Within Special Operations every solution starts with a nonnegotiable – cyber and security is never sacrificed for speed, because it doesn't really matter if the data moves fast but can't be trusted, said Peter O’Donoghue, CTO of Tyto Athene, during this SOF Week Show Daily version of the McHale Report Podcast. “Philosophically we believe that compromised intelligence is not intelligence at all,” he added. He and I covered how to enable network security in hostile environments and how artificial intelligence can help U.S. forces dominate the information space. We also discussed Tyto Athene’s TALON technology accelerator lab and how direct feedback from Special Operations Forces personnel aids in their system designs.  

Special Operations Forces (SOF) teams have to be ready at a moment’s notice to go anywhere and do almost anything that level of professionalism require high-level agility, adaptability, and performance, said Michael MacFadden, CTO of Sigma Defense Systems, during this SOF Week Show Daily version of the McHale Report Podcast. He and I discussed how leveraging artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML)for software mobility enables that agility. We also discuss Sigma Defense’s Aries family for tactical ISR applications, CJADC2, and how working directly with Special Operations Forces operators impacts how he and his team design systems. 

There is a pressing need within not just the Special Operations community but across the military services and whole government to understand and identify what are the narrative messages our adversaries are putting against us, says Bill Wall, CEO and Co-founder of Accrete AI Government, during this SOF Week Show Daily version of the McHale Report Podcast. He and I also ways the U.S. military can achieve information dominance, how artificial intelligence (AI) can enable a cognitive advantage, and Accrete’s Knowledge Engine platform. We also talk about what has Bill most excited about SOF Week. 

The Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) is a narrowband military satellite communications system used to provide warfighters with secure, high-quality voice and data communication. Although it has been successfully deployed for decades, MUOS technology is still not pervasive. In this podcast with Jason Ferguson, President of W5 Technologies, we discuss why MUOS may have gotten a “bad rap” in the past, how it fits into the defense industry today, and the technology and design trends that support it. We also cover how MUOS solutions meet the modular open systems approach (MOSA) mandate, MUOS sustainment, industry testing, and more.

During this podcast with Dan Diesz, VP of Design Technology with Rochester Electronics, we  discuss the military aftermarket world, component recreation, anchoring of semiconductor manufacturing, counterfeit parts, the impact of modular open systems approach (MOSA) strategies on sustainment, and more.

Military platforms often last for decades, long past the life spans of modern computing components and boards. System designers for these aging platforms must rely on a variety of solutions from lifetime buys of components when they go end of life to working with aftermarket suppliers, who buy obsolete product lines and keep producing them for customers with ultra long-term needs. In this podcast with Ethan Plotkin, CEO of GDCA, we discuss military aftermarket trends, open architectures, artificial intelligence, and how sustainment reform can help solve long-term obsolescence challenges get in defense applications.

Momentum behind the the Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) modular open system approach (MOSA) mandate is growing, especially as it was reaffirmed by Army, Navy, and Air Force leadership at the end of 2024. In this podcast with Clif Basnight, Vice President, Strategic Technologies, Ultra Intelligence and Communications, we discuss MOSA and how to measure MOSA success; Ultra’s participation in the Sensor Open Systems Architecture, or SOSA, Consortium; speeding up defense acquisition; and engineering talent recruitment. We also discuss a concept Clif and his team are developing called sentient radio, which is different than the cognitive radio technology currently in use.

The demand for high-reliability RF components in military space applications is growing as is the use of commercial innovation in Low-Earth Orbit and other space domains, says Eliot Fine, Product Line Manager for Space and High Reliability Components, Analog Devices. In this podcast he and I discuss the space electronic market, radiation-hardening techniques,  as well as the Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) modular open system approach (MOSA) mandate and how it impacts space systems. Eliot also details the RF signal chain, a concept developed by his team at Analog Devices. 

How artificial intelligence (AI) at the edge is defined often depends who you are speaking with and their market. For military electronics I think the best definition comes from Jake Braegelmann, Vice President of Business Development at New Wave Design, who says the edge is where the sensor collects the data and AI can enable the filtering of that data in real-time to get actionable intelligence to decision makers. In this podcast he and I discuss that concept in depth as well as the Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) modular open system approach (MOSA) mandate. Jake talks about what it means to be aligned to the Sensor Open Systems Architecture (SOSA) Technical Standard and dives into some common misconceptions about the standard. He also shares news about his company’s recent name change and new website.

The defense technology community has a recruitment challenge on its hands when it comes to competing with the commercial technology world for engineering talent; this reality is especially true when it comes to growing the pool of women engineers. In this podcast with Maria Ho, Deputy Director for Government and Strategic Programs, Aerospace & Defense at Analog Devices, we discuss how to encourage female students to explore engineering careers, the importance of STEM in schools, and the ways in which Analog Devices invests in young engineers. Maria also talks about those people who have inspired her in her career and how popular culture can help inspire learners. She also examines RF and microwave design trends in radar, communications, and electronic warfare applications.

Leveraging metamaterials for radar designs, engineers at Echodyne are enhancing the capability of small radars for applications such a counter-UAS [uncrewed aircraft systems] in military applications. In this podcast with Tom Driscoll, Co-founder and CTO of Echodyne, he and I discuss how his team’s metamaterials electronically scanned array (MESA) radar system does thing that traditional active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar systems cannot, their unique business model, and how they leverage commercial-off-shelf (COT) components like Xilinx FPGAs. Tom also shares his background in metamaterials and how he once designed an RF invisibility cloak using metamaterials.