Naval Postgraduate School Foundation & Alumni Association’s Post

Meaningful change requires more than vision. It requires inescapable pressure. My observation of human nature has been that people generally won’t change until they have no other choice. Bureaucracies have one prime objective: protect the bureaucracy. Those embedded in the bureaucracy will have little incentive to support new ideas that threaten their stability. This is one great reason that the best tech companies reinvent and reorganize constantly. DoD doesn’t have that latitude. Or does it? #dreambigger

I would also add the challenge of balancing current mission requirements and the need to innovate towards future challenges. True change is neither easy or comfortable but it is necessary and leading through that requires empowerment, accountability, and innovation acceptance. https://lnkd.in/eWnXdQHz

Ever been a part of something much larger than you, your organization, or even your industry? Yesterday marked day 1 of the inaugural networking days hosted by the Industrial Capabilities And Modernization (ICAM) office within the United States Department of Defense States Department of Defense Office of Industrial Base Policy. Over 150 attendees from across the DoD, industry, and academia joined to build relationships, share lessons learned, and discuss key workforce and technology initiatives in support of U.S. national security and economic strength. I had the distinct honor to join Adele Ratcliff Erica Holloway Logan Ryan Carpenter Joannie Harmon Timothy Fox Telly Tucker, CEcD and Joe Barto in a panel discussion focused on workforce development where we talked about current successes and future program opportunities. It was a great conversation and I’m pumped up just thinking about the generational impacts we are making through programs like Resilient Manufacturing Ecosystem and those represented by my fellow panelists. My biggest takeaway from today: It’s about people. It always has been, and always will be. #advancedmanufacturing #defensemanufacturing #letsgo

Excellent read. We must change the risk calculus to include the risk of not accelerating our adoption of incentives designed to reward action, even when it results in some unexpected learning.

GigEagle's own Mike McGinley and Jim Perkins write on the strategic imperative of talent agility in the United States Department of Defense for War on the Rocks. “Unless the U.S. military’s talent management system becomes exponentially more agile, America will struggle to win wars. The speed at which the nature of modern warfare is evolving necessitates that the U.S. military remove the friction between services and components of the total force so that the department can identify and employ the right talent at the right place at the right time." “The U.S. military should embrace a truly permeable and agile talent ecosystem that recognizes servicemembers as so much more than occupational and skill codes that are five to 15 years behind society." “The department should develop policies promoting an enterprise talent architecture that unlocks the data scattered in silos across the department, clarify funding mechanisms that can penetrate service silos, and cut the red tape that often keeps reservists out of the fight.” The Agile Talent Ecosystem powered by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU)'s #AI-enabled platform GigEagle is driving talent optimization in the DoD and beyond. #talentagility #talentfluidity #gigeconomy #futureofwork Beth Kelley Horine Chuck Kubik Meredith Kirchoff Craig Robbins Davis Winkie

Recruitment and retention are issues across government. One of the greatest things CHDS does is help our graduates implement their research. Major David Dillon Mathies (Emergence Program Cohort 2301) is ready to recruit more members: not just as a Recruiting Company Commander for the Louisiana National Guard (LANG), but also for the Center for Homeland Defense and Security’s Emergence Program. He hopes that by sharing his experience and implementing his Change Initiative, more members of his organization will become interested in the program. His Change Initiative, “Rapid Response: Creating Efficiency Between Tactical and Strategic-Level Communications,” focuses on refining their Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) utilized in an All-Hazard Response scenario.

Joint Chiefs of Staff CIO Lt. Gen. David Isaacson says they are exploring ways to reorganize the Joint Staff to pursue open field running and opportunities for continued evolution. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eWzVkjqt #ArtificialIntelligence #GovernmentTechnology #MilitaryLeadership

The Pentagon's acquisition system has some serious challenges, mainly due to bureaucratic inertia. Programs like the Secretary of Defense Executive Fellows are great for giving officers industry exposure, but they’re just not big enough to tackle the DoD’s evolving needs. A big issue discussed in thea rticle below, is the “Valley of Death,” where new technologies struggle to make it from development to deployment. This happens because acquisition managers don’t have enough incentive to keep up with rapid technological changes. We need to expand programs like the Executive Fellows and create specialized tracks for acquisition leadership to bridge this gap. We also need similar programs for top civilian acquisition leaders. Requiring acquisition managers to spend time in the industry and at top tech institutes, and evaluating their ability to take risks, will help build a more agile workforce. This is similar to what the Goldwater-Nichols Act did for the Joint Staff. A similar approach for the acquisition community would ensure our defense efforts are led by those with the latest knowledge and a proactive mindset. With China’s rapid advancements and intellectual property theft, the urgency is clear. To stay ahead, we need to revitalize our acquisition system by empowering our workforce. Read: https://lnkd.in/euyUpn_t #Innovation #Defense #AcquisitionReform #TechAdvancement #Pentagon #Leadership #RiskManagement #ContinuousLearning

“When a successful organization faces disruptive change, it must adapt or decline,” emphasizes Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Clint Hinote. “That's the choice facing our Air Force today.” ICYMI, Lt. Gen. Hinote’s recent commentary in the Air & Space Forces Magazine offers his view of the current changes underway to better optimize the Air Force and Space Force for great power competition. He applauds senior leaders' forward-thinking approach, but warns of bureaucratic hurdles and internal resistance, stressing that “[l]eaders at all levels must understand the ‘why’ and the ‘what,’ think through the ‘how,’ and communicate clear expectations to their teams” during this transformation. Check out Lt. Gen. Hinote's full commentary in Air & Space Forces Magazine for further insights. 

Topics of discussion included building #emotional #intelligence, understanding #mission #resiliency against threats and the #IW #operations center transformation—a #modification to build a competition-based structure to #support all air components. "#Greyzone competition requires non-traditional approach, so the #616th Operations Center is #transforming to become an #Information #Warfare Operations Center that will #unify IW operations across the other components," said Lt. Col. Weilun Lin, 616th Operations Center, Combat Plan Division deputy chief. "Using a #competition-based #framework, we need #unity of effort at the #operational #level across our service and with our air components, whole-of-#government #partners, and #allies to set the conditions for #cooperation, competition, and ultimately our service's operational success in a #future #conflict." This initiative involves community members such as #industry partners, #science and #technology #experts, and #academia. “#Risk equals #dependencies, those dependencies equal relationships and that’s what I’m seeing here,” said Chief Master Sgt. Robert Hopkins, #16thAirForce command chief, during his closing remarks. “If we’re looking at those #relationships and bringing in our partners downtown, we can #share ways to lower some of our shared #risk.” A resilient force can reduce risks further. #Resilience, as defined by the United States Air Force , is the ability to #withstand, #recover and #grow in the face of #stressors and changing #demands. Kennedy expanded on #strengthening #resilience, a 16th Air Force #priority, as it relates to mission performance. “It is imperative that our Airmen are trained to a high level so that the minute they are on mission, they are prepared to handle what’s coming and their response is second nature to them.” Collectively, the summit provides senior leaders an opportunity to leverage #intellectual #information across the #wings, within the NAF and among mission partners to better deliver outcomes for the Nation.