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In this episode, Mike interviews retired Air Force Colonel John Warden.

John is an Air Force pioneer who shaped how the modern world thinks about warfare—specifically the concepts of the operational level of war, parallel attack, and centers of gravity. He is most noted as the creator of Warden’s Five Rings and the architect of the Gulf War air campaign—but there’s much more than that.

We talked about how his thoughts were shaped in Vietnam and the 1980s, how he ended up in the Pentagon, and what series of events led to his framework being used to create Operation Desert Storm.

We applied the real lessons from Desert Storm to discuss China, why it’s a strategic threat, and the blind spot in US national security.

If you’re into history, strategy, warfare, military tactics, and national security—this episode is for you.

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Show Notes

01:31 intro

03:31 Vietnam experience

05:56 Vietnam reshaped the Air Force

10:36 post-Vietnam thinking about the Middle East

13:56 command structure in the 1980s

16:14 Bitburg to Georgia to Italy

17:38 the 5 Rings - War College origins

18:13 missing the operational level of war

26:17 Warden's 5 rings

29:36 the other usefulness of the 5 rings

32:13 Checkmate

34:25 Checkmate, 5 Rings, and the Soviet Union

35:20 Fuel and the Fulda Gap

39:37 context for Desert Storm

42:44 Checkmate and Desert Storm

45:34 Checkmate gets into Desert Storm

48:26 the original 3-week plan

54:01 Not learning from Desert Storm?

57:24 today's challenges

58:29 China revelation #1

1:00:44 The Gulf War...on US soil

1:02:41 The US cyber vulnerability

1:06:52 China 2027 2035 2049

1:08:36 homeland defense blindspot

1:09:49 coastal defense

1:11:38 self-deterrence?

1:14:42 global reach global power

1:17:48 commitment to defense

1:18:51 outro

#military #nationaldefense #warfare #nationalsecurity #defense #nationaldefense #tech #technology #defensetech #army #navy #airforce #usmc #innovation #war #strategy #aerospace #china #desertstorm #gulfwar #airpower #militaryhistory #militarypower #iraq #middleeast #desertstorm #gulfwar

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In this episode, Mike interviews Chip Yates, founder of Yates Electrospace Corporation.

With a background in racing, Chip has made a name for himself by setting numerous world records as a pioneer in electric-powered motorcycles and airplanes. His journey took a strategic turn when he encountered a complex military challenge, leading to the inception of his company.

Chip pivoted to defense, launching Silent Arrow—disposable cargo drones deployed from planes like the C-130. These drones must fly dozens—even hundreds—of miles yet be cost-effective enough to be discarded after just a single use.

Chip shares his decade-long journey in defense tech, offering insights into affordable, executable innovation in an industry full of giant companies and complex technology.

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Show Notes

00:50 intro

01:47 Chip's racing background

03:03 company origins

03:41 getting involved in defense tech

04:11 the idea and 1st concept vehicle

06:53 the Smithsonian

08:34 2,000 glider drone

08:48 how Silent Arrow works

10:14 the need for more standoff

12:10 operational evals of prototypes

13:50 crawl walk run

15:03 the Pacific Pivot?

15:52 Airbus partnership

17:26 powered cargo drones

19:29 interesting payloads

20:42 the C-130 of drones

20:59 design and looks

23:10 raising money in defense tech

24:27 more requirement creep

25:37 using a Tesla?!

28:34 timeline for Tesla-launch

29:28 advertising in defense

30:46 2025 expectations

31:26 a super size version

33:50 adaption vs invention

35:36 keeping the cargo intact

38:46 powered version

39:50 advice

40:37 raising money

42:21 outro

For those interested in #military #nationaldefense #warfare #nationalsecurity #defense #nationaldefense #tech #technology #defensetech #army #navy #airforce #innovation #aviation #airplanes #aerospace #c130 #cargo #mobility #logistics #supply #resupply #drones #unmanned #drone

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Speaking of knowledge bombs, Mike hosts Ed Cobleigh to talk about Paveway: the laser-guided bomb.

Ed flew 375 combat missions during the Vietnam War in the F-4 Phantom and was one of the first people to drop the Paveway laser-guided bomb in combat. He earned two Distinguished Flying Crosses and went on to attend Fighter Weapons School, where he remained in order to stand up the guided weapons division and teach Paveway LGB employment.

Ed’s had a wild life beyond the Air Force and is now an author with 5 books (and counting).

This episode covers not just the tech and tactics but also a first-person account of dropping LGBs in combat 56 years ago!

