SpaceX’s early mission operations exposed a fundamental problem: mission-critical teams were executing complex procedures across Excel spreadsheets, PDFs, and fragmented communication channels, creating dangerous gaps where hardware gets destroyed and critical data falls through the cracks. Laura Crabtree, Co-founder & CEO of Epsilon3, built Epsilon 3 to solve this after watching teams flip through paper documentation at T-minus countdowns instead of focusing on root cause analysis. Her platform now digitizes operational decision-making across aerospace, defense, and robotics, enabling real-time visibility across distributed teams without voice loop confirmations, automated conditional branching that redirects operators to the right procedures when failures occur, and full lifecycle traceability from parts inventory through testing to flight operations. The shift from ”try it indefinitely” to paid adoption came down to proving 10x value over internal development costs calculated across 5-year customer lifecycles. Topics discussed: - Identifying market gaps through fact-finding interviews that showed no commercially available software teams actually wanted to use. - Digitizing mission control operations beyond Excel to enable real-time distributed team visibility, automated conditional branching, and centralized documentation. - Expanding platform from launch operations into testing workflows, hardware traceability, parts inventory management, and full lifecycle component tracking. - Pricing strategy using 10x customer value calculation compared to internal development costs amortized over 5-year lifetime projections. - Navigating government contracting complexity through multiple partners for SBIR/STTR vehicles while finding actual DoD buyers remains harder than users. - Achieving FedRamp compliance despite lengthy, expensive process to establish data security trust signal.

Michael Peters, CEO & Founder of Lazarus Alliance, built his cybersecurity career on one principle: turn over rocks before the bad guys do. After 25 years conducting audits, he’s watched DIB companies treat compliance frameworks like magical protection. For Michael, however, passing CMMC means you had two good weeks, not 50 weeks of security. His Security Trifecta framework overrides this checkbox mentality with three layers: governance that documents policies in writing, technical enforcement that operates without human bias or fatigue, and vigilant teamwork for everything technology can’t solve. As Michael puts it, defenses actually fail not because of the hardware, but “the wetware” — humans clicking ransomware, ignoring protocols, losing focus. His continuous monitoring methodology spreads audits across 12 months instead of annual blitzes, increasing sample coverage from 10% to near-complete while catching problems in real time. For SMBs without massive budgets, Michael reverses the typical approach: stop buying security tools before identifying what you’re protecting. Start with a data-first question, like “What are my critical assets?” Then work backward to the network controls, endpoint protections, and monitoring rules that actually defend them. Topics discussed: - Security Trifecta framework: governance/policy layer, technical enforcement mechanisms, and vigilant teamwork for proactive defense - Monthly audit touchpoints versus annual assessments to increase sample coverage from 10% to near-complete - Non-transferable CCA certifications versus FedRAMP’s industry-recognized credentials and reasonable fee structure - Talent shortage crisis, with 3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity positions projected for 2025 and 115,000 DIB companies requiring Level 2 certification - Technical quick wins for SMBs: secure DNS and basic firewall rules to neutralize command-and-control malware before expensive tools - Building comprehensive security programs beyond 800-171’s surface-level 110 controls for better compliance mapping - Insufficient oversight frequency for national security applications compared to annual ISO surveillance audit models

OpsLab’s scheduling platform saves Air Force squadrons 200 hours per month — time previously spent by pilots manually fixing flight schedules until late at night. Arun Nair, Founder & CEO, showcases how OpsLab’s three-layer intelligence system went from 30% scheduler acceptance to operational deployment across 75+ squadrons by combining operations research algorithms, reinforcement learning from daily user feedback, and LLM interfaces that let commanders simulate scenarios like losing 20% of their fleet while managing ATOs and continuation training simultaneously. Arun warns how Phase III SBIR contracts aren’t the finish line everyone thinks they are — the real Holy Grail is program-of-record status. His team spent four years collecting feedback from schedulers to calibrate their algorithms, hired former Air Force schedulers to understand the dysfunction, and built a middleware layer borrowed from his Wall Street high-frequency trading experience that can combine air power from different branches onto the same platform. Topics discussed: - Building AI scheduling architecture combining operations research, reinforcement learning from human feedback, and LLM interfaces. - Achieving 200 hours monthly time savings per squadron by eliminating manual scheduling work that kept pilots working late nights. - Scaling across 75+ squadrons and multiple aircraft types from single-seat fighters to B-52 bombers with eight crew positions. - Understanding Phase III SBIR contracts are still R&D phase, not a sustainable business model, with program of record as the true goal. - Hiring former Air Force schedulers to decode organizational dysfunction and collecting daily feedback to calibrate algorithms. - Targeting 60 VCs for Series A fundraising, narrowing to 15 serious prospects, and using venture debt to extend runway. - Applying Wall Street high-frequency trading middleware concepts to create a pub-sub layer combining air power from multiple military branches. - Deploying LLM-powered scenario simulation enabling commanders to model fleet losses, ATOs, and continuation training constraints simultaneously.

