Tech Unmanned CSIS

Join Kaitlyn and guest co-host Rose Butchart for the final episode of Season 1! This engaging conversation focused on the Navy’s approach to developing and acquiring emerging technologies. Kaitlyn and Rose are joined by Ms. Joan Johnson, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Navy RDT&E and CAPT Ben Van Buskirk, Director at NavalX. This conversation was a culmination and deep dive into acquisition, autonomy, engaging with small businesses, and the future of warfare.

References

CSIS Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group: 2021 Defense Acquisition Trends: Topline DoD Trends after a Half Decade of Growth


CSIS Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group: Department of Defense Other Transaction Authority Trends: A New R&D Funding Paradigm?


Department of the Navy’s Strategy for Intelligent Autonomous Systems

Join Kaitlyn and guest co-host Army Colonel Danielle Ngo for this critical conversation of how the U.S. Army is approaching emerging technologies. Kaitlyn and Danielle are joined by Major General Richard Coffman, Brigadier General Glenn Dean, and Dr. Kimberly Sablon, all of Army Futures Command. The conversation focuses on the Army’s people-first approach, and how emerging technologies will enable our soldiers on and off the battlefield.

Experts
Major General Richard Coffman, Director, Next Generation Combat Vehicle
Brigadier General Glenn Dean, Program Executive Officer (PEO) Ground Combat Systems
Dr. Kimberly Sablon, Director for Science and Technology at the Army Futures Command

References

https://armyfuturescommand.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/armyfutures

https://twitter.com/armyfutures

https://www.facebook.com/ArmyFutures

A special episode release from Tech Unmanned! As part of the 2021 #NSGSCon (with NatSecGirlSquad) in December, Kaitlyn recorded a live-podcast with guest expert Dr. Regan Campbell, the General Manager of Autonomous and Advanced Naval Platforms at L3 Harris. Picking up where we left off with the previous autonomy episode, this conversation dives deep into the challenges and opportunities of naval autonomous platforms including onboard data processing and threat detection, maneuverability, and the Navy’s ability to integrate these systems into their current force structure.

Join Kaitlyn and guest co-host Becca Wasser (fellow in the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security) as they discuss the emerging technology priorities of the Department of the Air Force. They are joined by Major General Heather Pringle, Commander at the Air Force Research Laboratory and Colonel Nathan Diller, Director of AFWERX. 
References


Battle Networks and the Future Force: Part 1 by Todd Harrison


Battle Networks and the Future Force: Part 2 by Todd Harrison


The Air Force of the Future by Todd Harrison

Opportunities for Students & Faculty with AFRL

AFRL Scholars Program

Join Kaitlyn and Lindsey as they talk about the future of the workplace and the STEM workforce.

Expert guests, Dr. Vint Cerf, Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist for Google, and Jennifer Anastasoff, Executive Director and Co-founder at Tech Talent Project, talk with the Tech Unmanned hosts about the nuances about the critical nature of the STEM workforce. Does DoD and the national security community have the authority, motivation, and development pipeline to sustain and engage a future STEM workforce? Hear what Vint and Jennifer have to say, as well as a wrap up from Lindsey and Kaitlyn breaking down the conversation further.

References


To Compete, Invest in People: Retaining the U.S. Defense Enterprise’s Technical Workforce by Lindsey R. Sheppard, Morgan Dwyer, Melissa Dalton, and Angelina Hidalgo (https://www.csis.org/analysis/compete-invest-people-retaining-us-defense-enterprises-technical-workforce)


National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence Final Report (https://www.nscai.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Full-Report-Digital-1.pdf)


Memos for a Tech Transition by the Tech Talent Project (https://techtalentproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MemosForATechTransition_ExecutiveSummaries_TechTalentProject_10.16.20.pdf)


Future of Defense Task Force Report (https://armedservices.house.gov/_cache/files/2/6/26129500-d208-47ba-a9f7-25a8f82828b0/424EB2008281A3C79BA8C7EA71890AE9.future-of-defense-task-force-report.pdf)


Workforce Now by the Defense Innovation Board (https://media.defense.gov/2019/Oct/31/2002204196/-1/-1/0/WORKFORCE_NOW.PDF)

Guests Amelie Koran, formerly the Senior Technology Advisor at Splunk and now Director of External Technology Relations at Electronic Arts (EA), and Lauren Bedula, Managing Director at Beacon Global Strategies and an Executive Board Member with the Silicon Valley Defense Group, debunk myths, highlight areas of tension, and offer insights into how to improve the relationship between two cultures that are often framed as worlds apart.
References

Executive Order (EO) on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity (https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/05/12/executive-order-on-improving-the-nations-cybersecurity/)