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Show Notes

00:34 intro

01:58 How Ed got to Vietnam

02:31 background of guided bombs

03:35 Paveway history

07:19 Project White Lightning

09:03 the first laser designator

10:19 Dropping the LGBs

12:15 results from the first tests

14:00 training for the first LGB drop

15:04 Zot nickname

17:49 Ed's 2nd tour

20:17 Navy gets Paveway

22:21 teaching LGBs at Nellis

23:45 Red Flag

25:16 Targeting Pods

26:57 Linebacker 1972

27:56 Dragons Jaw Bridge

29:51 Paveway’s legacy

30:46 F-117 and Paveway

32:37 Paveway III

34:29 Paveway lawsuit

35:26 Ed's books

37:45 outro

For those interested in #military #nationaldefense #warfare #nationalsecurity #defense #nationaldefense #tech #technology #defensetech #army #navy #airforce #innovation #F4 #vietnam #aviation #airplanes #aerospace

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Mike hosts Col. Joseph Little, callsign “Little Joe,” to discuss how the US Air Force is modernizing the legendary B-52 BUFF to keep it flying into the 2050s—100 years after its first flight.

Col Little is a B-52 Weapons Systems Officer, a US Air Force Weapons School graduate, a former test squadron commander, and currently serving as the Detachment 5 Commander of the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center (AFOTEC), where he oversees the B-52J program.

The B-52J modernization program is a $48 Billion transformation designed to extend the bomber's life into the 2060s. It includes new engines, advanced cockpits, upgraded radar, and more, making it the most significant overhaul in the aircraft's history.

This episode covers not just the tech but also tactics, weapons, historical milestones, and untold war stories. Whether you're a fan of military aviation or interested in strategic operations, this insider’s look at the B-52 is a must-listen!

For those interested in #military #nationaldefense #warfare #nationalsecurity #defense #nationaldefense #tech #technology #defensetech #army #navy #airforce #innovation #b52 #BUFF #bomber #aviation #airplanes #aerospace

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Show Notes

00:49 intro

03:24 yesterday vs today

04:57 B-52 in 2024

05:17 changing the crew roles

05:53 bombardier wings

06:12 The youngest oldest B-52s

08:04 BUFF origins

08:39 Orange BUFF

10:14 test units

11:13 test lessons from Vietnam

13:32 B-52 modernization

14:40 the B-52J

16:18 radar upgrade

21:15 quad crew concept

23:29 Fox-4 kill

24:30 new engines - why 8?

28:22 fixing the tanker bill

28:46 Iraqi Freedom tankers

30:10 engine nacelle issues

32:20 testing validated the model

33:05 rest of the engine mods

35:10 alert start requirements

36:21 cockpit upgrades

38:15 BUFF legacy - James Earl Jones

39:01 culture and change

42:49 the nuke consideration

43:29 AEHF radio upgrade

44:50 B-52 nose job?

46:54 Story 1 - aerial mining

48:44 Story 2 - CBU-105 combat drop

52:05 brakes?

52:51 outro

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Mike and Jake host Dan Magy, co-founder and CEO of Firestorm.

Firestorm’s mission is to democratize the air by re-imaging the way drones are built.

They developed a method to 3D-print modular drones at the point of need, using a combination of shipping-container-based factories and localized supply chains. Best of all, the drones themselves are modular—from props to jets, AI to sensors, etc.

The conversation went deep into “the why”: how Ukraine led to Firestorm, the real-time changing of the guard on how the Air Force thinks about building a credible force in light of all this, the exciting concept of attritable mass, rapidly innovating via crash-and-learn, and some history to boot.

This is an episode you don’t want to miss!

For those interested in #military #nationaldefense #warfare #nationalsecurity #defense #nationaldefense #tech #technology #defensetech #army #navy #airforce #innovation #ukraine #drone #drones #battlefield #warfare

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Show Notes

01:00 intro

01:28 counter-UAS startup

01:59 Ukraine starts Firestorm

03:43 the future is RF-denied

04:43:05 Firestorm name origin

05:22 competing in a crowded drone market

06:39 air superiority in the future

06:49 rapid iteration

07:09 Dan’s LinkedIn

08:16 adversaries are sharing tech and tactics

08:51 battle lab of the world

09:36 the pace of evolution - on LinkedIn

10:22 2-week evolution cycles

12:35 drones as physical decoys

13:28 cardboard drones must be honored

14:02 thermite dropping drones

14:32 keeping pace with battlefield innovation

16:00 Investors growing weary?