When Kim Crider, Founding Partner at Elara Nova, became the Air Force’s first Chief Data Officer, she had no mandate, minimal staff, and skeptical four-star commanders. Her CORONA presentation changed everything: using actual pilot retention data and analysis, she demonstrated how insufficient training aircraft was driving attrition. The Secretary’s response unlocked buy-in across the service. Kim shares how she did it: start with the decision you need to make, then work backwards to determine what data you need, where to get it, and how to manage it. This problem-first approach drove real outcomes, from identifying landing gear failures caused by excessive fuel loads to optimizing mission planning. She also warns defense leaders that tech disruption means nothing without adoption infrastructure. AI capabilities, for example, fail at scale without proper data centers and power systems. Invest equally in disruption and the foundational infrastructure that enables adoption — test environments, integration capabilities, and the cultural shift needed for people to work effectively with new technology. Topics discussed: - Establishing the Air Force’s first Chief Data Officer role without mandate or resources, then proving value through CORONA presentation. - Implementing problem-first data frameworks that work backwards from decisions to determine required data sources and management. - Balancing tech disruption with adoption infrastructure including data centers, power -systems, test environments, and cultural integration. - Addressing space domain awareness and command-and-control capability gaps. - Using operational prototypes, realistic testing environments, and modeling-and-simulation infrastructure to prove integration before deployment at scale. - Learning from Viasat, SolarWinds, and Colonial Pipeline attacks that reshaped defense industrial base cyber posture and supply chain security. - Avoiding shiny object syndrome by investing in foundational infrastructure alongside platforms to enable cross-domain, multi-orbit resilient capabilities.

Roger fills gaps other military banks ignore: free credit score monitoring that typically costs $20 monthly, 2% yield on checking with savings rates reaching 5.25% during peak periods, and zero overdraft fees while competitors generate significant revenue from service member overdrafts. Jill Castilla, President & CEO of Roger Bank/Citizens Bank of Edmond, walks through how the platform’s fraud detection handles the reality that 75% of account opening attempts come from bots, while allowing legitimate zero-balance accounts to remain open for a year pre-enlistment. All Roger staff have military experience and provide 24/7 access for financial mentoring, addressing the recruiter-reported problem of family members committing fraud on young service members’ accounts during training. Jill also compressed Citizens Bank’s VA loan timeline to match conventional loan speeds after experiencing discrimination firsthand, eliminating the realtor objection that VA loans ”take too long” and preventing service members from competing for homes. Topics discussed: - Creating pre-filled CEO-signed direct deposit forms that eliminate missed training days and delayed paychecks for new recruits. - Allowing under-18 account opening with any enlistment-accepted ID, a capability unavailable at other military banks for online accounts. - Detecting fraud at scale where 75% of account opening attempts come from bots rather than real people. - Providing free credit score monitoring, 2% checking yields, and zero overdraft fees while competitors profit from service member overdrafts. - Partnering with Mark Cuban to deliver COVID stimulus solutions in 72 hours and PPP forgiveness platform in 10 days. - Compressing VA loan timelines to match conventional speeds, eliminating realtor discrimination against service members in competitive housing markets. - Proposing CRA credit incentives for banks offering small-dollar loans to compete with 200%+ interest payday lenders around bases.

Sasha Seymore, Co-founder & President at Ethos, walked onto the UNC basketball team as a senior, struggled with outdated playbook training, and turned that frustration into a company that cuts military schoolhouse failure rates by two-thirds while saving millions per location. His co-founder Andrew was student body president studying active learning pedagogy, and together they built a platform that measures knowledge gaps impacting performance rather than just tracking completion. The dual-use approach serves defense, life sciences, manufacturing, and retail customers with one unifying principle: accelerating time to competency on critical knowledge that directly affects performance outcomes. Sasha’s experience as a Navy reservist with the Defense Innovation Unit gives him essential customer empathy and insight into institutional problems that outsiders miss. The five-year vision centers on becoming the comprehensive training and readiness platform as new weapon systems roll out faster than traditional training can accommodate. Topics discussed: - The parallel training methodologies between championship athletic programs and military operational readiness that focus on measuring knowledge gaps before performance day. - The transition from SBIR Phase 2 directed funding through AFWERX and Naval X to 20-25 Phase 3 contracts by demonstrating measurable cost savings and readiness improvements. - How Navy reservist experience with the Defense Innovation Unit provides essential customer empathy and insight into institutional problems that pure technologists miss. - The strategic decision to focus on operational readiness tools rather than compliance platforms by prioritizing critical knowledge that directly impacts performance outcomes. - The dual-use platform strategy that serves defense, life sciences, manufacturing, and retail customers while maintaining product focus on performance-critical training. - How AI-powered content authoring converts physical playbooks and subject matter expert knowledge into interactive training modules in days rather than months. - Why readiness dashboards that surface knowledge gaps in real-time enable instructors to correct misconceptions before exams. - The challenge of training soldiers on new weapon systems at the speed of technological advancement when passive learning models cannot close the gap. - Why diverse team composition combining military veterans and private-sector technologists creates better products than homogeneous backgrounds focused solely on either domain.

