In this episode of Building the Base, Hondo Geurts and Lauren Bedula sit down with August Cole, strategist, author, and futurist who has spent his career exploring fiction's role in national security strategy. Drawing from his journey from Wall Street Journal journalist covering defense and technology to co-authoring the groundbreaking novel Ghost Fleet with Peter Singer, Cole discusses how fiction can help leaders avoid strategic surprise and failure of imagination. As Ghost Fleet celebrates its 10-year anniversary, Cole reflects on the book's impact on defense thinking, the power of scenario planning through storytelling, and why "useful fiction" has become an essential tool for wargaming future conflicts in an era of exponential technological change.

Five key takeaways from today's episode:

1. Fiction serves as a strategic tool to avoid failure of imagination, with Cole noting that "we really can fall victim to failure of imagination with catastrophic consequences, and even more so today when so many technologies are exponential in their impact on warfare."
2. Ghost Fleet combines rigorous research with narrative storytelling, grounded in "30 or so pages of endnotes" from open-source research including doctrine, patents, and scholarship to make the speculative scenario credible and actionable for defense leaders.
3. Strategic fiction gives leaders permission to think differently, as Cole explains that fiction provides "a safe space to explore ideas that might otherwise be dismissed" and helps overcome organizational resistance to uncomfortable futures.
4. The power of story transcends traditional analysis, with Cole emphasizing that narrative allows people to "see problems from someone else's perspective" and makes complex strategic concepts accessible across organizational hierarchies.
5. Invest in skills that make you a better collaborator, as Cole advises the next generation to focus on "the human dimension" including empathy, foreign languages, and technical literacy while resisting pressure to follow conventional career paths.

In this episode of Building the Base, Hondo Geurts and Lauren Bedula sit down with Jamie Jones Miller, CEO of Northeastern University's Arlington campus and Interim Director of the Kostas Research Institute. Drawing from her journey from Capitol Hill legislative work on the House Armed Services Committee to the Pentagon's Office of Legislative Affairs, and now leading national security research in academia, Miller discusses the critical need for "unicorn talent" that bridges policy, technology, and leadership. She explains why universities must align with defense priorities, the importance of matching talent pipelines to technology strategies, and how academia can serve as a vital connector in the national security ecosystem.

Five key takeaways from today's episode:

1. Employers want "unicorn talent" who can seamlessly operate across policy, technology, and leadership domains, with Miller noting they "want the people who can figure out how to look into the future and see what's coming."
2. Policy, technology, and security are now inseparable, as Miller reflects that these domains "can't stand on its own anymore" and require integrated approaches to education and problem-solving.
3. Academia must align with defense priorities, with Miller asking "what is the next critical technologies list at DOD gonna look like?" to ensure universities invest where "the investments are going to be made."
4. Talent strategy must match technology strategy, as Miller challenges organizations: "Do you have a talent pipeline plan? How many engineers do you need to hire in the next 12 to 18 months?"
5. Start with real problems, not solutions, emphasizing the need to ask "what are your pain points?" and build trust through delivery rather than rushing to help without understanding actual needs.

In this episode of Building the Base, Hondo Geurts and Lauren Bedula sit down with Zach Beecher, Partner at Scout Ventures, who brings a unique perspective from serving as a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division in Iraq to now leading dual-use technology investments on the front lines of defense innovation. Drawing from his combat experience witnessing "innovation at the speed of battle" during the liberation of Mosul from ISIS, his transition through venture capital in London, and his current role backing breakthrough defense technologies, Beecher discusses the urgent need to bridge Silicon Valley innovation with national security imperatives. He shares his insights on why "innovation at the speed of bureaucracy looks a lot different than innovation at the speed of battle," explains how venture capital can serve as a "player coach" for defense entrepreneurs, and argues that America must grow the industrial base through addition rather than subtraction by incentivizing collaboration between traditional primes and non-traditional startups.

