Defense Mavericks

Stephanie Wilson discusses innovative procurement practices in the Army, challenges in adopting new methods, overcoming fear of change, upskilling and culture change, staying humble in innovation, and the future of procurement.

Former Navy SEAL turned CEO, Jon Gruen, discusses counter-drone strategies and challenges in defense innovation. Highlights include the under-resourced counter UAS efforts, evolution of drone threats, and the need for more than just innovation programs. Insights on succeeding as a startup in the DoD and protecting innovation from budget cuts. Also, an interesting mention of grilled cheese in hot chocolate.

CEO of Mission Control AI, Ramsay Brown, discusses AI's impact on industries, responsible AI governance, challenges in adopting technologies, maintaining human-machine hybrid effectiveness, strategies for accelerating AI adoption, and the future of AI integration.

Bonnie Evangelista, an expert in AI literacy in defense, talks about evolving contracting mechanisms like BAAs and CSOs reshaping military engagement with AI tech. The podcast delves into Tradewinds revolutionizing contract acquisitions aligned with the CDAO's mission, compliance with competition standards, and bridging the gap between innovation and procurement.

Captain Jonathan Haase discusses the importance of AI readiness in defense, the impact of AI on team dynamics, and the value of embracing tech to create a human-forward culture. Topics include the transformative role of AI in defense innovation, the influence of transcriptions and natural language processing on meeting culture, and the balance between AI implementation and humanization of work.

This week, Bonnie is joined by Shubhi Mishra, founder and CEO of Raft, to talk about the importance of building strong data ecosystems in the DoD. She shares her insights on prioritizing users versus buyers, taking an unstructured approach to data intake, and why defense tech startups need to rethink the “valley of death” in order to survive it. Tune in for a fresh take on how to approach data engineering in the defense space. TIMESTAMPS: (2:55) Why Raft is changing the data game (5:22) How to master the user vs. buyer approach (7:20) DoD data requires flexible, adaptable data platforms (11:07) Why the “valley of death” is moronic (14:53) You’re going to the wrong conferences (18:35) Why raw data preservation is fundamental for quality (20:47) How to resist a one-size-fits-all solution (24:14) The importance of a robust data engineering foundation (28:03) How to overcome the unique challenges of data engineering in denied and disrupted environments (31:15) Raft's innovative approach to data transformation and scalability LINKS: Follow Shubhi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shubhi-mishra-19a94a135/ Follow Bonnie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonnie-evangelista-520747231/ CDAO: https://www.ai.mil/ Tradewinds AI: https://www.tradewindai.com/ Raft: https://teamraft.com/

LTG Chris Donahue, Commander of the XVIII Airborne Corps, discusses innovation, AI ethics, and leadership in military operations. Topics include bridging generational tech gaps, funding military innovation through experimentation, balancing ethics and speed in AI, and the importance of staying ahead of the tech curve.

Ben Van Roo, CEO of Yurts AI, discusses the evolution of defense tech, pitfalls of dual-use companies, and the future of defense tech. Topics include level up AI workflows, scaling from commercial side, defense tech over the years, the defense tech VC bubble, and contract procurement's impact on the future of defense.

Bonnie Evangelista, leadership expert with experience leading teams in the DoD, discusses the emotional impact of leadership, the significance of soft skills, and the transformative approach to adopting new technologies. They also share an intriguing case study regarding Sam Altman and OpenAI that demonstrates the lengths a devoted team will go to for its trusted leaders.

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/