Zone 5 Technologies cut cruise missile costs from $1.5 million to $200,000 by rethinking not just the engineering, but how you build the supply chain and factory floor around cost targets from day one. Thomas Akers, CEO, shares how his team goes from contract award to weapon flight in 4 months by keeping engineers right next to the production line, writing all their own software, and doing machining in-house. When a problem hits the shop floor, an engineer can be there in a minute. The real insight is what he calls their ”production-focused requirement set.” Instead of designing for maximum performance and then figuring out how to build it, they start with manufacturing rate targets and work backward. Every design decision serves the question: how fast can we make this weapon at scale? Topics discussed: - Reducing cruise missile costs from $1.5 million to $200,000 through production-focused design and vertical manufacturing integration. - Achieving contract-to-flight timelines of 4 months by co-locating engineers with production staff and maintaining tight feedback loops. - Implementing ”production-focused requirement sets” that prioritize manufacturing rate targets over maximum performance optimization in weapon design. - Building affordable mass missiles using turbojet propulsion at 0.7 Mach and 25,000 feet for 500-nautical-mile range capabilities. - Operating as a bootstrap company for 14 years without outside investors to maintain long-term strategic flexibility and control. - Leveraging America’s existing machine shop network instead of competing for capacity at specialized defense manufacturing facilities. - Navigating government acquisition through OTA contracts while maintaining proprietary software development and avoiding open-source security risks.

What happens when China sanctions your drone company? For Skydio, it became the catalyst for complete supply chain independence and battle-tested technology that now guides Ukrainian artillery strikes. Mark Valentine, Global Head of National Security Strategy, breaks down the story for Dave: when their drones in Ukraine failed due to single-band radios and GPS dependence, his team made 36 field visits over two years, embedded Ukrainian engineers, and developed Asimov software enabling complete GPS-jammed operation with frequency-hopping radios. But the real revelation isn’t military, it’s civilian. While the DoD debates drone strategy, law enforcement has already cracked the code. New York City operates 600 dock-based drones integrated with ShotSpotter and domain awareness systems. Single operators supervise unlimited robots through connected systems and dock-based persistence — capabilities the military avoids due to connectivity phobia. Mark also offers his leadership framework, distilled from Microsoft’s Satya Nadella, centers on distinguishing ”two-way door” decisions (reversible, move fast) from ”one-way door” decisions (irreversible, deliberate carefully). This becomes critical in startups where you’re making calls alone without institutional backup: speed depends entirely on recognizing which type of decision you’re facing. Topics discussed: - Building GPS-denied navigation capabilities and frequency-hopping radios after Ukraine deployment failures exposed drone limitations. - Implementing two-way door versus one-way door decision framework for rapid startup execution without institutional backup support. - Deploying 600 dock-based drones integrated with ShotSpotter systems for 28-second autonomous response in New York City. - Creating platform extensibility through four USB-C hardpoints enabling third-party sensors from grenade droppers to life preservers. - Achieving complete supply chain independence from Chinese suppliers after sanctions targeting Taiwan fire department support. - Enabling single-operator supervision of unlimited drones through connected systems versus the military’s disconnected one-to-one approach. - Developing obstacle avoidance AI using six fisheye cameras and eight-layer neural networks for autonomous flight capabilities.

