The Future of GovCon

Jake Frazer
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Government contracting is changing fast—driven by foreign policy shifts, new technology, and major talent moves. The Future of GovCon is your front-row seat to the leaders shaping what’s next. Hosted by Jake Frazer, CEO of Precision Talent Solutions, the show features candid conversations with CXOs, Flag Officers, diplomats, and innovators across defense, intelligence, space, and cybersecurity. Most of us only see from our own foxhole—this podcast pulls the camera back to show the whole battlefield, offering clear insights without spin or partisanship.

  1. Episode 51

    The Defense Supply Chain Has Zero Capacity for What's Coming | Patrick Malcor, Ajax Defense

    Season 2 kicks off with the guest who kicked off Season 1. Patrick Malcor, PTS Co-Founder and Founder & CEO of Ajax Defense, returns to talk defense manufacturing: the tier 2 and tier 3 suppliers who actually make the parts for Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and BAE Systems. With Tomahawk production set to go from about 60 missiles a year to more than 1,000, Patrick explains why the supply chain has almost no room to absorb that demand, and what it will take to rebuild it. Jake and Patrick cover why the defense industrial base has 40% fewer small suppliers than it did 20 years ago, why short-term private equity thinking won't meet the moment, how Ajax is investing in people, process, and technology, and why veterans are central to its hiring. Patrick also picks a new word for the future of GovCon, and nominates who should be next in the guest chair. New episodes every week. Timestamps 00:00 Season 2 kickoff 02:09 What Ajax Defense does 03:57 Is defense manufacturing really booming? 06:07 Why supplier relationships beat badge flips 07:46 40% fewer suppliers in 20 years 12:51 A year of shutdowns, budgets, and acquisition change 16:25 Tomahawks and the coming demand wave 18:09 How Ajax is scaling 22:31 Long-term capital for the industrial base 25:24 Talent: the number one constraint 27:41 Veterans in defense manufacturing 29:15 One word, and the rise of the neo primes 31:51 The biggest change coming 34:27 The magic wand 36:03 Budget stability and shifting priorities 42:01 Who should be next? 45:06 Closing thoughts Links Connect with Patrick Malcor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickmalcor/ Ajax Defense: https://www.ajax-defense.com/ Connect with Jake Frazer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakefrazer/ Precision Talent Solutions: https://pts.careers All episodes: https://pts.careers/en/podcast Listen and subscribe Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1838189132 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0aMgbnT4lLK1BVPqqYG32A

  2. Episode 52

    You Can't Deter With Just a Shield: NATO's Space Gap, with MG (Ret.) Devin Pepper

    About 80% of NATO's space capability comes from the United States, and the Alliance doesn't fly its own satellites anymore. So who fills the gap? Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Devin Pepper, the first US Space Force general officer assigned to NATO and former Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and Policy at NATO Allied Command Transformation, joins Jake Frazer to explain where NATO stands in space, and where industry fits in. Devin went from enlisted airman to two-star general over 37 years, with stops in ICBM operations, cyber, and space. He covers what a day without space looks like, why deterrence needs a sword as well as a shield, whether an attack in space could trigger Article 5, and how commercial companies can get in front of NATO buyers. New episodes every week. Timestamps 00:00 You can't deter with just a shield 01:02 Welcome 02:45 Colorado Springs, the home of US space 05:11 First Space Force general officer at NATO 06:28 From enlisted airman to two-star general 10:57 A space officer on the ground in Fallujah 12:34 Missile warning and the Al Asad attack 15:47 Where NATO stands in space 19:20 Why NATO relies on nations and commercial space 21:29 How industry can support NATO in space 24:57 Ukraine, Starlink, and attacks in every domain 27:57 Why deterrence needs a sword 30:04 Could an attack in space trigger Article 5? 32:18 How the US stacks up against Russia and China 36:03 NATO's commercial front door 39:06 Assigning space targets to nations 40:51 The biggest change coming: AI 42:41 The magic wand: faster acquisition 46:18 How Devin can help industry 47:52 Closing thoughts Links Connect with Devin Pepper: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maj-gen-ret-devin-pepper-9b390238/ Connect with Jake Frazer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakefrazer/ Precision Talent Solutions: https://pts.careers All episodes: https://pts.careers/en/podcast Read the transcript: Listen and subscribe Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1838189132 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0aMgbnT4lLK1BVPqqYG32A #NATO #SpaceForce #SpaceDefense #GovCon #NationalSecurity

