ATARC Federal IT Newscast

In this episode, host Brian Fox sits down with Dr. James Kirsch from the DEVCOM Aviation & Missile Center to explore how the military is modernizing its approach to technology deployment. They discuss the strategic shift toward rapid procurement, embracing calculated risk, and getting essential capabilities into the hands of warfighters faster. Learn why prioritizing speed and adaptability ove...

This episode of the Space and Defense Innovation Launch Pad features Gordon Fogg and Brandon Frisco from MTSI discussing how to accelerate testing and evaluation for hypersonic and other advanced defense systems through better data sharing, interoperability, and metadata/standards. They explore the technical, policy, and cultural hurdles to breaking down data stovepipes across government, industry...

Department of Energy CIO Dawn Zimmer joins Tech Transforms to share how she’s modernizing legacy IT, breaking down decades-old data silos, and securely harnessing AI through initiatives like the Quanta data platform and Joulix. She explains her “speed of need” philosophy, baking cybersecurity in from the start while moving fast to deliver real-time decision support, cost savings, and smarter opera...

This episode of Tech Transforms features Dave Raley, Chief Digital Business Officer at Marine Corps Community Services, unpacking Operation Stormbreaker, the Marine Corps’ cloud-native software factory and platform as a service. He explains how it slashes deployment timelines from 18 months to about 15 minutes per build by combining shared infrastructure, DevSecOps pipelines, and continuous author...

This episode features Brian Monheiser discussing the rapid growth of the geospatial ecosystem in St. Louis, catalyzed by NGA’s new facility and long-term investment in related tech sectors. He explores how local universities, K–12 programs, nonprofits, and economic development groups are aligning around workforce development to support geospatial, defense, and advanced manufacturing needs in the r...

In this episode of the Space and Defense Innovation Launchpad Podcast, host Brian Fox moderates a panel with John Dr. John Rhoads (Lockheed Martin Skunk Works), Dr. John Schmisseur (UTSI), and Dr. Jeff Komives (MTSI) on accelerating hypersonic capabilities for U.S. defense. They explore near-term wins and deeper challenges across affordability, scalable manufacturing, testing infrastructure, and s...

This episode of the Space and Defense Innovation Launchpad Podcast features Chris Crumbly, Director of the Institute of Digital Enterprise Advancement and its professional education arm, DigitalWERX, as well as an instructor at Calhoun Community College, exploring model-based systems engineering (MBSE) and its role in digital engineering and Industry 4.0. He traces MBSE’s early use at NASA, explai...

This episode features a conversation with Ben Garcia of Weber State University’s MARS (Miller Advanced Research and Solutions Center) about how academia can more effectively support the aerospace and defense industry, particularly in high‑temperature composites and hypersonic materials. The discussion explores technology and manufacturing readiness, industry–university collaboration models, and ho...

This episode features Alex Morgan, a materials scientist and fire safety expert, discussing how material flammability and fire hardening are engineered across civilian and military aircraft and spacecraft, from aging aluminum airframes to modern composite structures and unmanned systems. The conversation dives into challenges like lithium-ion battery fires, high-oxygen spacecraft environments, ree...

In the inaugural episode of the Space Innovation and Defense Launchpad Podcast, Mark Giaconia of Vantor (formerly Maxar) shares his path from Army Special Forces into geospatial technology and software engineering, describing how GEOINT, coding, and data infrastructure have evolved over the past two decades. The conversation dives into tactical-edge geospatial intelligence, AI/ML for analytics, da...

In this episode, host Tom Suder, Founder of the Advanced Technology Academic Research Center, sits down with Allen Hill, retired Chief Information Officer at the Federal Communications Commission, for a reflective conversation on four decades of service in federal IT. They explore the FCC’s cloud transformation, the shift to secure FedRAMP environments, and the importance of building technical tea...

In this episode of ATARC's  Tech Transforms  podcast, host Carolyn Ford sits down with Martin Stanley, Senior Advisor at NIST, to explore how AI is reshaping federal cybersecurity. They dive into NIST’s AI Risk Management Framework, the growing need for secure and resilient AI systems, and what it takes to build a “risk-aware” culture in government. Stanley shares insights on guarding against...

