The Defense Tech Underground

Michèle Flournoy served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy from February 2009 to February 2012 where she was the principal advisor to the Secretary of Defense in the formulation of national security and defense policy, oversight of military plans and operations, and in National Security Council deliberations. With decades in defense policy, Michèle has led and advised many critical national security innovation entities, including the Center for a New American Security, the Atlantic Council Commission on Defense Innovation Adoption, and the Defense Innovation Unit.  On this episode of the Defense Tech Underground, Michèle discusses her tenure in the Department of Defense, and the evolution of the United States’ relationship with President Xi’s China. She details the decision making behind the Bin Laden raid and the leadership style of President Obama, Secretary Gates, and Secretary Panetta.  Michèle also talks about the need for the right incentives in the DoD’s acquisitions systems to ensure that acquisitions professionals are rewarded for adopting innovative technology. Michèle closes by telling our audience: “Your country needs you.”  There has never been a more critical time to build things that protect our nation and our way of life. This episode is hosted by Jeff Phaneuf and Helen Phillips.    Full Bio: Michèle Flournoy is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of WestExec Advisors, and a Co- Founder, former Chief Executive Officer, and now Chair of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). Michèle served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy from February 2009 to February 2012.  She was the principal advisor to the Secretary of Defense in the formulation of national security and defense policy, oversight of military plans and operations, and in National Security Council deliberations. She led the development of the Department of Defense’s 2012 Strategic Guidance and represented the Department in dozens of foreign engagements, in the media and before Congress.  Prior to confirmation, Michèle co-led President Obama’s transition team at the Defense Department. In January 2007, Michèle co-founded CNAS, a bipartisan think tank dedicated to developing strong, pragmatic and principled national security policies. She served as CNAS’ President until 2009, and returned as CEO in 2014. In 2017, she co-founded WestExec Advisors, a strategic advisory firm.  Michèle serves on the boards of CNAS, Booz Allen Hamilton, Amida Technology Solutions, The Mission Continues, and CARE. She is a Senior Fellow at Harvard’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affair, a current member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Aspen Strategy Group, and a former member of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board, the CIA Director’s External Advisory Board, and the Defense Policy Board. Michèle earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a master’s degree from Balliol College, Oxford University, where she was a Newton-Tatum scholar.

Steve Blank, an adjunct professor at Stanford and co-founder of the Gordian Knot Center, shares his intriguing journey from fixing electronic warfare equipment in the Vietnam War to pioneering the Hacking for Defense program. He highlights the often-overlooked contributions of elite universities to national security and describes the urgent need for young innovators to serve their country. With humor, he recounts a prank that humorously turned off gravity at Keesler Air Force Base, showcasing the lighter side of military life against a backdrop of serious innovation.