returns for a conversation on Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Ken, who served as a Regional Medical Officer/Psychiatrist with the State Department,  dissects Vladimir Putin's formative experiences and core characteristics, as well as Putin's inner circle.  Dr. Dekleva digs into what he sees as happening with Putin’s leadership during the Ukraine-Russia War, and provides his input on why he doesn’t think Putin “has lost it”. He also discusses his assessment of other world leaders involved with the conflict, including Ukrainian President Zelenskyy.  You can listen to Dr. Dekleva’s prior episode on leadership profiles here.

This week, A'ndre chatted with Even Rogers, CEO and Co-Founder of space defense start-up True Anomaly, on a range of topics pertaining to space defense, the efficacy of the Space Force, and how his company is aiming to fill in key technology gaps the military is experiencing. Even, who formerly served at U.S. Space Command, discusses why he believes the Space Force is critical to national security and corrects some of the misperceptions the general public has about the newest branch of the Armed Forces. He discusses how the Space Force has fared since its founding, and why the new military branch promotes U.S. interests in the Indo-Pacific, in addition to addressing threats in space from China and Russia. Even then outlines key readiness challenges the Department of Defense is facing in the space domain, and gives his take on the DoD acquisitions process and how venture capital can play a key role bolstering the commercial world to take on space defense. We then discuss True Anomaly, the company's new technologies, and some of the coverage around the company's much publicized 'hunter satellites'.Some of the resources that Even referenced during the episode are provided here:CSIS Space Threat Assessment 2023⁠DIA 2022 Challenges to Security in Space

This week, A'ndre caught up with Lt. Gen. Michael Loh, the Director of the Air National Guard (ANG), to talk about how the reserve force fits into the new National Defense Strategy, how it factors into the Joint Force's strategy, and how it promotes the goal of integrated deterrence. Lt. Gen. Loh shares out areas of the National Defense Strategy that are priorities for the ANG, and the outlines the unique dual state and federal roles that the ANG fulfills. We discuss how the ANG supports the U.S. Air Force and what mobilization of the ANG's resources in the Indo-Pacific may look like in the event of conflict. Lt. Gen. Loh also highlights the biggest challenges he sees facing the ANG, particularly in the realm of modernization and innovation. We also talk about how unmanned capabilities and foreign allies have factored into the ANG's overall performance and capabilities. 

This week, Burn Bag hosts A'ndre and David chat with Ryan Hass, senior fellow and the Michael H. Armacost Chair in the Foreign Policy program at Brookings, on China's foreign policy decision-making and strategy, from the 1970s through to the present. We discuss how China's sphere of influence, global standing, and relations with the United States have changed over the decades. Ryan provides an overview of China's foreign policy goals under Xi, and whether they're unique when compared to those of his predecessors. We probe whether China's foreign policy approach is sustainable, and evaluate its relations with India, smaller states, and countries in the Middle East, before dissecting China's approach to Russia amidst the War in Ukraine. We then shift to a broader conversation on China's aggression towards Taiwan, and whether a conflict is inevitable. Ryan's new book (co-authored with Dr. Richard  Bush and Bonnie Glaser, “U.S.-Taiwan Relations: Will China’s Challenge Lead to a Crisis?”, is out right now.

This week, A'ndre interviewed Andrew Hoehn (Senior Director of Research at RAND) and Thom Shanker (Director of Project for Media and National Security) on their new book Age of Danger, which aims to reassess and redefine how the United States approaches national security, amidst a range of new and emerging threats. Andrew and Thom talk about why the U.S. Government focused too much on the threat of terrorism for twenty years, while missing the mark on the rise of China and Russia. We also discuss the country's long-time focus on hard power (military might, weapons, and more) and why there needs to be a shift to emphasizing soft power (diplomacy, economics, and influence). We call out the emerging threats of pandemics, cyber, autonomous technologies, and climate change, and both Andrew and Thom discuss how they'd retool the $1.25 trillion national security machine to be better able at addressing those threats.Age of Danger:  Keeping America Safe in an Era of New Superpowers, New Weapons, and New Threats is out on May 9th, and you can purchase the book here.