In this episode of Tech Transforms, Daryl Haegley, Technical Director for Control Systems Cyber Resilience at the Department of the Air Force, shares insights from his nearly four decades of federal service, discussing the evolving landscape of cybersecurity for operational technology and control systems. He talks about the importance of creating a culture of security across government and industr...

Join us for an insightful episode of "Doing Tech Better in Government," where we sit down with Dave Raley, Digital Program Manager at MCCS. Dave shares his expertise on transforming Life Services for Marines and their families, inspired by Jennifer Pahlka's 'Recoding America'. We delve into his research with Marines, navigating from traditional to digital solutions, and the c...

In this episode of “Doing Tech Better in Government,” host Brian Fox sits down with Brandon Smart, a retired U.S. Marine Corps leader and current executive at IBR LLC, to explore the essence of leadership in both military and civilian life. Brandon reflects on two decades of service in the Marine Corps, sharing insights that shaped his upcoming book focused on leadership development through four c...

In this episode of ATARC’s “Doing Tech Better in Government” podcast, host Brian Fox is joined by Frank McNally and Derek Masaki to reflect on the early chapters of  Recoding America  by Jennifer Pahlka. They explore the book’s central theme: that the challenges facing government digital modernization are less about technology and more about outdated processes, entrenched bureaucracy, and misalign...

In this episode of  Tech Transforms , host Carolyn Ford speaks with Tim Amerson, Founder and CEO of CSMO Consulting and former CISO at the Social Security Administration, about the urgent and complex challenge of securing the technology supply chain in government. Drawing from over 30 years of experience in the Army and federal cybersecurity, Amerson explains how supply chain risks extend far beyo...

Join us on this unique episode of Doing Tech Better in Government as we explore the intersection of leadership, legacy systems, and tech modernization. We’re joined by a panel of experts who get candid to discuss the critical role leadership plays in modernizing outdated systems and share insights on the challenges of updating legacy infrastructure and how effective leadership drives change. They...

In this episode, host Brian Fox speaks with Brian DeLong, CTO at BMC3, and Gordon Deng, Cloud Customer Engineer at the Gravity Platform at Space Camp, about their insights from the recent Front Range Innovation Forum. They discuss key themes such as the importance of building a collaborative and safe innovation community, embracing productive failure, and improving communication between industry,...

In this debut episode, Frank Indiviglio, CTO at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) explains the power of AI data science and high performance computing to transform vast raw data into actionable insights—from hurricane forecasting to coral reef monitoring. He discusses how AI improves data processing efficiency, the importance of blending science and tech to scale forecasting,...

In this episode, Alexis Bonnell, now former Chief Information Officer at AFRL, shares insights on how to drive tech adoption in government to stay ahead in today's rapidly evolving digital landscape. She discusses the concept of the “oodaloop” and its importance in taking immediate action to bring digital solutions into practice. While technology advances, the challenge remains in getting peop...

Join us on this episode of "Doing Tech Better in Government" as we sit down with Dmitry Poisik, TraCSS Program Manager at NOAA's Office of Space Commerce. Dmitry shares insights into NOAA's vital mission in space commerce, highlighting his career journey from the Navy to the Pentagon. He delves into NOAA's role in advancing commercial space initiatives, emphasizing the collab...

In this final episode of Season 1, hosts Brian Fox and Gordon Deng are joined by two powerhouse leaders from the United States Space Force: Paul W. Contoveros, Division Chief and Chief of the Combat Force Enhancement Division, and Lt. Col. JJ Homan, Deputy Chief of the same division. Together, they dive into the evolving landscape of space operations—from redefining what "innovation" mea...

Join us in this special episode of "Doing Tech Better in Government" as we sit down with Jeremy Bracamontes (JB), a seasoned veteran in both military experience and business development. JB shares his unique journey from the military into the realm of digital modernization, emphasizing the critical role of resilience along the way. In a departure from our usual tech-focused discussions,...

In this episode of "Doing Tech Better in Government," Jennifer Hay, director of the Defense Digital Service (DDS) at the Pentagon, discusses DDS's mission to build better technology and digital solutions. She explains how technology should empower, not hinder, the mission, emphasizing DDS's user-centric approach. Hay highlights DDS's focus on discovery and deep user understanding to create impactf...