Defense contractors assume they understand CMMC assessments, but Matt Bruggeman, Director of GTM Federal at A-LIGN, has a harsh reality check for them: organizations consistently arrive for certification without basic documentation like authorization boundaries or data flow diagrams. The gap between CMMC perception and assessment reality is creating a compliance crisis, he tells Dave. A-LIGN operates as a top-3 FedRAMP assessor and C3PAO, giving Matt unique visibility into federal compliance across multiple frameworks. His unconventional background combining electrical engineering from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base with professional improv comedy shaped his approach to explaining complex technical requirements through clear communication. Topics discussed: - The assessment methodology uses NIST 800-171A that evaluates 320 assessment objectives rather than just 110 controls, requiring organizations to prove compliance across significantly more granular requirements. - External service provider scope issues that consistently trip up organizations during assessments, particularly around MSP, MSSP, and cloud service relationships that require FedRAMP authorization or equivalent. - C3PAO backlog management and timing strategies, with smaller assessors facing 3-9 month delays while larger firms like A-LIGN maintain shorter timelines through strategic CCA and CCP resource investments. - The three-bucket cost structure of CMMC compliance covering infrastructure changes, readiness process management, and assessment fees ranging from $40,000-$80,000 depending on scope complexity. - Phase 1 documentation review failures where organizations arrive without basic elements like system security plans, authorization boundaries, or data flow diagrams for CUI handling. - Readiness partner selection criteria and the risks of attempting internal-only compliance approaches that result in failed assessments and doubled costs for remediation. - The relationship between compliance frameworks and actual security posture, including how feedback during public comment periods can influence framework development and practical implementation. - FedRAMP equivalency requirements for cloud service providers handling CUI, including the December 2023 DoD memo defining the single pathway through 3PAO assessment against FedRAMP moderate baseline. - Early C3PAO engagement advantages including assessment planning coordination, partner network efficiencies, and pricing benefits for organizations working with vetted readiness partners.

Venus Aerospace achieved the first flight of a high-thrust rotating detonation rocket engine, proving that decades of theoretical research can translate into breakthrough propulsion technology. Sassie Duggleby, CEO & Co-founder, tells Dave about conducting eight engine tests per day while maintaining manufacturing, mission control, and testing in the same facility compressed development timelines from decades into four years. The breakthrough enables rockets to operate with 67% propellant instead of the industry standard 90%, creating massive payload advantages for defense applications. Sassie shares their strategic pivot from commercial hypersonic travel to defense applications as geopolitical realities shifted, and how combining detonation technology with ramjet systems creates single engines capable of accelerating from takeoff to Mach 5 with no moving parts. She also addresses advanced fundraising strategies for deep tech companies and regulatory challenges including FAA limitations that forced them to throttle capable systems during testing. Topics discussed: - The technical breakthrough of rotating detonation rocket engines that achieve supersonic combustion while reducing propellant requirements from 90% to 67% of total system weight. - Rapid iteration methodologies that enable eight engine tests per day through integrated manufacturing, mission control, and testing facilities at Houston Spaceport. - Proprietary thermal management solutions that prevent detonation engines from melting during sustained operation at supersonic combustion temperatures. - Strategic pivoting from commercial hypersonic travel applications to defense programs including missiles, drones, and orbital transfer vehicles as market conditions evolved. - Combined detonation-ramjet engine systems that enable single powerplants to accelerate from takeoff to Mach 5 with no moving parts. - Deep tech fundraising strategies for transitioning from R&D-focused companies to production-scale operations while maintaining investor confidence during market downturns. - Regulatory navigation challenges in hypersonic flight testing, including FAA speed limitations and the development of commercial test ranges for advanced propulsion systems. - The formation and operation of support networks for female aerospace founders in an industry where women represent only 10-11% of the workforce. - Scaling challenges for breakthrough propulsion technologies, including IP protection strategies and the transition from academic research to commercial applications.

America’s defense innovation pipeline has a massive bottleneck that most people don’t even realize exists: the infrastructure access problem that prevents our best technology companies and cleared talent from working on classified programs. Sean Blackman, Co-founder & CEO at Nooks, experienced this firsthand as a Navy F-18 pilot trying to get non-traditional companies onto classified contracts, only to discover the catch-22 that has plagued defense innovation for decades. His solution is treating classified infrastructure like cloud computing rather than requiring bespoke facilities Sean’s journey from the cockpit to Meta’s anti-misinformation team to highlights why traditional approaches to classified work infrastructure are failing at scale. With 5 million Americans now holding security clearances compared to hundreds of thousands decades ago, the old model of one company, one contract, one SCIF simply doesn’t work anymore. The conversation with Dave explores how Nooks is building a network of shared classified facilities that companies can access for $500 per user per month — less than the cost of flying across the country to use traditional SCIFs. Topics discussed: - The fundamental chicken-and-egg problem preventing non-traditional defense companies from accessing classified work due to SCIF requirements versus contract prerequisites. - How the shift from hundreds of thousands to 5 million Americans with security clearances has broken the traditional bespoke infrastructure model that worked for smaller cleared populations. - The strategic application of fractional biotech lab models to classified infrastructure, creating shared facilities that accelerate innovation through increased access and reduced barriers. - Why 60-70% of existing SCIFs face obsolescence under new government standards, creating an unprecedented recapitalization crisis across the defense and intelligence community. - The operational complexity of integrating over 1,000 different classified networks across agencies that historically avoided collaboration by building separate systems. - The dual-use business model that serves both government agencies facing return-to-office challenges and private companies needing classified access without bespoke facility investments. - Mobile SCIF deployment capabilities that can establish classified work environments anywhere in the United States within eight hours, fundamentally changing geographic constraints. - The security advantages of consolidating classified work into professionally managed facilities with dedicated security focus versus thousands of companies interpreting security policy individually. - Why treating security as a revenue center rather than cost center enables investment in advanced protective technologies that exceed traditional facility capabilities.

