Joey Arora

Are you on your way to #DHITS this week? Check out my G2Xchange report! 👀👀

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Dual-Use Technologies - A short-term phenomenon or a long-term trend? 💹 Lately we hear a lot about DefenseTech and Dual-Use - Why? 💫 What happened? The world 🌎 became more tense and turmoil due to geopolitics, wars, crisis, and more. At the same time many technologies were accelerated due to commercial incentives. These days, when defense and security needs are uncovered - there is a great incentive to adopt commercial capabilities for defense purposes. 💫 Why it matters: Technology is unlimited. Once we open our minds we could see various and new purposes. 💫 What's applicable: Everything! methods, models, formulas, materials, algorithms, and much much more. 💫 Dive Deeper: follow Scout Ventures as a pioneer in the field. read more in Venture Capital Journal, Lawrence Aragon, Iris Dorbian https://lnkd.in/dErZNqwc DDR&D (MAFAT) - Directorate of Defense Research & Development #dualusetech | #defensetech | #innovation | #vc

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🤔 QUICK QUESTION: How much do you know about Federal systems integrators and the role they play in public sector sales and partnerships? If you bring tech to the public sector markets, you need to know the role they play and how to work with them. I'm referring to companies such as Leidos, Raytheon, Boeing Defense, Space & Security, and L3Harris Technologies 🙋🏼‍♂️ I'm asking because you're in luck, if you want to know more. On today's #SalesGameChangersPodcast, my guests give a masterclass on how to build, maintain, and grow your relationships and partnerships with these types of companies. 🎤 EPISODE 707: Building Strong Federal Systems Integrator Partnerships with Amazon Web Services (AWS) Leaders Michael Blake and Jillian Swenson. 📖🦻🏼 Listen to the show or read the transcription at https://lnkd.in/eS2iRwsf. 🎙️Subscribe and rate the podcast at http://bit.ly/sgcitunes ⭐ JILLIAN’S ‘TIP: “Differentiate yourselves from your peers by leveraging new #GenAI tools to reduce repetitive time-consuming tasks and gain new insights into your customers. It’s going to free you up and help you bring more unique value to your customers.” 🌟 MIKE’S TIP: “Cultivate a positive mindset and resilience. Selling to large integrators can be very challenging. Develop techniques to maintain motivation, overcome rejections, because there will be rejections, and celebrate your successes. Prioritize building those relationships and really understanding these companies. Focus on the customer’s needs, earning their trust, rather than just going for the hard sale.” ❓Have you partnered with large systems integrators in your career? #governmentcontracting #primecontractor #cloud #fedramp #fisma

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In my previous posts, I discussed the Army's 500 Day Artificial Intelligence Plan and the concept of #DefendAI, an AI-layered defense framework, The article below from the ASA (ALT) senior leadership expands on the concepts in the Army's 500 Day Artificial Intelligence Plan with an overview of #BreakAI and #CounterAI. "#BreakAI is geared toward testing algorithms through traditional government “testing and evaluation” and “verification and validation” processes, ensuring the AI is eventually fully operable and error-free when it gets to the warfighter." “#BreakAI is about how are we going to make sure that our AI models work, and when we put them in the hands of soldiers, we are totally confident that they’re going to give the right answer and the right outcome” "#CounterAI is more of a defensive initiative. It’s aimed at making “sure our platforms and our algorithms and our capabilities are secure from attack and from threat” "The #BreakAI and #CounterAI initiatives join the #DefendAI initiative that was announced in June as part of the Army’s 500-day AI plan — a plan that piggy-backed off its 100-day plan which was launched in March and ended in June." "The #DefendAI initiative is designed to create a AI layered defense framework to help mitigate risks that come with third-party algorithms, while working to operationalize industry AI." "#DefendAI and #CounterAI are similar, but the latter focuses more on adversarial threats while the former is focused on weeding out issues that may naturally come with using an outsourced version of AI." #defenseindustry #army #artificialintelligence #AI #innovation #modernization

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If you're involved in a #startup or work within #industry looking to collaborate with the DoD, particularly the #USAF, understanding their future direction is crucial for strategic alignment. The USAF is evolving its commands, mirroring the Army, offering valuable insights for seamless industry transition. The four key commands are: - Air Combat Command: transitioning to manage readiness for the entire service - Airman Development Command: focusing on education and training throughout a service member’s career - Air Force Materiel Command: overseeing acquisition programs across the force - Integrated Capabilities Command: responsible for long-term planning Stay informed on the USAF's strategic shifts and how they could impact your business. Read more: [Air Force Times - Can Four Big Commands Prepare the Air Force to Win Wars](https://lnkd.in/ePAQudb7)