Five key takeaways from today's episode:

1. Combat experience reveals innovation potential, as Beecher describes how deploying to Iraq in 2017 exposed him to soldiers thinking on their feet to solve dynamic battlefield challenges, from integrating off-the-shelf drones for Iraqi forces to creating software solutions for logistics, showing him that "innovation at the speed of battle" could be transformative if scaled properly.
2. The dual-use investment landscape has dramatically evolved, Beecher notes, from being called a "warmonger" on a panel just two years ago for suggesting quantum companies focus on national security applications, to today's environment where "the capital ladder" from early stage through scaled production is "fully formed in a way that it's never been before."
3. Contracts are the only validation that matters, Beecher emphasizes, because "contracts signify demand and contracts ultimately indicate what the government has identified as a priority," warning that without real customer validation through actual purchases, even well-funded startups risk "building a bridge to nowhere."
4. Success requires mastering four core pillars, Beecher explains entrepreneurs must understand the problems they're solving, the people responsible for solving them, the processes required to navigate solutions, and how their products integrate across all three, with companies like Tern AI demonstrating this by addressing alternative navigation needs for both military operations and commercial autonomous vehicles.
5. Collaboration beats competition in defense innovation, as Beecher advocates for "leading through addition rather than subtraction," pointing to examples like NASA's commercial orbital program that sparked competition between traditional primes and companies like SpaceX, ultimately transforming entire industries through incentivized partnership rather than zero-sum thinking.

In this episode of Building the Base, Hondo Geurts and Lauren Bedula sit down with Congressman Pat Harrigan (NC-10), who brings a rare combination of Special Forces experience, defense entrepreneurship, and fresh congressional perspective to America's national security challenges. Drawing from his service in 3rd Special Forces Group, his journey building a weapons and munitions manufacturing company, and his current role on the House Armed Services Committee, Congressman Harrigan discusses the urgent need to revolutionize America's defense industrial base. He shares his candid assessment of government as "a terrible customer," explains his groundbreaking Sky Foundry initiative to build America's first million-drone manufacturing capability, and warns that the nature of warfare has fundamentally changed from the Global War on Terror era. The conversation explores why America must shift from producing "high cost problems to our enemies' low cost solutions" to creating affordable, scalable technologies that can match the pace of modern conflict.

Five key takeaways from today's episode:

1. Personal inspiration drives public service, as Rep. Harrigan reveals how his grandfather's vivid memories of D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge, details he could recite perfectly even with dementia, showed him "what a formative part of his life he made a huge difference for the trajectory of the world," inspiring his own call to serve when he witnessed leadership failures during Afghanistan's fall.
2. The nature of warfare has fundamentally changed, Congressman Harrigan explains, comparing the shift from the Global War on Terror to today's drone-dominated battlefield as the difference between "basketball and baseball" with 80% of casualties in Ukraine now caused by small, inexpensive FPV drones rather than traditional weapons systems.
3. America currently sits at "effectively zero" drone manufacturing capability while being wholly dependent on Chinese supply chains, Rep. Harrigan warns, as adversaries like Russia and Ukraine produce millions of drones annually at costs dramatically lower than America's $20,000-30,000 per unit.
4. The Sky Foundry initiative represents a revolutionary approach to defense manufacturing, combining government-owned facilities with private contractor intellectual property through a royalty-based system that incentivizes innovation while maintaining competition and driving costs down to $500 per drone.
5. Success requires unwavering persistence, Rep. Harrigan emphasizes, sharing his philosophy of "never give up, never give in" when fighting for his daughters Reagan and McKinley's future, because "there is no substitute for victory" and breakthrough solutions will eventually succeed if you believe in them and keep working regardless of initial resistance.

In this episode of Building the Base, Hondo Geurts and Lauren Bedula sit down with Ranking Member Jim Himes (D-CT), who serves on both the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Financial Services Committee. Drawing from his unique background spanning Wall Street and public service, Congressman Himes discusses the critical intersection of technology innovation, national security, and America's industrial base. He shares candid insights on the challenges of government innovation, the evolving threat landscape from China, and why immigration remains America's secret weapon in the global competition for technological supremacy. The conversation also explores the cultural shifts needed within both Congress and the defense establishment to embrace the iterative, failure-tolerant approach essential for modern software development and emerging technologies.