The underwater domain has become central to great power competition, yet existing autonomous underwater vehicles cost $500,000+ and require teams of specialists to operate single units. Nelson Mills, CEO & Founder of Vatn Systems, and his team have flipped this equation, building vehicles that travel 30+ knots underwater while enabling one operator to deploy hundreds of units with minimal training. Nelson’s experience as an investor proved invaluable not just for fundraising connections, but for understanding what investors seek in defense companies and how to structure deals effectively. His focus on user experience draws from consumer technology principles, recognizing that ease of use and intuitive operation create force multiplication effects that traditional defense contractors often overlook. Topics discussed: - The three-pillar defense sales framework encompassing operator advocacy, program office relationships, and congressional support. - Patent-pending modularity architecture that enables mass production of 2,000+ units annually while supporting diverse payload configurations. - Strategic focus decisions between dual-use applications versus concentrated government market penetration, including resource allocation considerations. - In-house navigation system development to overcome cost constraints of existing high-end solutions while maintaining tactical utility and performance standards. - User experience design principles applied to defense technology, emphasizing intuitive operation and minimal training requirements for force multiplication effects. - Manufacturing digitization through Palantir partnership to identify bottlenecks, supply chain issues, and optimization opportunities in real-time production environments. - Congressional engagement strategies including lobbyist utilization, NDAA language development, and appropriations advocacy as essential components of defense market access. - Valley of death navigation through transitional funding programs while layering products at different technology readiness levels. - Autonomous decision-making capabilities including obstacle avoidance, target recognition through sonar, and mission adaptation without constant human oversight. - Commercial applications in offshore wind, cable monitoring, and energy sector operations as adjacent markets requiring minimal engineering modifications to core vehicle platforms.

The defense industrial base faces a manufacturing crisis that goes far deeper than workforce shortages, and John Albers, President/CEO of Albers Aerospace has positioned his company at the center of solving it. He grew Albers Aerospace from solo systems engineering to a $10 million vertically integrated manufacturer through 12 strategic acquisitions, all funded internally without outside investment until late 2024. His approach reveals how speed, strategic diversification, and long-term thinking can build resilient defense manufacturing capabilities even as traditional approaches struggle with slow cycles and demographic challenges. John tells Dave that he attributes his business philosophy to reading Warren Buffett’s shareholder letters repeatedly after his first business venture failed. Rather than taking distributions, he focused on building company value through acquisitions that provided both capability and customer diversification. The strategy proved prescient as his company evolved from services into weapons manufacturing, now producing components for F-35, F-16, and multiple missile programs while maintaining aircraft integration capabilities through recent acquisitions. Topics discussed: - Strategic acquisition approach that prioritizes customer value over traditional ROI calculations, resulting in 12 company purchases funded through internal cash flow and moderate leverage rather than external investment. - Advanced manufacturing integration combining robotics, digital engineering, and traditional machining to maintain competitiveness while addressing skilled workforce shortages through 21-hour automated operations. - Three-vertical business model balancing industrial manufacturing, defense services for predictable cash flow, and innovation incubation to develop scalable solutions across the organization. - Defense industrial base classification challenges where companies face punitive size restrictions that prevent natural growth from small to large contractor status, limiting competition and industrial capacity. - Workforce development crisis stemming from elimination of vocational training programs, creating artificial scarcity in trades that will drive wage premiums and entrepreneurial opportunities for skilled workers. - Leadership philosophy adaptation from military servant leadership principles to business contexts, emphasizing individual thinking and leadership at every organizational level rather than hierarchical command structures. - Weapons manufacturing diversification strategy touching major programs through specialized components rather than platform-specific focus, providing resilience against program cancellations and budget fluctuations. - Veteran transition challenges requiring complete professional identity reconstruction rather than translating military experience directly into civilian business contexts, emphasizing humility and continuous learning. - Manufacturing cycle management addressing the extended timelines from quoting through material procurement to delivery, requiring sophisticated financial planning and pricing strategies to maintain profitability. - Customer-centric problem solving approach that prioritizes understanding client pain points over presenting predetermined solutions, leveraging acquisition experience to maintain customer perspective throughout business growth.