17:44 high-low mix

19:43 jet-powered drone

20:17 modular propulsion

20:58 autonomy differentiator

21:52 solving for non-recurring engineering

23:23 product iteration

24:08 crash and learn

25:47 failing fast - cost-effectiveness

26:48 VC investing

28:05 attritable mass

28:15 Ukraine's drone capacity

29:59 expeditionary manufacturing

31:15 localizing supply chains

33:47 attrition, reconstitution, and risk

36:25 attrition and operations

38:19 changing of the guard moment

39:50 personal risk?

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Mike and Jake host Andrew Hunter, the US Air Force’s chief weapons buyer.

As the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (ATL), he oversees Air Force research, development and acquisition activities totaling an annual budget in excess of $60 billion for more than 550 acquisition programs.

He is the principal adviser to the Secretary of the Air Force and the Air Force Chief of Staff for research and development, test, production and modernization efforts within the Air Force.

We talked about how he’s driving acquisition innovation and shaping the Air Force for great power competition. The discussion ranged from the good and bad on specific weapons programs—the B-21 bomber and Sentinel ICBM—negotiating the E-7 Wedgetail deal, workforce development, industry incentive alignment on price vs value, and a ton more.

He even shared some new Collaborative Combat Aircraft insights that have not been made public before.

This is an episode you don’t want to miss!

For those interested in #military #nationaldefense #warfare #nationalsecurity #defense #nationaldefense #tech #technology #defensetech #army #navy #airforce #innovation

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Show Notes

00:34 intro

01:07 why a civilian weapons buyer?

02:07 how to keep track of 500+ programs

02:42 PEOs

03:48 the aquisitions perfect storm

06:02 cost plus vs fixed price contracts

08:01 E-7 Wedgetail negotiations

09:46 phone-a-friend negotiator

12:23 B-21 bomber

14:13 B-21 active management

15:47 B-21's unique hybrid contract

19:41 commercial vs defense markets

20:18 maintaining competition in industry

21:15 competition and investing signals

22:32 structuring the market for industry

25:00 government architectures to lower switching costs

27:13 workforce development

29:58 Sentinel ICBM cost over-run

30:07 Nunn-Mccurdy Breach

31:01 too big for 1 company?

33:44 New 'Quickstart' authority

35:58 watching the CCA engineering

36:16 non-traditionals forced to traditional prime?

37:46 Elon Musk for Pentagon processes?

39:10 CCA landing gear development

40:19 what keeps you up at night?

40:36 the pacing challenge

41:17 outro

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Mike hosts an exclusive episode to discuss the Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program with the 2 companies selected to build the first platforms: Anduril and General Atomics.

We discuss what the companies have in common and how they both view that as one of their superpowers. We also explore the origins of the CCA program, the origins of the winning vehicle design, how the program structure is a model for innovation and more.

Though they won the hardware contracts, both companies have unique software and autonomy insights, so we also discussed software as the enabler and the integration challenges of bringing these ‘loyal wingmen’ into the force.

While there was a ton to agree on, they also shared unique and varying perspectives—something that you can only get when you have them in a discussion together. This is an episode you don’t want to miss!

For those interested in #military #nationaldefense #warfare #nationalsecurity #defense #nationaldefense #tech #technology #defensetech #army #navy #airforce #sofware #startup #innovation #drones #ai #autonomy #anduril #ga-asi #airplanes #airpower #airsuperority

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• Mike Atwood - Vice President, Advanced Programs at General Atomics

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Show Notes

00:48 CCA intro

02:00 company intros

06:01 why the push for CCAs?

07:26 exploring the CCA space

09:09 origins of the winning designs

10:16 2 for 1 - win win

11:55 software

12:43 the software part is the hardest

14:33 the shift in trust in kill chains

15:01 Skyborg

15:40 trust and blending

16:25 delegation via trust or necessity

17:53 the need to get it into operators hands

18:47 DOTMLPF-P

19:11 teaming

19:44 starting simple

20:29 starting with complexity

22:09 iteration is the pathway

22:55 CCA program structure

26:56 capability efficiency vs resiliency

28:35 groundbreaking challenges

29:04 solving system-level optimization

31:13 culture change

31:36 F-16 Auto GCAS

32:50 MAGIC CARPET

34:14 composites for scale?

38:31 the future

41:27 closing thoughts

42:43 outro

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Mike and Jake host Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar to talk about software-defined warfare, defense modernization, and all the things we’d change to drive innovation to help the warfighter.

Shyam started as employee #13 at 23 and slowly climbed the ranks of the largest and fastest-growing US defense software company.

No topic is off limits—including how and why Palantir sued the Army…and won.

