Exiger Exchange with Kit Conklin

Kit Conklin

Get ready for a front-row seat into how policy is formed. Hosted by Exiger’s Kit Conklin, Exiger Exchange is a limited edition podcast series that also prepares you for what comes next. In an era defined by geopolitical competition, economic fragmentation, and rapid technological change, the forces shaping global policy are no longer distant—they are embedded directly in supply chains, markets, and corporate decision-making. Each session of Exiger Exchange offers a candid, forward-looking dialogue on the issues defining today’s risk environment—from economic statecraft and export controls to energy security, emerging technology, and global trade realignment.

Episodes

  1. 1d ago

    Factory Floor Warfare: Why America’s Drone Gap Is a Supply Chain Problem. With Brett Freedman

    The next defense advantage may come down to who can build, replace, and adapt faster. Brett Freedman, Senior Director of Emerging Technology at the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology, fellow at the Strauss Center for International Security and Law,  Partner at Gray Space Strategies, and a former senior national security official across DOJ, NSA, the White House, and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, joins Kit Conklin to examine why drones, batteries, export controls, and enforcement now sit at the center of economic security and thus national security. From Ukraine’s drone lessons and U.S. manufacturing constraints to FISA 702, CFIUS, and DOJ’s National Security Division, hear why companies need to take risks and work with government to tackle the choke points our adversaries still control.

    Factory Floor Warfare: Why America’s Drone Gap Is a Supply Chain Problem. With Brett Freedman

  2. Jul 23

    McDonald’s, Not Microchips: The New Rules of Trade with China. With Michael Sobolik

    America does not need to stop selling McDonald’s hamburgers in China, but the West does need to think differently about derisking critical supply chains, capital markets, and trade. In this episode, Hudson Institute Senior Fellow and author Michael Sobolik joins Kit Conklin to examine the uneasy balance between U.S.-China economic engagement and strategic competition. From the ongoing trade detente to the Trump-Xi summit and new economic security restrictions, the conversation explores where CEOs should draw the line between pursuing growth in China and protecting the technologies, infrastructure, and industrial capacity that underpins U.S. and Western national security.

    McDonald’s, Not Microchips: The New Rules of Trade with China. With Michael Sobolik

  3. Jul 9

    The Australian Diplomat Who Made Memes Serious Business

    Geopolitical intelligence used to live in classified government briefings. Jeremy Dicker took it mainstream and made it enjoyable to read. He spent 14 years as an Australian diplomat, received Peru's Presidential Order of Merit, then co-founded International Intrigue, now read by hundreds of thousands of leaders worldwide, from prime ministers to Fortune 500 CEOs. It's written by ex-diplomats and takes under 5 meme-worthy minutes to read. Kit talks with Jeremy about why every country is rewriting its trade playbook, how Australia's standoff with Chinese economic coercion changed the game, which countries CEOs should be watching right now, and why "raw brain power" has become one of the most fought-over exports in geopolitics.

    The Australian Diplomat Who Made Memes Serious Business

  4. Jul 2

    He Wrote "Courage Can Save US." Can It Save Congress? With Rye Barcott

    America’s 250th anniversary raises a harder question than how to celebrate: what kind of courage does self-government still require? Rye Barcott, Marine veteran, author of Courage Can Save US, and co-founder and CEO of With Honor, joins Kit Conklin to discuss why trust, service, and durable bipartisan work still matter in national security, biotechnology, shipbuilding, mental health, and national service. From Stoicism and Socrates to the For Country Caucus, the NDAA, and one five-minute act of civic courage, the conversation makes the case for public service that can withstand political cost. What You’ll Hear ·      Why Rye defines courage as taking a conscious risk in service of something larger than yourself ·      How veteran leaders are building trust across party lines in Congress ·      Why bipartisan legislation is harder to pass, but more likely to last ·      Where courage shows up in national security, biotechnology, shipbuilding, mental health, and national service ·      A concrete America 250 challenge: thank someone whose courage changed your life Resources Mentioned Courage Can Save US: Ten Extraordinary Americans and the Fight for Our Future by Rye Barcott https://couragecansaveus.com/ https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/courage-can-save-us-9798260200582/ With Honor https://withhonor.org/ For Country Caucus https://withhonor.org/for-country-caucus/ National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology https://www.biotech.senate.gov/ America250 https://america250.org/ Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library https://www.trlibrary.com/ Meditations by Marcus Aurelius https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2680 Guest Links You can find Rye Barcott at With Honor: https://withhonor.org/, learn more about his book at https://couragecansaveus.com/, and find the publisher page for Courage Can Save US at https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/courage-can-save-us-9798260200582/. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryebarcott/ Learn More About Exiger Learn more about Exiger's supply chain AI: https://www.exiger.com/

    He Wrote "Courage Can Save US." Can It Save Congress? With Rye Barcott

  5. Jun 25

    The Defense Tech Unicorn Tracking Biological Threats

    CEO Matt McKnight joins Exiger Exchange to talk about the next frontier of national security: biology. He is a Marine Corps veteran, and former CCO of the now publicly-traded Gingko Bioworks. Matt's new business is a unicorn called Perimeter, a company focused on defending against biological threats. In this episode, we discuss why biosecurity is starting to look a lot like cybersecurity did in the 1990s - an untapped market, misunderstood, and about to become essential. Matt explains how advances in AI and bioengineering are changing the risk landscape, why governments and companies need “bio threat radar,” and how biological intelligence could become a critical input for supply chain resilience, public health, and national defense. We also cover China’s biotech ambitions, the reshoring of critical medicine supply chains, and why the future of national security may depend on how quickly we can detect, attribute, and respond to biological risk.

    The Defense Tech Unicorn Tracking Biological Threats

  6. Jun 11

    Geoeconomics: Where Policy Moves Markets

    Exiger's Kit Conklin sits down with Josh Lipsky, Chair of International Economics at the Atlantic Council, to explore how geoeconomics is reshaping global markets, from sanctions and digital currencies to supply chains, tariffs, and the growing intersection of national security and economic policy.

    Geoeconomics: Where Policy Moves Markets

  7. May 26

    Supply Chain War with Chris Miller (NYT Best-Selling Author of Chip War)

    Exiger's Kit Conklin catches up with Chris Miller (NYT best-selling author of Chip War) about the evolving landscape of AI, semiconductor supply chains, and US-China tech competition, highlighting security risks, policy challenges, and future trends.

    Supply Chain War with Chris Miller (NYT Best-Selling Author of Chip War)
  • 7 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Get ready for a front-row seat into how policy is formed. Hosted by Exiger’s Kit Conklin, Exiger Exchange is a limited edition podcast series that also prepares you for what comes next. In an era defined by geopolitical competition, economic fragmentation, and rapid technological change, the forces shaping global policy are no longer distant—they are embedded directly in supply chains, markets, and corporate decision-making. Each session of Exiger Exchange offers a candid, forward-looking dialogue on the issues defining today’s risk environment—from economic statecraft and export controls to energy security, emerging technology, and global trade realignment.

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