The Ukrainian conflict revealed a stark reality that should light a fire under American defense planners: modern warfare consumes weapons at rates that would exhaust our entire arsenal in months, not years. In his conversation with Dave on the latest DIB Innovators, Kunal Mehra, President of Scientific Systems, brings a unique perspective to solving this crisis, shaped by his family’s experience fleeing partition-era India and his father’s determination to strengthen democratic nations through advanced technology. Kunal argues that our addiction to ”exquisite systems” has created a fundamental mismatch between 20th century military thinking and 21st century threats. The solution requires abandoning the hardware-defined military model in favor of software-defined capabilities that can rapidly turn commercial platforms into effective weapon systems. Scientific Systems’ CMA platform demonstrates this approach across three layers: individual platform navigation without GPS, collaborative swarm coordination, and cross-domain orchestration. This architecture has proven adaptable from sea floor to space, enabling autonomous kill chain closure from detection to engagement. Topics discussed: - The affordable mass imperative and why exquisite systems fail against distributed threats across vast Pacific distances with adversaries achieving numerical superiority. - CMA software architecture’s three-layer approach: platform-level navigation without GPS, swarm collaboration for complex missions, and cross-domain orchestration for autonomous kill chains. - How underwater development environments naturally replicate contested battlefield conditions, forcing edge-based AI decision making with limited communication and sensor data. - The acquisition system evolution from winner-take-all programs to separated software/hardware procurement with constant competition cycles every six months. - Strategic approaches to crossing the valley of death through end-user demonstration, congressional relationships, and clear value propositions to prime contractors. - Why the defense industrial base needs billion-dollar software companies with developers embedded in operational environments for real-time capability iteration. - The capital allocation shift as venture firms recognize defense market disruption opportunities beyond traditional West Coast unicorns. - Project Replicator and DIU methodologies for rapid capability fielding using OTAs and special authorities to bypass traditional acquisition timelines. - Dual-use technology applications in urban air mobility, industrial automation, and re-industrialization efforts requiring edge-based autonomy capabilities.

When America’s adversaries can outbuild us in ships, what’s our strategic advantage? Paul Lwin, CEO & Co-founder of HAVOCai, shares how his company is revolutionizing maritime operations by creating affordable autonomous vessels that can operate in swarms. As a Myanmar refugee who first saw American uniforms during his evacuation at age 10, Paul brings a unique perspective to defense innovation, combining his military experience with Silicon Valley approaches to solving national security challenges. On this episode of DIB Innovators, Paul tells Dave about how, in just 17 months, HAVOCai has delivered 31 autonomous vessels to the Department of Defense, generated $3 million in revenue without government R&D funding, and demonstrated capabilities that outpace competitors who’ve been in the space for over a decade. Their conversation highlights how defense startups are creating asymmetric advantages for America by leveraging commercial manufacturing capacity, off-the-shelf components, and sophisticated software to transform maritime operations in the Pacific. Topics discussed: - Creating a strategy where adversaries must spend million-dollar missiles to target $100,000 autonomous boats, creating favorable cost exchanges in conflict scenarios. - Leveraging existing American manufacturing capacity and proven commercial components rather than building expensive custom solutions from scratch. - Developing software that enables small teams to control dozens of vessels simultaneously, creating true swarm capabilities rather than the 90% remote-controlled systems offered by competitors. - Abstracting away boat building to focus engineering resources on sophisticated algorithms that enable autonomous decision-making and collaborative behavior. - Implementing theatre-level, sector-level, and unit-level command structures that mirror traditional military organization while integrating autonomous capabilities. - Using autonomous vessels to resupply isolated units on island chains when traditional air logistics would be vulnerable to enemy fire. - Building resilience into autonomous systems that can continue missions for days or months without human input when adversaries jam communications. - Integrating COLREGS compliance for commercial environments while maintaining tactical capabilities for conflict scenarios. - Leveraging the unprecedented convergence of government acquisition reform, venture capital interest in defense, and Silicon Valley technical talent to accelerate innovation. - Creating logistics and manufacturing processes capable of delivering up to 10,000 vessels annually when required for operational deployment.