Five key takeaways from today's episode:

1. The shift from hardware to software has fundamentally changed defense acquisition, Rep. Himes explains, requiring iterative development through failure and constant end-user contact—a capability traditional defense primes weren't prepared for, though progress is being made through innovative programs like DIU and Kessel Run.
2. America's two greatest advantages over China in innovation, according to Rep. Himes, are immigration and a chaotic entrepreneurial ecosystem that treats failure as graduate-level education for the next venture, advantages that must be preserved and leveraged.
3. Congressional culture remains risk-averse toward failure, Rep. Himes notes, with members more focused on finding the next "Solyndra" to investigate rather than creating the psychological safety necessary for breakthrough innovation.
4. Supply chain vulnerabilities exposed by COVID-19 and the Ukraine conflict have created new appreciation for defense industrial base resilience, but Rep. Himes argues the tension between economic efficiency and strategic security requires nuanced thinking.
5. Emerging threats like biosynthesis and quantum computing pose existential risks that require both cutting-edge research investment and a return to shared empirical truth, Rep. Himes warns, making the intersection of technology policy and national security more critical than ever.

In this episode of Building the Base, Hondo Geurts and Lauren Bedula reconnect with Cameron McCord, Co-Founder and CEO of Nominal, two years after his first appearance on the show (linked here). Drawing from his unique journey from submarine officer (484 days underwater) to defense tech entrepreneur, McCord discusses building software to accelerate testing and validation of mission-critical systems. He shares insights from his time at Anduril, Applied Intuition, and Saildrone, and how these experiences shaped Nominal's approach to modernizing test and evaluation processes. The episode concludes with exciting news that Nominal recently announced a $75 million Series B led by Sequoia Capital and co-led by Lightspeed Venture Partners.

Five key takeaways from today's episode:

1. Entrepreneurial success, according to McCord, requires falling in love with the process itself rather than just the initial idea, as markets, technology, and competition will force constant adaptation and iteration throughout the journey.
2. Testing and validation software in defense hasn't been meaningfully innovated in decades, McCord explains, creating massive opportunities to modernize from "2002 to 2019" standards using basic automation and data practices before advancing to AI capabilities.
3. The most valuable customer conversations, McCord notes, evolve from incremental efficiency gains at the engineer level to strategic business impact discussions about reducing 24-month test campaigns to 18-20 months for major defense programs.
4. Rather than leading with confidence, McCord advises asking genuine questions to allow customers to reveal what's truly valuable to them, while learning when to say "not right now" instead of forcing poor fits often leads to higher revisit rates.
5. Cross-functional experience across military service, government, startups, and venture capital has provided McCord with invaluable perspective for navigating complex stakeholder environments and understanding what success looks like from multiple viewpoints.

In this episode of Building the Base, Hondo Geurts and Lauren Bedula are joined by James Parker and Chris Lay, co-founding partners of Leonid Capital Partners, a private credit fund supporting the US national security ecosystem. Drawing from their unique backgrounds in astrophysics and neuroscience, Parker and Lay discuss how their innovative lending approach fills a critical gap in defense tech financing, offering credit facilities based on government contracts rather than traditional equity investments.

Five key takeaways from today's episode:

1. Traditional banks won't lend against government contracts due to 30-day cancellation clauses, creating a significant financing gap that specialized credit funds like Leonid can fill by lending 50-60% of contract values at set interest rates rather than taking equity stakes.
2. Trusted capital is essential for national security, with clean funding sources becoming increasingly important as private investment surges into defense tech, requiring deliberate vetting to avoid potential foreign influence or undue investor pressure.
3. Mission-driven business models can accelerate growth, with Leonid's commitment to donate 50% of profits creating competitive advantages through stronger relationships, advisory connections, and credibility with service-disabled veteran-owned businesses.
4. Policy changes could unlock more private investment in national security, particularly through preferential tax treatment for investors in critical defense initiatives while potentially removing tax advantages for investments in adversarial economies.
5. Cross-sector talent recruitment requires both patriotic appeal and economic incentives, with successful defense tech companies like Palantir and Anduril demonstrating that technical talent will engage with national security missions when there's potential for both meaningful impact and financial success.

In this episode of Building the Base, Hondo Geurts and Lauren Bedula are joined by Becca Wasser and Philip Sheers from the Center for New American Security (CNAS) to discuss their recent report, "From Production Lines to Front Lines." Drawing from extensive industry research and stakeholder interviews, Wasser and Sheers offer a comprehensive look at the critical challenges and opportunities facing America's defense industrial base in an era of great power competition.

