February 02. 2021
Approximately five years ago, the Department of Defense began a new effort to collaborate with non-traditional defense suppliers as a means of accelerating its pace of innovation. The clear and present danger that is driving this strategy is the unprecedented rise of China’s economy and it’s growing military strength.
In today’s episode, my guest, Col. Sean O’Brien, a professor and department head at the National Defense University, explains some of the ways DoD is modifying its acquisition and development efforts in order to accelerate systems development as well as leverage the innovation of non-traditional commercial suppliers that normally do not do business with DoD. In particular, Col. O’Brien discusses the origins and success of the Air Force’s KesselRun project.Tags: defenseinnovation, airforce, kesselrun
February 02. 2021
In 2013 China announced the Belt Road Initiative, a $1 trillion project to link together countries and economies to form a Chinese-centric economic ecosystem. These linkages include telecommunications systems, physical roads and bridges, and a financial system built around a digital currency that also employs elements of blockchain. To date, over 60 countries accounting for two-thirds of the world’s population have signed on to this project.
In this podcast, we have two subject matter experts discuss what these financial developments mean and could portend for the US. Our first contributor, Mr. Yaya Fanusie, is an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). His research focuses on the national security implications of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology.
Our second guest, Dr. Victoria Adams, is the Chief Innovation Officer at the Value Technology Foundation, and founder of ConsenSys, the largest pure play Ethereum blockchain firm in the world.Tags: china, blockchain, digitalcurrency, beltroadinitiative
February 02. 2021
As the US military ramps up its efforts to collaborate with commercial, non-traditional suppliers of innovative products and services, these commercial firms are often puzzled and put off by the complexity and the bureaucratic maze involved in securing a government contract.
In today’s episode, I interview Lorna Tedder, an agile acquisition expert for MITRE, and a former contracting officer for the US Air Force. Lorna is a change agent who throughout her distinguished career has worked to remove barriers to efficient contracting, enabling her government clients to get the best solutions as quickly as possible.
But Lorna also sees very clearly the obstacles and challenges that remain . . . and those that introduce unnecessary friction to today’s effort to collaborate with commercial suppliers.
With refreshing honesty and clarity, Lorna decodes some of the most important contract issues that any small business should understand when considering working for the US government. She explains in plain English what key terms and conditions mean and offers practical guidance on how firms should proceed when working with a government contracting officer.
Links: https://aida.mitre.org and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorna-tedder-18431579/Tags: contracting, dod, mitre, acquisition
