Holding the Line

What do you get when you take an incredibly large bureaucracy and combine it with a fast-paced environment and unrelenting technological change?  Join Ben Van Buskirk as we explore innovation within large organizations, what he learned during a one-year fellowship with a Silicon Valley tech company, and how we can all apply these lessons in our daily lives. A career naval officer, U.S. Navy Captain Ben van Buskirk held command of a naval aviation squadron and is now taking the helm at NavalX, the U.S. Navy's innovation lab charged with connecting experts and solutions to workforce needs and challenges.

Living through last week's power outages, water shutoff, gasoline shortages, and 'run' on grocery stores brings to mind just how important it is to ensure resiliency for our nation's critical infrastructure, especially when we can forecast when and how challenges can occur. But what happens when a cyber-attack comes from nowhere to wreck havoc? Will we be prepared? What are the cascading societal effects of such actions? A shortened episode, we'll resume with a full-length episode next week with Ben van Buskirk as we discuss career diversity and how broadening experiences across a wide variety of industries can turbocharge your innovative potential. As mentioned in this episode, here are links to my latest book (TOPGUN's Top 10), as well as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter pages. Drop a line! 

Few people have had the breadth of experience that Jim Stavridis brings to the table. A retired U.S. Navy 4-star admiral, Jim is an operating executive with the Carlyle Group, a global investment firm, and Chair of the Board of Counselors for McLarty Associates, an international consulting firm. He previously served as Dean of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, is the author of numerous books, and serves as chief international diplomacy and national security analyst for NBC News in New York. His latest book, a novel authored with Elliot Ackerman, is titled 2034. Join us for a conversation about Jim's many lessons learned, what he views as key tools for finding success in life, and how he views opportunities in 2021 and beyond. You can reach me at my website, via Twitter @guysnodgrass, and can find my latest book, TOPGUN's Top 10: Leadership Lessons from the Cockpit, at your favorite bookseller (like Amazon and Barnes and Noble).

Join us for a conversation on innovation, cybersecurity, and the information economy with retired U.S. Army Major General John Ferrari. John is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute think tank as well as the Chief Administration Officer for QOMPLX, a cybersecurity firm, both located in Washington, D.C. Feel free to contact me at [email protected] with any comments or show recommendations. Additionally, if you haven't already done so, I highly encourage you to check out my latest book, TOPGUN's Top 10: Leadership Lessons from the Cockpit. You can follow me on Twitter @guysnodgrass.

Join for a conversation on artificial intelligence, robotics, autonomy, and what our national security future looks like with noted author and strategist Peter Singer. Peter is a senior fellow at New America and the author of several bestselling books like Wired For War, Burn-In, and Ghost Fleet. The Wall Street Journal described Peter as "the premier futurist in the national- security environment” and he was named by the Smithsonian as one of the nation’s 100 leading innovators. You can follow him on Twitter at @peterwsinger. 

This week's episode is a discussion of two important milestones in American history: the inauguration for the 46th President of the United States and the recent SolarWinds cyber attack. The inauguration and our response to it will define the next four years of political discourse in this country, but when we contemplate the long-term, few things are more critical to our "all-digital" national and economy than cybersecurity. Join retired U.S. Navy Admiral Mike Rogers, the recent National Security Agency director and U.S. Cyber Command commander, for a discussion about America's cyber vulnerabilities, the dangers this poses to our nation, and what we've learned from the recent SolarWinds attack.

No, MacKenzie and I did not participate in yesterday's tragic events on Capitol Hill. Rather, we had a discussion just prior to the election that sounds incredibly prescient given what occurred in our nation's capitol. We dive into issues about the U.S. military and, most importantly with the incoming Biden administration, what is likely to occur with defense budgets and how that can affect national security during the next 3-4 years. Mackenzie Eaglen is a resident fellow at American Enterprise Institute, a think tank in Washington, D.C. Mackenzie works on defense strategy, defense budgets, and military readiness. She is also a regular guest lecturer at universities, a member of the board of advisers of the Alexander Hamilton Society, and a member of the steering committee of the Leadership Council for Women in National Security. My recent book, Holding the Line: Inside Trump's Pentagon with Secretary Mattis, may be of particular interest to you given everything that has occurred in recent days. You can find it online at Amazon, B&N, or at your local bookseller. As always, please leave a 5-star review and positive comment -- these go a long way. Additionally, you can follow me on Twitter @guysnodgrass or online at www.guysnodgrass.com.

President-elect Biden's nomination of retired U.S. Army General Lloyd Austin to serve as Secretary of Defense was contentious from the start. Civilian-military scholars decried his nomination as an erosion of civil-military norms, at risk of 'politicizing' the military, and diminishing civilian control of the military. But is this handwringing justified? Should a U.S. President have the latitude to bring in the people he or she desires into this position? Does a prohibition against military members serving as Secretary of Defense--created in very different times in 1947--still have merit today? Thanks to our longtime listeners for your patience as we took a break while I launched my second book, TOPGUN'S TOP 10: Leadership Lessons from the Cockpit, now available at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and local bookstores. It's not too late to grab a copy as a stocking stuffer. Send me an email if you'd like to offer direct feedback, have ideas for future episodes, or want to strike up a conversation.

Join former National Security Agency director and U.S. Cyber Commander commander Mike Rogers as he discusses the soft digital underbelly of America's technological infrastructure.  Attack vectors. Russian interference in the 2016 election. How to protect your children's digital footprint. Russian penetration of the Pentagon's computer network. It's all here as Admiral Mike Rogers shares with us his perspective as the recently departed director for one of the world's largest intelligence agencies and as a senior leader who was charged with protecting America's digital infrastructure. I'm also excited to announce the upcoming release of my second book, TOPGUN'S TOP 10: Leadership Lessons from the Cockpit, now available at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and other booksellers! Send me an email if you'd like to offer direct feedback, have ideas for future episodes, or want to strike up a conversation.

Join cyber expert and historian Mark Hagerott for a riveting discussion regarding the numerous threats facing America in the digital realm, including the vulnerabilities of our ever-expanding digital domain, the dangers of moving too fast into automation, and the critical nature of our electoral system. Mark Hagerott is currently the Chancellor for the North Dakota University System. Previously, he held numerous academic leadership roles at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD, including as deputy director for the Center for Cyber Security Studies. Chancellor Hagerott’s research and writing are focused on the evolution of technology, education, and changes in technical career paths, and he is the author of multiple articles and book chapters, with a recent emphasis on unmanned systems. I'm excited to announce my second book, TOPGUN'S TOP 10: Leadership Lessons from the Cockpit, is now available here! Send me an email if you'd like to offer direct feedback, ideas for future episodes, or to strike up a conversation.