Defense Unicorns, A Podcast

Join Andrew Clay Shafer, a DevOps and Agile pioneer who has been an active proponent of Agile methodologies and the cultural shifts necessary for organizations to truly adopt DevOps principles and practices. Andrew delves into the critical importance of collaborative problem-solving, the impact of charismatic leadership, and the powerful potential of asking the right questions. Follow Andrew's lat...

Episode 19: Ready for a thrilling ride through the heart of digital engineering in defense contracting? Dive into this episode with Matt Zimmerman where we unpack the riveting story of his founding of Beast Code. From bootstrapping their way from a team of seven to over 180, to throwing down with Navy Seals and pushing the envelope with their innovative tech solutions, Matt and his teams are truly...

In this episode of Defense Unicorns, a Podcast, we welcome Dr. Alethea Duhon, a cyber security expert and former Senior Executive of Homeland Security, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), who shares her insights on the urgency of securing our digital world. As we become more interconnected through devices and technology, Dr. Duhon emphasizes the need for immediate action to pr...

"When you want to know if a program is real, just follow the money, budget and authority. If it's not going to the innovation stuff, it really doesn't matter."  Join Steve Blank as he shares his experience working across Silicon Valley, the Department of Defense and beyond. Steve goes into the current states of innovation and how he co-created the Department of Defense Hacking for Defense and Depa...

In this episode, Preston Dunlap takes you on the journey of his time as the former CTO and 1st Chief Architect of the Air Force. He details the importance of authority figures providing support and top cover for innovators trying to disrupt the status quo, and how to turn motivation into outcomes. He also talks of the importance of finding urgency without waiting for emergencies. Since his service...

Join us this week with Michael A. Brown, former director of Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) as he shares the importance of getting the best technology into the hands of the warfighter, today, before our adversaries. Brown also shares the value that DIU provides and how it has morphed over the years to meet the needs of the defense community. Connect with Michael Brown on LinkedIn to learn more. Host...

“We need technologists to be the commanders,” - Angela Sheffield exclaimed while chatting with Rob about Artificial Intelligence, placing people in the right positions and more. She defines AI as bundle of technology that mimics what can normally be been done by humans. Angela has been around AI since before it was cool. Listen and Connect with Angela on LinkedIn today to stay tuned to whats new f...

Service members have been solving their own problems since 1775, but the problems and solutions have changed since then. US. Navy Lieutenant Colin Dablain shares his excitement about combining civilians and service members, solving warfighter software problems across all the branches of military. Colin is a surface warfare officer by day and a machine learning officer by night. Connect with Colin...

Aniza Brown has been connecting communities for as long as anyone can remember. A common phrase across Utah is “Aniza knows someone and can get it done.” Join her and Rob as they discuss the power and value of connecting communities city, state, university, industry, and the Department of Defense levels. As Ogden Utah’s Catalyst Campus Executive Director, she is responsible for pushing innovation...

"We need that next generation of folks prepared to step in and lead and drive cultural change, that innovation and those outcomes for the mission.” Join Chris Hughes as Rob asks him how he puts the Security in Development, Security and Operations, (DevSecOps). Chris is co-founder and Chief Information Security Officer at Aquia Inc., and is a proven cloud and cyber security leader with nearly 20 ye...

People tend to trust the software they buy, or download, just because it's available online, that doesn't make it safe. Join Dan Lorenc, the co-founder and CEO of Chainguard, as he explains the importance of a good software supply chain and what happens when you trust software that has vulnerabilities. Lorenc, an expert in his field, is a graduate of MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and...

“Crossing the Valley of Death” has become a buzz phrase across the Department of Defense Acquisitions community. Join Chris Benson, a co-founder of AFWERX, as he shares his story on how he helped create what is now known and the SBIR Open Topic and the AFWERX Accelerator Program for the United States Air Force. Key advice Chris also shares is: “Don’t manage your time, manage your motivation.” He h...

"Let us work on the problems we're most passionate about with other people that want to move fast and break things,” said Artem Sherbinin as he shared his experiences working true artificial intelligence opportunities in the U.S. Navy. As an active duty Naval Surface Warfare Officer, he is solving problems for sailors with sailors. He goes on about the three elements of a foundational structure: d...

“A grassroots team really only forms if they like it at their core, they believe in it,” Austen Bryan said while talking to Rob about about his time at Platform One and creating software teams from the ground up. Austen also shares what he would do if he could go back 5 years with the knowledge he has now; one being the value of learning from others in your ecosystem and learn how they did it, ins...

Innovative vs. Innovation: One is a buzzword, and the other is a way of thinking and is the trait of change agents at every level. Dr. Will Roper is known for challenging the status quo and he shares his experience being a leader who provides top cover to empower the right people to solve problems in both the public and private sectors. Rob inquires about Will’s time as head of Air Force Acquisiti...

Insubordination: Conventionally recognized as a negative term but Captain Jake Singleton is committed to the idea that its exactly what our military leaders are asking for and what our acquisition community needs. Jake is an acquisitions officer in the US Space Force where he has spent a large part of his career supporting transformative opportunities for defense acquisitions through rapid capabil...

Greg Kurtzer joins Rob to talk about his 20 years working with linux, open source and high performance computing and his rocky origins on the scene, how he has changed his style and understanding of things, to include what he is up to now. He shares that he wishes someone told him at a younger age to challenge the status quo and thinking differently. Greg is well known in the HPC space for designi...

Enrique Oti joins Rob to discuss the origins of Department of Defense Software Factories and his strategy of innovation used to build Kessel Run, using a strategy opposite to most innovators, instead of keeping their head low and unseen, they made noise, told as many leaders as possible and eventually went all the way to the top for support. Enrique Oti is a retired Air Force Colonel of 23 years a...

You may have not met Zack Butcher in person, but those who have used Google Cloud or Istio Service Mesh have shaken hands with his code. And if that doesn’t do it for you, he wrote the recommendations around micro services security for federal with NIST. Zack shares his way of innovating, starting new projects, and what it takes to reach success by finding whats broken and fix it in a way that pro...

Join Air Force Major Jason Lowery as he talks about Bitcoin, its strategic importance for national defense and what it takes to be an innovator. Jason is an Air Force veteran and National Defense Fellow researching Bitcoin while pursuing a master's degree in engineering & management through the System Design & Management program jointly offered by MIT's School of Engineering & Sloan School of Mana...

Welcome to Defense Unicorns, A Podcast for mission focused innovators. We educate, inform, and provide mission heroes with DevSecOps, cybersecurity, and organizational transformation stories from the world's leading problem solvers. I'm your host, Rob Slaughter, and we're excited for you to join us on this journey. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about...