Welcome to the Burn Bag's collaboration with Girl Security, a workforce mentorship program designed to help young women pursue careers in National Security. This series focuses on how we can reframe our thinking on National Security — what is pertinent to national security in the 21st century? Who, or what, is missing from the national security discussion? Join us as we explore topics within each episode alongside experts in the realm of national security, hosted by Andrea Ochoa and Girl Security Fellows.As a professor at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and former chief economist of the U.S Department of Labor, Dr. Stevenson was able to speak to Andrea and Aurelia Van der Wilde about the role of economic influence and national security interests at both macro and micro levels. We explore how countries wield economic influence abroad, how we define economic vitality at home, and how having a secure economy is of importance to national security interests. We later delve a bit more into Dr. Stevenson's work researching labor market experiences and unpaid labor. Are public policy solutions plausible? Tune in to this episode as we discuss!

Welcome to the Burn Bag's collaboration with Girl Security, a workforce mentorship program designed to help young women pursue careers in National Security. This series focuses on how we can reframe our thinking on National Security — what is pertinent to national security in the 21st century? Who, or what, is missing from the national security discussion? Join us as we explore topics within each episode alongside experts in the realm of national security, hosted by Andrea Ochoa and Girl Security Fellows.This week, Andrea and Sravya Kotamraju speak with Ellen Chang, Vice President Ventures and head of H4X Labs at BMNT, about the breadth of opportunities available in private sector national security work. Ellen touches on her work and prior experience as a former U.S Navy Intelligence Officer and defense industry expert to provide a thorough break down of the dynamics of government and private sector collaboration, international cooperation in advancing technologies, and innovation in this space. Our hosts learn more about the future of private-public sector partnerships and how younger generations can be involved. Tune in as we expand more upon the various stakeholders involved in our country’s security. 

Welcome to the Burn Bag's collaboration with Girl Security, a workforce mentorship program designed to help young women pursue careers in National Security. This series focuses on how we can reframe our thinking on National Security — what is pertinent to national security in the 21st century? Who, or what, is missing from the national security discussion? Join us as we explore topics within each episode alongside experts in the realm of national security, hosted by Andrea Ochoa and Girl Security Fellows.Farah Pandith, a pioneer in the field of countering violent extremism, joins The Burn Bag's Andrea Ochoa and Girl Security Fellow Sydney Zulich for a conversation on the role of 'influence' in shaping national security and international policy. Farah discusses what American influence means, and how our country competes for influence with other nations. Farah outlines how powerful democratic values can be powerful in shaping influence, and how globalization may affect America's own position. Our hosts and Farah also chat about how diplomacy can shape influence, and reflect on how Farah's own former position as Special Representative to Muslim Communities was an example of this. They close out the conversation by talking about misinformation, and the role technology plays in exacerbating key risks.

Welcome to the Burn Bag's collaboration with Girl Security, a workforce mentorship program designed to help young women pursue careers in National Security. This series focuses on how we can reframe our thinking on National Security — what is pertinent to national security in the 21st century? Who, or what, is missing from the national security discussion? Join us as we explore topics within each episode alongside experts in the realm of national security, hosted by Andrea Ochoa and Girl Security Fellows. Our understanding of climate security has been limited, at most, to our understanding of climate change and its impacts. Climate security risks have only recently been easing into mainstream national security dialogue, with the most recent National Security Strategy (NSS) elevating the issue’s position among other security risks. But what does climate security look like? Join Andrea Ochoa and Amulya Panakam in a discussion with Erin Sikorsky as they break down climate security essentials and what our country should be mindful of looking ahead to future security strategy. Learn more about the domestic and international implications of climate security threats and what a more secure future entails. 

This week, A'ndre chats with Colin Carroll, the Head of Applied Intuition's Government Relations team, and a vocal expert on leveraging autonomous systems in defense. We break down Colin's perspectives on how the Defense Department has leveraged autonomous systems in the past and present, and Colin outlines what he sees as the biggest blockers for rapid and efficient development in and out of the Department. Colin discusses his early career experience at the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center and Project Maven,  his thoughts on whether autonomy development is siloed across the branches of the Armed Forces, and if autonomy, artificial intelligence, and machine learning tools are shaping operations/strategy in Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific. Colin provides his commentary on how the Defense Department can better leverage the private sector, and also plugs Applied Intuition's upcoming event, Nexus 23.