Defense Mavericks

Igor Jablokov, CEO and founder of Pryon, discusses AI automation, privacy, and federal compliance. He breaks down the President's recent Executive Order on AI safety and highlights the importance of AI literacy in privacy development. Igor also explores the future of AI, the displacement of AI ethics in big tech, and the positive use of AI to mitigate threats. Tune in to hear from this AI legend about the power of AI technology.

This week, Bonnie is joined by Ryan Connell from the Defense Contract Management Agency, to dissect the nuanced world of pricing for government contracts in his personal capacity. From Other Transaction (OT) pricing strategies to understanding the critical balance between cost and value, Ryan dives into the evolving landscape of defense procurement and pricing intelligence. Tune in for a masterclass conversation that challenges the acquisition status quo. TIMESTAMPS: (05:08) How to define problems vs. requirements (07:50) Using existing technology to enhance competition (12:11) The best tools for market research analysis (14:07) Why the DoD shifted from creating to buying technology (16:46) How increased competition drives down prices & speeds DoD processes (22:27) How can we bridge the pricing gap? (24:25) Price analysis techniques that are essential for valuation decisions (27:30) Challenges in transitioning to new cost-estimating (30:13) Tools all practitioners should keep their eye on LINKS: Follow Ryan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-connell-8413a03a/ Follow Bonnie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonnie-evangelista-520747231/ CDAO: https://www.ai.mil/ Tradewinds AI: https://www.tradewindai.com/ GovShop: https://govshop.com/ TurboInnovate: https://www.turboinnovate.com/ GAMECHANGER: https://gamechanger.advana.data.mil

This week, Bonnie is joined by a true powerhouse of tech and humanity – Alexis Bonnell, CIO and Director of Digital Capabilities Directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory. With a rich background rfrom war zones to Silicon Valley, Alexis unpacks the challenges and opportunities of being at the forefront of change. She shares her insights on using time as a weapon, empowering curiosity within your team, understanding the power of collaborative innovation, and so much more. Tune in to learn all about the ever-evolving role of technology, leadership, and humanity in defense systems. TIMESTAMPS: (3:43) From warzones to Google - Alexis’s unique career journey (8:56) Why time is a weapon (12:48) Knowledge champions vs. platform stewards (16:41) How to encourage knowledge richness (19:41) Why we need to reduce heroics in innovation (23:33) The importance of a humanist approach in leadership (27:33) Why introducing technology through play create more value (33:54) Being intentional in contributing to others (35:25) What does it mean to be a defense maverick? LINKS: Follow Alexis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexisbonnell/ Follow Bonnie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonnie-evangelista-520747231/ CDAO: https://www.ai.mil/ Tradewinds AI: https://www.tradewindai.com/

Esteemed contracting officer Kristina Botelho discusses the challenges of scaling solutions, flipping the script on sole-source contracts, and the underutilization of the SBIR STTR program. Also explores the viability of dual-use tech startups and maximizing DoD resources. Discover how to enable creative thinking in the contracting community and ask tough questions that pave the best path for startups, contracting officers, and warfighters alike.

In this bonus episode, Bonnie Evangelista joins Tyler Sweatt on the All Quiet on the Second Front podcast to discuss how Tradewinds and the CDAO are transforming conventional procurement models and streamlining the dealmaking process to minimize red tape fatigue. Bonnie dives into the vision behind the game-changing Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace and explores the challenges and hopes for the future of unstructured contracting and its potential impact on the defense industry. TIMESTAMPS: (1:21) How to streamline the dealmaking process (3:30) Are we in a procurement revolution? (8:01) How to buy software at scale (12:04) Designing a low-barrier entry point for nontraditional market (14:08) Are primes pivoting to emerging tech? (17:41) Why unstructured contracting environments are the future LINKS: Follow Tyler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylersweatt/ Follow Bonnie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonnie-evangelista-520747231/ Second Front: https://www.secondfront.com/podcasts CDAO: https://www.ai.mil/ Tradewinds AI: https://www.tradewindai.com/