For a conversation with a software tech executive, we spent most of the time talking about culture, leadership mentalities, history, and structure changes that are as relevant in the Pentagon as they are in any other industry.

Of course, no episode would be complete without some lively banter and spicy takes!

For those interested in #military #nationaldefense #warfare #nationalsecurity #defense #nationaldefense #tech #technology #defensetech #army #navy #airforce #sofware #startup #leadership #innovation #palantir

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Show Notes

(00:58) intro

(2:07) Shyam early years

(02:59) Palantir early days

(04:56) security clearance moat

(06:43) Palantir's software thesis

(07:51) outspoken CTO

(09:12) urgency without panic

(10:16) WWII ramp to production

(11:06) best at software

(12:24) suing the Army

(18:14) focus on winning

(19:14) hard-headed leadership

(20:16) the real tragedy of the last supper

(21:36) consolidation of opportunities

(23:55) F-35 Joint Program Office

(24:25) flourishing ideas to deal with uncertainty

(25:04) process creates mediocracy

(25:24) the power of options

(27:01) software-defined warfare

(27:16) deductive vs inductive reasoning

(27:48) hardware vs software company structures

(28:53) The Army’s TITAN program

(30:28) when govt left the engineering to industry

(33:33) business idea - help 0 to 1

(34:11) multi-vendor ecosystems

(36:19) government-provided tools for success

(38:10) commercial R&D explosion

(38:21) conviction with commercial tech

(38:53) military labs

(39:34) DJI vs General Atomics

(40:07) wild idea - make the primes more valuable

(41:47) value vs cost

(44:16) the next few years

(45:23) kill chains and value chains

(46:03) car sensors to tank sensors

(46:57) sustainment incentive mismatch

(47:58) attacking the sustainment tail

(49:04) spicy take

(49:15) creating multiple buyers

(49:39) multiple program offices competing

(49:58) make programs compete with each other

(52:12) undeclared state of emergency

(52:39) save the shire

(53:26) more LOTR geekery

(53:51) outro

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Mike hosts Andy Lowery to dig deep into directed energy weapons—specifically high-power microwave (HPM) systems.

Andy is the CEO of Epirus, a venture-backed defense tech startup inverting the cost equation of drone defense and swarm protection. We talk about the tech, how it affects electronics, and how Epirus’ flagship product—Leonidas—is designed with adaptability and scale in mind. Turns out that HPM systems share more in common with an F-35 radar and an EA-18 jammer than a kitchen appliance!

The Army is currently in a rapid buy-and-try phase of these counter-UAS (CUAS) systems and is sending them to the Middle East. The systems have a host of other applications, though—the Navy is experimenting with them to disable boat motors, and the Air Force is also interested.

This episode is a defense tech episode you don’t want to miss!

For those interested in #military #nationaldefense #warfare #nationalsecurity #defense #nationaldefense #tech #technology #defensetech #army #navy #airforce #drone #drones #swarm #HPM #DEW #microwave #directedenergy

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Show Notes

(00:47) Intro

(01:36) Epirus

(02:11) the “prime problem”

(02:43) 3 disruptions in modern warfare

(07:07) asymmetric advantage and cost imposition

(09:57) inverting the equation

(11:40) $1 billion in weapons

(11:59) Congressional hearing

(12:32) microwaves

(14:53) name origins

(17:04) serial killer vs mass murderer

(17:46) Star Trek

(18:26) Leonidas

(18:46) wicked fast tech development

(19:42) speed of technology

(20:19) inventory investment

(20:29) needs vs requirements

(22:02) Andy’s 3 careers

(29:19) product vs services

(24:32) 80/20 business model

(25:08) Thor HPM

(25:25) old school HPM

(26:03) new way of HPM

(26:20) like the next-gen jammer

(27:06) like an AESA radar

(27:32) GaN-based AESA

(30:09) designed to adapt

(31:02) how HPM actually works

(34:07) like radar jamming techniques

(35:13) YouTube video controversy

(35:58) copper tape vs HPM myth

(37:20) faraday cage concept

(38:41) copper tape studies

(40:10) a systems approach

(41:32) ballistic missile defense (BMD)

(41:57) Army IFPC program

(43:26) Army base defense charter

(43:50) SHORAD

(44:21) scenarios

(44:48) layers of SHORAD

(45:49) Anduril Industries

(46:12) layered defense problem

(46:41) GWOT killed SHORAD

(47:08) Syria and Jordan

(47:58) company culture

(49:33) government pain points

(49:59) export restrictions

(50:35) the “MRAP response” way

(51:26) 1990 policy blocker

(51:56) The FAA

(52:03) NOARD issue

(52:33) homeland defense issue

(53:45) pre-mortem

(54:43) team-of-teams approach

(56:43) the government’s budgeting problem

(58:55) boats!