When Rhys Andersen, Founder & CEO at Method MFG, moved to Texas with an architecture degree, he never imagined he’d end up machining components for spacesuits and rockets. Yet his journey from welding to founding his company exemplifies the untapped potential in American manufacturing. By combining cutting-edge technology with a focus on upskilling his entire team, Rhys has created a manufacturing environment that more closely resembles a tech company than a traditional machine shop — with white walls, white floors, and sophisticated software driving everything from quoting to production. Rhys also shares with Dave his practical experience building a bootstrapped manufacturing company servicing aerospace and defense clients, including his counterintuitive approach to workforce development and the technologies revolutionizing production. His insights demonstrate why manufacturing’s image problem is holding back America’s industrial base, and how rebranding machining as the tech profession it truly is could help solve critical workforce shortages. Topics discussed: - Bootstrapping a capital-intensive manufacturing business by purchasing used equipment at a fraction of the cost for new pieces, while supplementing income through with other work to fund the company’s early growth. - The transformation of machining into a tech profession where white-collar programmers operate sophisticated 5-axis equipment and automation cells rather than traditional machine operators. - Creating comprehensive cross-training programs to eliminate single points of failure by ensuring every machinist can program and operate the company’s most sophisticated equipment. - Leveraging technology as a multiplier through automation cells with robots that can change their own end effectors to handle everything from small vises to 900 kg pallets for unattended overnight production. - The critical role of process documentation using iPads in the shop to capture setup photos and detailed notes, creating an institutional knowledge repository that prevents ”reinventing the wheel” with repeat jobs. - Strategic vertical integration decisions like building an in-house anodizing line to control quality and turnaround times for quick-turn aerospace components rather than relying on external vendors. - Managing complex stress patterns in large aerospace components by creating strategic relief cuts and adapting clamping approaches to ensure finished parts maintain tolerance despite internal material stresses. - The potential of AI-driven programming to automate routine aspects of CAM while allowing machinists to focus on more creative problem-solving and complex machining strategies. - Rebranding manufacturing careers through educational partnerships showing students that modern machining involves sophisticated software, 5-axis programming, and automation rather than traditional manual labor.

President & COO Matthew Malone’s journey from solving locomotive failures in Indonesia to leading Graham Manufacturing offers rare insight into how technical expertise transforms into business leadership. In this episode of DIB Innovators, Matthew tells Dave how Graham bridges the innovation gap between rapid-iteration space technology and methodical defense requirements while manufacturing critical components for Columbia-class submarines and Ford-class carriers. His perspective challenges conventional thinking about workforce development, supply chain management, and the often-overlooked IT infrastructure that enables entire organizations to function effectively. Topics discussed: - How technical problem-solving skills translate directly to business strategy, with Matthew’s background in mechanical engineering enabling both relationship-building and physics-based risk management. - Strategies for convincing rapid-iteration innovators to work within methodical defense frameworks while using advanced computational fluid dynamics to redesign legacy systems. - How connecting 3D design environments directly to production eliminates paper-based processes, enabling much faster concept-to-prototype cycles and more efficient system architecture design. - Implementing apprenticeship programs for machinist development while restructuring teams around complementary strengths rather than searching for individual employees who can do it all. - Treating suppliers as team members by extending resources, deploying manufacturing engineers to improve their processes, and working with government agencies to secure funding for dual-sourcing critical components. - Managing supply chain risks around rare earth metals for electrification and advanced power electronics, where component differences between vendors can be the difference between product success and failure. - The methodical process of demonstrating value to defense customers, from execution within existing structures to proposing improvements that deliver tangible benefits in cost, lead time, or obsolescence management. - Why many leaders focus exclusively on domain-specific capabilities while neglecting the critical systems that allow hundreds of employees to collaborate effectively across the organization.

The race to protect America’s orbital assets is accelerating, and Agile Space Industries is providing the engines needed for rapid spacecraft maneuverability. In this episode of DIB Innovators, CEO Chris Pearson walks Dave through how decades-old chemical propulsion technology is finding new relevance as Space Force openly prepares for potential conflict in space. Through vertical integration combining additive manufacturing and in-house test facilities, Agile has achieved 50% annual growth, turning a garage operation into a company with $42 million in backlog. Chris also shares his journey from UK space engineer to Colorado-based entrepreneur, building multiple successful companies before taking the helm at Agile. His insights on scaling hardware businesses through strategic funding combinations — from non-dilutive SBIR grants to strategic investments from defense primes — provide a masterclass in defense technology commercialization. As Agile expands with a new facility in Tulsa, Chris also offers candid perspectives on managing the cultural transition from innovative startup to production-focused manufacturer while maintaining the speed that gives them their edge in the market. Topics discussed: - How national security space requirements have shifted from satellite deployment to preparing for potential orbital conflict, creating demand for rapid-maneuverability propulsion. - The technical limitations of electric propulsion for military applications, with chemical propulsion providing the immediate thrust needed for threat response and evasive maneuvers. - Leveraging additive manufacturing to condense propulsion system development cycles from months to days by printing complex. geometries impossible with traditional subtractive manufacturing - Creating vertical integration through in-house test facilities that eliminate industry bottlenecks and enable rapid iteration between design and qualification testing. - Strategic capital raising approach combining non-dilutive funding, strategic investment, and commercial revenue to maintain favorable terms. - Balancing the triple funding strategy of government investment, commercial partner funding, and internal R&D to accelerate commercialization while maintaining IP ownership. - Managing organizational evolution from garage operation to volume manufacturer while retaining innovation speed and preventing analysis paralysis. - Building transparent customer relationships around risk management for first-of-kind space technologies, rather than promising unrealistic certainty in performance. - Diversifying from component supply to full propulsion systems and launch logistics services to capture more of the rapidly expanding space operations value chain.