This week, Bonnie Evangelista dives into the cutting-edge world of defense cybersecurity with co-founder and Chief Growth Officer of Shift5, Mike Weigand. As a former army officer turned cybersecurity pioneer, Mike has taken the helm at Shift5 to revolutionize real-time cyber monitoring solutions across various fleets, including manned aircraft and combat vehicles. Mike shares his keen insights on navigating defense acquisitions, conquering the “valley of death”, and increasing operational readiness. Tune in for an inspiring interview with a maverick on a mission to reshape the national security landscape. TIMESTAMPS: (1:20) How Shift5 became a dual-use company (5:11) Solving a critical need in fleet cybersecurity (7:06) Why data observability is key for weapon systems (10:55) What led to the founding of the Cyber Branch in 2014 (15:01) Overcoming bureaucratic and logistical challenges of acquisition (19:11) How to navigate the “Valley of Death” (23:25) Successfully scaling in the aerospace industry (26:47) What does the future of Shift5 look like? (29:45) Why you must tie your product back to the mission (31:09) Advice for acquisition professionals LINKS: Follow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-weigand/ Follow Bonnie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonnie-evangelista-520747231/ CDAO: https://www.ai.mil/ Tradewinds AI: https://www.tradewindai.com/

CTO John Wargo & Solutions Architect Jason Robinson from Beast Code discuss digital twins in defense. They highlight the challenges and successes of innovating within the DoD and adopting agile principles. They emphasize the need for courage, speed, and collaboration to transform the defense industry. Topics include digital twins in Navy, navigating Defense branches, adopting edge cloud technology, transforming on-the-job training, pushing past bureaucracy, and creating a culture of speed and agility.

This week, defense acquisition powerhouse Sharothi Pikar joins Bonnie Evangelista for a deep dive into the world of defense acquisition. As the Deputy CDAO for Acquisition at the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office, Sharothi brings a wealth of knowledge from her origins as an army civilian computer engineer to her pivotal role at Cyber Command. She discusses the cultural and organizational mindset shifts needed to accelerate and scale the acquisition process as well as her vision for the future of acquisitions, the delicate balance of partnership and ownership, and the empowerment of program offices. TIMESTAMPS: (5:09) Sharothi's journey from army civilian to Cyber Command (10:41) The challenges of a new organization like CDAO (12:19) How to prioritize your customer (13:50) Which comes first: scaling or adoption? (17:08) How to plan for a successful prototype (21:25) Embracing the art of pivoting (26:06) Why maintaining and sustaining a capability is critical (29:12) The key to developing real-time agile capabilities (32:08) How to deliver at scale (34:53) CDAO in 5 years (39:49) Creating a framework that allows for risk LINKS: Follow Sharothi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharothi/ Follow Bonnie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonnie-evangelista-520747231/ CDAO: https://www.ai.mil/ Tradewinds AI: https://www.tradewindai.com/

This week, Bonnie is joined by Cody James, founder of Open X, a startup ushering in a new era of industrial training. A robotics programmer turned successful entrepreneur, Cody is here to share his journey navigating the intricacies of the DoD and his determination to provide a high-tech training resource to the military world. We also dive into how he won a whopping 27 Phase III SBIRs! Tune in to learn about the complexity of DoD procurement, the urgent need for an incentive structure to push tech forward, and how to identify the signal in the noise. TIMESTAMPS: (3:17) How Open X empowers airmen (7:11) Adopting new technology at scale (10:51) How Cody won 27 Phase III SBIRs (15:31) How to identify the signal in the noise (18:33) Why the current DoD incentive structure hinders innovation (21:46) How to communicate beyond “getting to phase III” (23:20) The key to a faster acquisition process (27:56) How unconventional backgrounds bring positive change LINKS: Follow Cody: https://www.linkedin.com/in/codingj/ Follow Bonnie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonnie-evangelista-520747231/ CDAO: https://www.ai.mil/ Tradewinds AI: https://www.tradewindai.com/

This week, Bonnie sits down with Will Roberts, Director of Emerging Technologies at ASI Government and former Acquisition Lead of CDAO, to talk about what it takes to become a procurement champion. Will shares a fun yet educational approach to decodifying the contracting space and how acquisition professionals can make “mundane tasks marvelous." Tune in for his insights on the future of contracting, how to refocus your mission, and what it takes to become a humble disruptor. TIMESTAMPS: (4:39) What is the ultimate mission of contracting? (7:38) How to make contracting fun again (12:48) Key skills of a procurement champion (16:06) The power of humility and tact (20:36) How to avoid becoming an aggressive disruptor (29:19) Why your inbox is killing your productivity (31:18) Why you should memorize your mission (34:01) The one skill all contracting professionals need right now LINKS: Follow Will: https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-roberts-06372045/ Follow Bonnie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonnie-evangelista-520747231/ CDAO: https://www.ai.mil/ Tradewinds AI: https://www.tradewindai.com/