(1:00:00) HPM vs other electronics

(1:02:18) airborne HPM?

(1:04:06) Epirus, the next few years

(1:06:04) factory and scale

(1:08:37) outro

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Mike hosts Perry Boyle to dive into Ukraine’s rapidly developing defense industry.

Perry co-founded MITS Capital (Military Innovation Technology Solutions), a US venture that just established the first defense tech accelerator in Ukraine. MITS’ vision is to revolutionize Ukraine’s defense industry by investing in Ukrainian defense tech startups, nurturing and developing the ecosystem, and rapidly maturing and scaling military tech solutions to the front lines.

They are raising a $50M fund and just selected the first cohorts for the accelerator.

We talk about the industry's ins and outs, compliance and regulatory blockers, the promising upside, Ukraine’s insanely fast innovation cycle, key investing insights, “winning” vs. “losing” the war, investing in peace, and much more. 

This episode is PACKED with insights, but we still had some fun along the way. You should expect nothing less!

For those interested in #military #ukraine #warfare #nationalsecurity #defense #nationaldefense #investing #venture #vc

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Show Notes

(01:40) Intro

(02:27) Y Combinator for Ukraine defense tech

(03:10) what is an accelerator?

(04:01) what problem is MITS trying to solve

(05:28) MITS origin story

(09:11) we do read the emails

(10:43) MITS first investment

(11:32) US companies in Ukraine

(11:57) investing in Ukraine

(12:54) buy when the cannons are firing

(13:40) International support

(14:19) the US role

(14:31) Defense Innovation Unit

(15:58) US defense budget pie

(16:23) tech cycle vs. budget cycle

(17:21) adaption and iteration in Ukraine

(17:52) key investing insight

(18:15) tanks

(19:30) winning and losing

(22:35) relevancy through proximity

(23:26) grain and Kevin Bacon

(24:22) 1000 to 5

(25:33) virtuous cycle

(26:20) like Stanford and Silicon Valley

(27:52) red lines and promises

(28:51) partners and allies

(29:29) fixing corruption

(29:57) “new Ukraine”

(31:23) MITS vs Brave1

(33:17) Brave1 year 1 metrics

(34:47) Ukraine’s $10 Billion investing challenge

(39:11) magnets

(40:59) investor beware

(42:17) investing in the victory

(43:10) investing in the peace

(43:23) outro

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Mike and Jake host Captain John Konrad to talk all things Merchant Marine.

We talked about the Merchant Marine Academy, being a merchant mariner, and how they fit into national security.

What is the Military Sealift Command thing, and why does it keep confusing the counting of Navy ships? What is the Jones Act, and why is it so political?

The US has a ghost fleet of ships staged on both US coasts in case WWIII kicks off—but where are the people? Who were the most famous merchant mariners?

What went wrong with the USS Bonhomme Richard fire response? Why is Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge still not cleaned up?

Which US military branch is the biggest merchant mariner customer? Hint….its NOT the Navy.

Tune in for answers to all of the above—and more!

John is the founder and CEO of gCaptain and author of Fire on The Horizon. He is licensed to captain the world's largest ships, has sailed from ports worldwide, and managed billion-dollar offshore construction projects in some of the world's harshest marine environments.

This episode is PACKED with intel, but we still had some fun along the way. You should expect nothing less!

For those interested in #military #navy #mariner #sealift #warfare #shipping #nationalsecurity #defense #nationaldefense

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Show Notes

(01:21) Intro

(03:01) larger than aircraft carriers

(04:15) Military Sealift Command

(05:30) peacetime vs wartime

(06:18) WWII merchant mariners

(09:54) counting ships

(10:58) US-flagged ships

(11:25) Captain Phillips

(11:48) the shift away from US flags

(12:17) 85 of 50,000 ships

(13:10) The Jones Act

(14:57) railway to nowhere

(18:02) where are the people?

(20:28) Secretary Pete

(21:00) manning crisis

(23:59) 3,000 people short

(25:56) WWIII

(27:46) divested support ships

(28:58) USS Cole attack

(29:51) USS Bonhomme Richard fire

(31:19) Baltimore bridge cleanup

(32:33) USNS ship shortages

(33:28) no support, no projection

(34:26) the Air Force!?!

(35:06) the miracle of shipping containers

(35:50) Vietnam logistics log jam

(37:20) famous merchant mariners

(39:30) sea story time!

(42:27) outro