Samuel Semwangu, CEO of Bazze, provides his insider perspective on the revolution happening in defense intelligence collection that most Americans aren’t seeing. Bazze federates queries across dozens of commercial data vendors, delivering intelligence insights in seconds that previously took days. He also explains why the Ukraine war has become the ultimate proof point for commercial intelligence adoption and why our allies are moving faster than the US in embracing these technologies. Samuel tells Dave his journey from spending a decade in the national security community to now at Bazze, highlighting the evolution of exclusive intelligence collection methods of the early 2000s that are now commercially available. His platform enables defense and intelligence organizations to pay only for the specific data they need rather than purchasing entire datasets that might go unused. Beyond technology, Samuel offers surprising insights into why personnel management systems and misaligned incentives are the true obstacles to defense innovation.  Topics discussed: - The transformation of global intelligence gathering through commercially available data that was once exclusive to government agencies, with Bazze enabling access to two dozen commercial data sources through a single platform. - How Ukraine has become the definitive proof point for commercial intelligence adoption, demonstrating how commercially available satellite and cell phone data combined with affordable platforms can neutralize advanced military hardware. - Why US allies are adopting commercial intelligence technologies faster than the US: their budgets are smaller, and they’re in the “splash zone” of Russia and China. - The structural problem of defense innovation funding, with only approximately 1% of the defense budget dedicated to innovative companies addressing critical national security challenges. - How the post-WWII personnel management system, with constant rotations and outdated incentives, actively works against innovation adoption in defense and intelligence communities. - The disincentivization of adopting unclassified technologies in intelligence organizations where career advancement is tied to conducting classified operations rather than filling intelligence gaps effectively. - Strategies for crossing the ”valley of death” in defense tech by building partnerships with established players like Palantir, Valenvar, and Deloitte who are already embedded with target users. - The evolution of data partner relationships in defense tech, where Bazze provides value by establishing government contracts and paying data providers on a per-query basis, dramatically reducing their customer acquisition costs. - How AI is integrated into every element of Bazze’s platform, enabling untrained analysts to accomplish in minutes what experienced analysts previously needed days or weeks to complete.

In a rapidly changing geopolitical landscape, Lt. Gen. Nahom, brings invaluable perspective on how Arctic security, budget realities, and emerging technologies are reshaping military strategy. In this episode of DIB Innovators, Lt. Gen. Nahom offers Dave unique insights into why the Arctic has become a critical frontier for national security while climate change creates new opportunities for competition between major powers. His experience as the Air Force A8 provides a candid look at why the military struggles to rapidly adopt innovative technologies despite having seemingly large budgets and highlights the difficult trade-offs between maintaining aging fleets and investing in modernization. Lt. Gen. Nahom’s firsthand account of the Chinese surveillance balloon incident reveals significant domain awareness gaps in detecting unconventional threats, while his strategic advice for small defense companies — partner directly with combatant commands rather than individual services — offers a practical roadmap for navigating the ”valley of death” in defense innovation. Topics discussed: - How climate change is transforming the Arctic into a strategic battleground as retreating sea ice creates new shipping lanes that cut 10-14 days off transit between Asian and European ports, opening economic opportunities that bring competition and potential crisis. - The misconception about military budgets illustrated through the ”pass-through” phenomenon, where intelligence agency funding appears in Air Force numbers but isn’t actually controlled by the service, leaving single-digit percentage budget flexibility for innovation. - Why maintaining multiple aging aircraft fleets creates unsustainable weapon system sustainment costs, forcing difficult decisions about vertical fleet cuts to enable modernization. - The domain awareness challenges exposed by the Chinese balloon incident, highlighting gaps in detecting and responding to unconventional threats that don’t match traditional expectations of attack vectors. - The cost asymmetry problem in modern warfare where adversaries deploy $1,000 drones that require $500,000 missiles to defeat, necessitating more cost-effective counter-UAS solutions. - Why small defense companies struggle to cross the ”valley of death” from initial AFWERX/SBIR funding to program of record, requiring partnerships between combatant commands and OSD to secure additional funding pathways. - The critical need for predictability in maintenance and training schedules for aging fleets, which can dramatically improve aircraft availability and readiness virtually overnight when implemented correctly. - How data integration rather than new platforms will transform warfare by 2030, enabling legacy systems like B-52s to work seamlessly with advanced platforms by closing hundreds if not thousands of kill chains inside a vulnerability period. - The strategic imperative of reducing fleet types from seven distinct fighter fleets to four to cut maintenance and logistics costs while enabling faster modernization. - The contrasting lessons from Ukraine and Israel conflicts versus the ”ultimate away game” in the South China Sea, where geographic distances create fundamentally different operational challenges that many technological solutions from current conflicts won’t address.