Five key takeaways from today's episode:

1. Workforce remains the greatest limitation to manufacturing growth, with Wasser emphasizing "it's the workforce, stupid" as a core barrier that requires creative solutions like expanding AmeriCorps to include defense industrial base career paths.
2. The defense industrial base has experienced decades of consolidation and lacks responsiveness to changing battlefield needs, demonstrated by challenges in ramping up production for Ukraine despite Herculean efforts from senior leaders.
3. Structural vulnerabilities include outsourced supply chains to adversary-controlled regions and over-reliance on single-source sub-tier suppliers, creating critical bottlenecks that threaten both capacity and responsiveness in future conflicts.
4. Small but actionable policy changes could yield significant improvements, such as allowing multi-year procurement of critical components like solid rocket motors without requiring an end item, providing immediate flexibility for production scaling.
5. International partnerships with allies are essential for both learning from advanced manufacturing capabilities and creating resilient co-production arrangements, with countries like Japan and South Korea offering critical shipbuilding expertise that could augment America's defense industrial capacity.

In this episode of Building the Base, Hondo Geurts and Lauren Bedula sit down with John Maslin, Co-founder and CEO of Vulcan Elements, for an insightful conversation about the critical importance of rare earth magnets to U.S. national security. Drawing from his background as a Navy Supply Corps officer and his entrepreneurial journey, Maslin offers a candid look into the challenges and opportunities in rebuilding America's rare earth magnet manufacturing capabilities.

Five key takeaways from today's episode:

1. Rare earth magnets are essential "invisible building blocks" of our economy, found in virtually all electronic devices from smartphones to MRIs, as well as critical defense applications - yet China currently manufactures over 90% of the global supply while the U.S. produces less than 1%.
2. The rare earth challenge isn't primarily about access to raw materials but rather about processing and manufacturing capabilities, with China having made a strategic decades-long investment that has given them near-complete control of this critical supply chain.
3. Transitioning from government service to entrepreneurship, Maslin emphasizes the importance of mission-driven leadership when tackling strategic manufacturing challenges that are "too important to fail."
4. Scaling domestic manufacturing of critical components requires addressing three fundamental challenges: developing skilled technical workforces, streamlining permitting processes, and creating manufacturing champions who can build complete ecosystems.
5. For maintaining resilience as a founder in the challenging manufacturing space, Maslin recommends focusing on first principles, expectation management with stakeholders, and surrounding yourself with mission-driven team members who understand the strategic importance of the work.

Today's episode of Building the Base is part two of our "Founders in Focus" series, recorded at Manifest: Demo Day where 34 companies from across the defense industrial base demoed their disruptive tech.

Hosts Hondo and Lauren caught up with some of the most dynamic founders: Tyler Sweatt from Second Front, Josh Lospinoso from Shift5, and Troy Demmer from Gecko Robotics, asking them everything from "Are founders born or made?" to "What would you like to tell DoD leadership today?" Please enjoy this rapid fire format, packed with learnings from real experiences.

0:00 Introduction
0:25 Tyler Sweatt, Second Front
10:27 Josh Lospinoso, Shift5
27:06 Troy Demmer, Gecko Robotics

Today's episode of Building the Base is part one of our "Founders in Focus" series, recorded at Manifest: Demo Day where 34 companies from across the defense industrial base demoed their disruptive tech.

Hosts Hondo and Lauren caught up with some of the most dynamic founders: Jeff Cole from Hidden Level, Doug Bernauer from Radiant, and Topher Haddad from Albedo, asking them everything from "Are founders born or made?" to "What would you like to tell DoD leadership today?" Please enjoy this rapid fire format, packed with learnings from real experiences.

0:00 Introduction
0:56 Jeff Cole, Hidden Level
09:20 Doug Bernauer, Radiant
18:01 Topher Haddad, Albedo

In this episode of Building the Base, Melissa "Mojo" Johnson, Acquisition Executive at US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), offers a candid look into the world of military acquisition, drawing from her extensive experience with the Air Force's Rapid Capabilities Office and SOCOM. 

Five key takeaways from today's episode:

1. To drive organizational growth effectively, Mojo advocates for horizontal scaling, emphasizing small, high-performing teams with direct communication and a flat chain of command over creating layers of bureaucracy.
2. Acquisition success, according to Mojo, isn't about drowning in complex regulations, but about applying critical thinking - tailoring processes to solve specific problems and maintaining focus on the core mission.
3. Breaking down barriers between commercial and military tech requires a continuous dialogue, Mojo believes, by bringing together venture capitalists, industry partners, and military leaders to understand and apply innovative solutions.
4. When integrating new technologies, Mojo emphasizes understanding the end effect - moving beyond simply applying AI or new tech, and clearly articulating how a solution will enhance operator capabilities and reduce unnecessary burdens.
5. For maintaining resilience in high-stress environments, Mojo recommends building a strong support system, taking time to gain perspective, celebrating successes, and recognizing that no challenge is entirely unprecedented.

