Blu Omega’s Post

Technet Emergence was a success! We heard from panelists covering supply chain security, quantum computing, workforce optimization, and other great topics. Huge thanks to AFCEA International for allowing me to moderate the first panel of the conference with David McKeown, Kyle Fox, Zachary Burke🪄, and Emily Frye. It was a great conversation around moving Supply Chain Security to the left to identify and mitigate risks at inception. Based on some great questions from the audience, I think our message really hit home. If you missed it and want to learn more, take a look at this article: https://lnkd.in/dS4amSgy SOSi DoD Chief Information Officer VT Group (VTG) MITRE Blue Ivy Partners #SBOM #supplychainsecurity #defense

Two more sleeps to go before the 3rd edition of the #INDUSXSummit 🇺🇸🇮🇳 at Stanford University, California. Sameer Lalwani of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) says: "The evolution in thinking of this policy (INDUS-X) has been in both sides starting to listen to each other's demand signals. Producing defense capabilities also results in co-producing security, so I think we have to start to have a meeting of the minds between the two sides where, as we incrementally move forward on both the defense technology partnership, and we start to see operational cooperation moving forward simultaneously." Come hear from Sameer at #INDUSXSummit2024 on Monday, September 9 at Stanford University. Joe Felter, Vikram J. Singh, The Hoover Institution, Stanford University, Stanford Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation, Akshobh Giridharadas, Ankit Jain.

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting a lot of friends, both new and old, in the Space Industry at the 39th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs! Over the week, I observed the following topics were the hot themes of the conference: 1) Space Domain Awareness (SDA) and Space Situational Awareness (SSA) 2) Lunar and Cis-lunar Infrastructure 3) Cybersecurity and Space Asset Protection 4) Future Workforce Development 5) Defense & Commercial Collaboration For anyone else that attended, what did you find? Are these the major topics in the industry today?

🚀 Don't miss out on our upcoming panel discussion exploring the critical role of #innovation in defense at poweredUP Tech Fest! 🛡️ Join us for an insightful conversation led by experts from the United States Central Command, Abacode Cybersecurity & Compliance, USF Institute of Applied Engineering, Inc. and Hays. We'll dive deep into how cutting-edge technologies are transforming #defensestrategies, capabilities, and operations to meet the evolving demands of #modernsecuritychallenges. From AI-powered predictive analytics to fostering a culture of innovation, our panelists will share invaluable insights and real-world examples. Whether you're a military leader, technologist, policymaker, or industry professional, this discussion promises to inspire and inform. Mark your calendars and join us as we navigate the complexities of 21st-century defense! 🎟️ Grab your tickets now at https://lnkd.in/emK2QHKm poweredUP is FREE for all Tampa Bay Tech members. TBT members can send an email to team@tampabay.tech for details on how to secure your ticket. #RadicallyConnected #poweredUPTampaBayTechFest #DefenseInnovation #CuttingEdgeTech #ModernSecurityChallenges #TechInnovation #TampaBayTech #Docubee #USCC #Abacode #HAYS #USFIAE #MahaffeyTheater

The Ronald Reagan Foundation and Institute Organization has published its second annual National Security Innovation Base (NSIB) Report Card. Key Takeaways: - Despite “green shoots” of progress, decline in defense modernization and lack of overall improvement in customer clarity illustrates inability to translate innovation into capabilities - Major warning signs in critical factors necessary to drive innovation hinder progress against technology and national security priorities - While America still leads in innovation, disconnect persists between progress in digital technologies and scaled implementation - National security innovation is at an inflection point, with an urgent need to transition prototypes and experiments to at-scale fielding of new technologies and business models Full report available here. https://lnkd.in/eApYPvuf   #defenseindustry #defensetech #defenseinnovation

Failure = Value. Another great week of #defenseinnovation. A new teammate asked me this week, “How do you know so much about technology?” And when I answered, she looked at me like I was crazy. “Failure,” was my answer. So I had to explain… When you find a technology and try to get it adopted in DOD and it fails, you always remember it. And, eventually, it comes back around. When it does, you say “I know how we could do that!” Then, someone says, “How do you know so much about technology?” Failing fast is a term thrown around often. It is of great value. I had an idea this week we had to kill. It was a great idea, but we couldn’t get any organizations to support the technology. It wasn’t viable with all the other things the department needed to do today. So what happened next? That idea had to go on the shelf. People also talk about the “technology shelf,” but it is a real thing. When I was at JIDO, I had a list of “shelved” programs. If we needed them, we’d pull them out and deloy them. I firmly believe the one we put on the shelf this week will come back. The good thing is, the more you innovate, the bigger the shelf gets. Which brings me to my point. Building a National Security Innovation Base does not happen overnight. It takes a lot of failure to start to build successes. But, the longer we work at it, the better we get. So, we have to remember Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), AFWERX, NavalX, ARCWERX, SOFWERX, and all our DODx teammates have to work together, and share the successes, but also the failures. Things we put on the shelf are not really failures. We have to move on to the next thing. Just know, they will come back around.

Hi Horacio Rozanski, insightful article on improving our military deterrence vs. China by enhancing the speed of our federal acquisition system. Along with military might, maintaining economic ties can also be an effective deterrence. A strategy of #China de-risking vs. de-coupling should be considered. A case in point is the implementation of Battery Energy Storage Systems (#BESS) from China. Considering that China has a dominant position in the BESS supply chain, the claim that these systems pose a national cyber security risk has created a hurdle for utilities and developers in implementing renewable distributed energy generation resources #DER. My detailed cyber risk analysis of #BESS from China (https://lnkd.in/ebXCKf5i) concludes that the probability of a catastrophic electric grid event is low, and the risk can be further reduced by applying a defense-in-depth approach that most utilities employ today. Until the US can develop its own #BESS supply chain, policymakers should consider a supply chain de-risking approach as an effective deterrence strategy against China. #gridcybersecurity #China #geopolitical #supplychaincyberrisk Booz Allen Hamilton

“The U.S. Space Force on Wednesday released its first strategy for acquiring commercial space capabilities, which include four criteria to guide its decision-making in this area and, as expected, the document does not outline funding plans. The decision-making criteria outlined in The U.S. Space Force Commercial Space Strategy: Accelerating the Purposeful Pursuit of Hybrid Space Architectures include whether a product or service provides operational utility or meet a requirement; is the product or service feasible in terms of cost and value; do they contribute to resilience; and can they be fielded quickly enough to bolster operations or counter a threat”.

This is a critical time for our nation’s defense. What does the future hold, given the issues of supply chain security, shrinking R&D budgets, skills shortage, and increasing adoption of commercial technologies? Innovative thinking is essential. This should be a very interesting panel. #DefenseTechnology #Cybersecurity Abacode Cybersecurity & Compliance