  3. Episode 53

    Beyond AI: The Tech Quietly Reshaping Federal IT | Rohit Gupta, CEO of Aretum

    Everyone in GovCon is talking about AI. Rohit Gupta wants to talk about everything else. Rohit, CEO of Aretum and a technologist to the core, joins Jake Frazer to walk through the technology quietly reshaping federal IT: platform engineering, software supply chain security, cloud native operations, observability, and the race to post-quantum cryptography. They also cover Rohit's path from Mumbai to founding Artemis Consulting, why Aretum built its own R&D lab years before the government asked for prototypes, the CMMC pause, whether a 9/11-scale cyber attack is coming, and why the government now wants solutions, not bodies. New episodes every week. Timestamps 00:00 Solutions, not bodies 01:09 Welcome 03:07 Growing up in Mumbai 05:32 Federal tech in the early 90s 07:31 From PwC to government contracting 09:55 Joining Aretum and becoming CEO 11:04 Aretum's four capability pillars 13:19 Life as a mid-size GovCon company 14:38 Aretum Labs and prototyping 18:31 Beyond AI: platform engineering 20:25 Software supply chain security 21:55 Cloud native operations and observability 23:30 Quantum and post-quantum cryptography 25:09 The CMMC pause 26:37 Is a 9/11-scale cyber attack coming? 28:55 How Aretum is adapting 30:55 The Feinberg memo and lower barriers to entry 32:02 Where Aretum is headed 33:46 The biggest change coming 34:51 The magic wand 37:00 How it all fits together Links Connect with Rohit Gupta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guptarohit/ Aretum: https://aretum.com Connect with Jake Frazer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakefrazer/ Precision Talent Solutions: https://pts.careers All episodes: https://pts.careers/en/podcast Listen and subscribe Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1838189132 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0aMgbnT4lLK1BVPqqYG32A #GovCon #FederalIT #Cybersecurity #QuantumComputing #DevSecOps

  4. Episode 54

    The Western Hemisphere Is Back. Is Industry Ready? | Ambassador Jimmy Story

    Plan Colombia helped save a democracy in South America. Could the same approach work in Venezuela? Ambassador (Ret.) Jimmy Story spent 27 years at the State Department, including five years leading US engagement on Venezuela as chargé d'affaires and then ambassador. He joins Jake Frazer to explain why the Western Hemisphere is back at the center of US policy, and what that means for government contractors. They cover lessons from Plan Colombia, why policy needs to outlast any one administration, how to enter the Latin American market, critical minerals, competing with China, and where the biggest opportunities are now. Recorded before Brazil's October 25 runoff, which Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won. New episodes every week. Timestamps 00:00 Intro 00:58 Welcome 01:42 Home in the Lowcountry 03:10 27 years at the State Department 04:51 How a birthday card led to the Foreign Service 07:00 From environmental policy to Afghanistan 08:55 Plan Colombia and the FARC 09:37 How INL relies on industry 11:50 A Plan Colombia for Venezuela 14:05 The Western Hemisphere back in focus 16:38 Why policy needs to outlast administrations 18:05 How to enter the Latin American market 21:05 Critical minerals and foreign policy 23:56 Who is America's strongest ally in the region? 26:48 Competing with China 30:10 Toward a Western Hemisphere alliance? 31:52 Opportunities for industry 34:15 The biggest change coming 36:20 Closing thoughts Links Connect with Jimmy Story: [LinkedIn link] Global Frontier Advisors: https://globalfrontieradvisors.com Jimmy's Atlantic Council piece on Venezuela: https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/dispatches/washington-needs-a-plan-venezuela-before-its-too-late/ Connect with Jake Frazer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakefrazer/ Precision Talent Solutions: https://pts.careers All episodes: https://pts.careers/en/podcast Read the transcript: Listen and subscribe Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1838189132 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0aMgbnT4lLK1BVPqqYG32A

See All Season 2 (4)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Government contracting is changing fast—driven by foreign policy shifts, new technology, and major talent moves. The Future of GovCon is your front-row seat to the leaders shaping what’s next. Hosted by Jake Frazer, CEO of Precision Talent Solutions, the show features candid conversations with CXOs, Flag Officers, diplomats, and innovators across defense, intelligence, space, and cybersecurity. Most of us only see from our own foxhole—this podcast pulls the camera back to show the whole battlefield, offering clear insights without spin or partisanship.

Information

  • Creator
    Jake Frazer
  • Episodes
    61
  • Seasons
    1
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Jake Frazer
  • Show Website
    The Future of GovCon

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