In this episode of Building the Base, Lauren and Hondo sit down with Eric Lofgren, a professional staff member on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Eric provides an insider's perspective on the need for comprehensive acquisition reform. He discusses his unexpected path to this role, initially joining a defense contractor before becoming deeply interested in the history and economics of the system. Eric emphasizes the FoRGED Act's goal of being a "game changer" by addressing requirements, contracting, budgeting, and cultural factors. He highlights the importance of engaging industry, especially non-traditional companies, to inform policy changes. Eric's insights underscore the complexity of acquisition reform and the call for bold, integrated solutions to modernize defense procurement.

Five key takeaways from today's episode: 

1. Eric is currently working with Chairman Wicker and SASC members to champion the ​FoRGED (Fostering Reform and Government Efficiency in Defense) Act​. Exec Sum here: ​Restoring Freedom’s Forge: American Innovation Unleashed​
2. A dedicated student of history, Eric has logged many hours in the Pentagon Library to learn the historical context of past acquisition models, rather than just iterating on the current system.
3. Eric initially took a job at a defense contractor after graduating, thinking it would just be a two-year stint, but he became attached to the mission and started delving into the history and economics of defense acquisition, which ultimately led him to his current role on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
4. Engaging with industry, especially non-traditional/commercial companies, is crucial to understand challenges and inform policy changes. The professional staff of ​SASC​ welcomes direct outreach.
5. Eric recommends "cutting the red tape" by reviewing and eliminating outdated or unnecessary pilot programs, reporting requirements, and other regulatory burdens that are not providing value to the DoD acquisition process. 

In this episode of Building the Base, Lauren Bedula and Hondo Geurts sit down with Congressman Pat Ryan (NY-18). Rep. Ryan represents a diverse district of 800,000 in upstate New York, which includes his alma mater, West Point. An Iraq war veteran, Rep. Ryan transitioned from active duty, to defense tech, to Congress, where he now champions defense innovation and national security issues. In March 2024, Rep. Ryan launched the Defense Modernization Caucus with Rep. Rob Wittman (VA-1) to push for bipartisan action. This episode was recorded at the Reagan National Defense Forum on December 7, 2024.

Five key takeaways from this episode: 

1. Throughout his career, Rep. Ryan has embraced a wide range of challenging roles—from serving on the battlefield, to leading sales teams, to making legislative progress in Congress. 
2. With DIU innovation hubs already established in Austin and Silicon Valley, Rep. Ryan proposes New York City as the next ideal location for a hub, recognizing the city's unique blend of talent and business development opportunities.
3. A self proclaimed “perpetual optimist,” Rep. Ryan credits his attitude and resilience to his interactions with young people, whether it's JROTC cadets, West Point students, or his own young children.
4. The House Defense Modernization Caucus had some early wins in the last NDAA, with the next convening planned for February 2025 in concert with Silicon Valley Defense Group.
5. Rep. Ryan advises defense tech companies to approach lawmakers with clear, actionable requests for quicker support and to focus on storytelling over lengthy presentations. “Help me help you,” he says — be specific about where you're stuck and how Congress can assist.

This episode of Building the Base features an interview with Thomas Robinson, Chief Operating Officer of Domino Data Lab, who has an interesting background in finance and a strong passion for contributing to national security. Hosted by Lauren Bedula and Hondo Geurts, the conversation dives into Thomas’s transition from a hedge fund to defense tech, and how his background has informed his leadership in AI and data science. Thomas credits his recent swell of patriotism to a desire to build the best possible future for his 17 month old twins. 

Five key takeaways from this episode: 

1. Domino Data Lab's success began in the commercial sector, and has since expanded to defense. In areas like mine detection using unmanned underwater vehicles, their technology has helped reduce model deployment times from 6 months to 2 weeks.
2. Thomas challenges the myth that DoD is slow, saying that some DoD projects can be faster than commercial ones, especially when working with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), citing the successful Project Ammo for the Navy. 
3. “AI primes” bring not just systems integration skills, but also deep knowledge of data science and AI. 
4. While policy is important, the real concern for defense is trust in AI models. Thomas advocates for public-private partnerships to develop sensible regulations based on the impact of AI systems.
5. For entrepreneurs and startups looking to break into defense tech, Thomas advises doing thorough research and preparing for the “valley of death.” Founders should plan for long-term cycles (3+ years), understand the realities of defense procurement, and be prepared to educate investors and boards about the unique challenges.

In this episode of Building the Base, Andy Lowery, CEO of Epirus, discusses his journey from his days as a Navy reactor operator to leading a counter-UAS high-power microwave (HPM) system company. Epirus' HPM technology, which uses electromagnetic pulses to disable drones, has been tested successfully by the Army for over 15 months. Lowery emphasizes the importance of directed energy in countering short-range air threats and highlighted the need for policy updates to facilitate faster deployment. He notes the challenges of building a single-use hardware company and the importance of partnerships, particularly with the DoD and international allies. Lowery also stresses the need for authority to operate and the willingness to take risks to address the growing drone threat.

Five key takeaways from this episode:

1. Andy Lowery's career brought him from enlisted Navy nuclear reactor operator to Raytheon Chief Engineer to now CEO of pioneering counter-UAS technology company Epirus.
2. Epirus' high-powered microwave (HPM) systems work to disrupt drone electronics, and have yet to be defeated in a field trial. 
3. There are unique challenges associated with building a hardware-focused, single-use defense company like Epirus, compared to more dual-use or software-driven startups. 
4. Epirus has worked to update export control policies and leverage frameworks like AUKUS to enable faster international collaboration and technology sharing on counter-UAS capabilities.
5. Lowery observes a "spring" of enthusiasm among engineers to work on cutting-edge defense projects, and the development of a dynamic talent pool across companies like Epirus, Anduril, SpaceX, Palantir and more.

This episode of Building the Base features a discussion with Nadia Schadlow, a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute, and Stephen Rodriguez, an investor in the defense tech space who is leading The Atlantic Council's work on Software-Defined Warfare. Nadia and Stephen have extensive backgrounds in national security: Nadia spent many years at the Defense Department and was the architect of the 2017 National Security Strategy under President Trump, while Stephen has experience spanning the intelligence community, policy world, tech startups, and now The Atlantic Council. Overall, the discussion highlights the value of bringing together diverse perspectives from government, industry, and academia to tackle the complex challenges facing national security today. This episode was recorded live at the Reagan National Defense Forum on December 7, 2024.

Five Key Takeaways: 

1. The adage "DoD does not have an innovation problem, it has an innovation adoption problem" holds true. Both Nadia and Stephen emphasize the need to accelerate the adoption of cutting-edge technologies across the commercial and defense sectors. Stephen recently contributed to an Atlantic Council report (alongside co-host Hondo) on this topic. 
2. Heed the Four Ms: The idea of Software-Defined Warfare is all about finding practical, near-term ways to enhance the capabilities of the military's existing platforms and systems, rather than just focusing on long-term future tech. Stephen stresses the importance of identifying the right Four Ms - "Money, Mission, Motivation, and Mechanism" - for companies looking to work with the military.
3. Crafting a national security strategy... where to begin? Nadia explains (from experience) that crafting an effective NSS is all about clearly defining the country's key interests, understanding the challenges, and proposing high-level solutions; the departments then have to figure out the operational details.
4. Crisis of Repetition: In her 2024 Breaking Defense op-ed, "America's crisis of repetition is hurting national security," Nadia proposes four steps by which Washington can break the cycle of writing reports that are never fully implemented: 1) aggregate what's been done, 2) assess why past administrations failed to achieve goals, 3) research existing legislative authorities, and 4) assign accountability for leading implementation.
5. Optimization opportunities exist, leveraging AI and DOGE: Nadia suggests that AI could be used to "identify the regulatory environment" and "point out how many duplicative and repeating and inane regulations there are," helping to enact regulatory reform that ultimately speeds up DoD innovation adoption.

In this episode of Building the Base, Lauren Bedula and Hondo Geurts sit down with Rep. Adam Smith, Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, to discuss the critical role of innovation and competition in modernizing the defense industrial base. Ranking Member Smith reflects on his political journey from growing up in SeaTac, Washington, to his work on defense policy in Congress. He shares insights on how the Pentagon’s traditional process-driven approach often stifles innovation, drawing comparisons to corporate competition in the private sector. This episode was recorded live at the Reagan National Defense Forum on December 7, 2024. 

Five Key Takeaways:
1. Innovation vs. Process in Defense: Rep. Smith highlights the tension between the Pentagon’s traditional, process-oriented approach and the need for more innovative, problem-solving strategies in defense. He emphasizes that a rigid process can stifle creative solutions, while a focus on problem-solving encourages flexibility and faster, more effective outcomes.

2. The Power of Competition: Rep. Smith stresses that competition, particularly in the defense sector, leads to better products and solutions. He points to private companies like SpaceX and Palantir as examples of how challenging the status quo can drive innovation and force even traditional defense contractors to innovate and adapt.

3. Collaboration Between Tech and Defense: Rep. Smith advocates for greater collaboration between the tech community and the defense sector. He believes that partnerships with Silicon Valley startups and other innovative companies are crucial for advancing U.S. defense capabilities, particularly in areas like AI, space, and cybersecurity.

4. Congress’ Role in Enabling Innovation: While the Pentagon and defense contractors are often slow to embrace change, Rep. Smith calls for Congress to play a key role in enabling innovation. He urges Congress to create an environment where risk-taking and failure are accepted as part of the innovation process, which includes allowing more flexibility in defense spending.

5. The Need for Balance in Manufacturing: On the issue of supply chains and manufacturing, Rep. Smith acknowledges the importance of rebalancing U.S. production capabilities to remove reliance on any one country. He advocates for a balance between domestic manufacturing and partnerships with allies to ensure a resilient and diversified supply chain for defense technologies.

In this episode of Building the Base, Lauren Bedula and Hondo Geurts sit down with the Honorable Heidi Shyu, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. Ms. Shyu discusses her transition from industry to government, highlighting her role in accelerating technological innovation within the Department of Defense (DoD). She outlines her efforts to engage both large defense primes and small startups to drive innovation, particularly through initiatives like the APFIT funding program, which has significantly boosted small companies by helping them scale into production. Ms. Shyu shares her personal journey from an uncertain college graduate with a mathematics degree to a leader in defense, emphasizing the importance of taking risks, embracing challenges, and staying adaptable in one's career. She also speaks to the evolution of the defense industrial base, noting the increasing role of startups and commercial innovation in shaping the future of defense technology. This episode was recorded live at the Reagan National Defense Forum on December 7, 2024.

Five Key Takeaways: 

1. Collaboration between industry and government is essential for accelerating technological innovation, particularly in defense, through constant engagement and joint problem-solving.
2. Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (​APFIT) Funding helps small businesses bridge the "valley of death" by providing capital to scale their technologies, which leads to faster transitions into production and procurement.
3. The defense industrial base has experienced what Ms. Shyu calls a “sea change” with the rise of startups and venture-funded companies, driving innovation and enabling quicker development of capabilities.
4. ​The Office of Strategic Capital (OSC)​ provides guaranteed loans to small companies, addressing funding gaps and helping them scale their hardware-focused innovations into production. [Note: The OSC application window is open NOW through February 3, 2025.]
5. Women in defense tech are encouraged to take risks, embrace opportunities outside their comfort zones, and continuously learn to advance in their careers.

In this episode of Building The Base, Hondo Geurts and Lauren Bedula sit down with Teresa Carlson, founding president of General Catalyst Institute. Drawing from her extensive experience leading public sector teams at AWS and Microsoft, Carlson shares invaluable insights on building successful government-technology partnerships, the evolution of cloud adoption, and the current state of defense tech investment. She discusses her journey from Kentucky to becoming a pivotal figure in government technology transformation, while offering practical advice on everything from procurement strategies to maintaining work-life balance in male-dominated fields.

Five Key Takeaways: 
1. Building successful public sector teams requires prioritizing mission-oriented individuals who are deeply invested in government success rather than just sales performance.
2. Successfully navigating government-technology partnerships demands a comprehensive strategy incorporating direct contracts, reseller networks, and strategic integrator alliances.
3. Global startups continue gravitating toward the U.S. market due to its unmatched speed in technology adoption and more efficient procurement pathways.
4. The emergence of applied AI as a transformative force in government operations promises end-to-end automation of complex processes without human intervention.
5. Defense technology has witnessed a dramatic shift in venture capital interest, evolving from a niche market in 2010 to a highly sought-after investment sector today.