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Matt and Pete nail the analysis of Congress-DoD budgeting activity again. But they might have under-examined one key trend... This budget markup shows serious concern about #ContestedLogistics. Although the Navy took serious cuts to many programs, budget lines for logistics platforms tell a different story. Logistics platforms that received plus ups: - CH-53 (Heavy Lift Helo) - KC-130J (Tanker) - V-22 Osprey (Troop Transport) - Fleet Oiler - Towing, Salvage, and Rescue Ship - Ship to Shore Connector Non-Logistics platforms that received plus ups: - F-35 Missiles and surface combat capabilities received severe cuts. To me, the essence of how we do logistics is very important. Our proficiency, culture, and experience will serve us well. But there is no substitute for sheer mass. The House Appropriations Committee clearly recognizes that we need more ships. #Logistics #Congress #DoD #Budget #Defense #DefenseTech #DefenseTechnology #Acquisitions #Shipbuilding #Ships

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Fully agree with Pete Modigliani and Matt MacGregor in their analysis of winners and losers in the House Appropriations Committee's FY25 Defense Appropriations Bill. Pay raises for service members are great, but prioritizing aircraft (many which are already delayed) over missiles is a poor signal to industry. "Yet at a time when our aircraft, ships, and munitions inventories are at historic lows, while the CCP churn out massive quantities of new systems, this is the worst time to cut procurement budgets. This does not enable production at scale. This does not incentivize new entrants into the industrial base to compete for production contracts." "Aircraft are undoubtedly important assets but at a time when munitions are acknowledged as being in critically short supply, the cuts to those accounts are not encouraging." https://lnkd.in/exu7Y337 #defenseindustry #defensebudget

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Alright #govcon peeps. Need some help. We're about done building a business intelligence tool for small businesses that uses AI to analyze public and private databases to build competitive profiles of both competitors and open solicitations. Here's what I need: A current solicitation number that is being issued as a recompete of an expired task order. I also need the old task order number. We're gonna feed the solicitation number to the assistant and see if it can find the old task order then build the competitive profile for the work (Prime, sub team, ceiling and funding, along with protests filed for the action and any news items related to performance). Come on, people - this isn't a big ask. DM me please!

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$2.8 billion Small Business Investment Fund supported by the DoD and SBA: These two entities are working with the Small Business Investment Company Critical Technology Initiative (SBICCT), a $2.8 billion fund, which enables investors to finance small businesses creating technologies considered critical to national security. These technologies are microelectronics, space technology, software, AI and more. The original Small Business Investment Company Initiative, founded in 1958, has backed companies such as Apple, Intel, and Fairchild Semiconductor. Each investment fund that works with the initiative can borrow up to $175 million and postpone loan payments until the company becomes profitable. This is a great use of taxpayer funds because it promotes national security and competitiveness, and this program has a strong track record of investors repaying all of the loans. #SmallBusiness #SBIC #SBICCT #Investments #NationalSecurity #SBA #DoD

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The DIB recently recommended to restructure the currently separate Offices of the Under Secretary for Acquisition and Sustainment (A&S) and Research and Engineering (R&E) in an effort to eliminate stovepipes and remove barriers to entry for our international partners following Congressional direction six years ago to create two separate offices from the former Office of the Under Secretary for Acquisition Technology and Logistics (AT&L). The DIB recommended creation of a new office called the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for International Industrial Cooperation in order to centralize otherwise fragmented elements of international cooperation across the DoD and provide a single authority for international defense industrial cooperation. Words matter and this recommended organizational name is precise in that it reflects a clear message that allies and partners should be deeply integrated into the DoD acquisition enterprise. Charles Phillips, DIB board member states this office “would help DoD to better take advantage of innovation happening in allied nations…with the two currently separate offices, it can be perplexing for allies to know how to get involved with partnerships.” I’d like to see this effort gain traction as it checks these 3 important boxes: ✅ Eliminates stovepipes ✅ Integrates allies into our capability development efforts ✅ Leverages diversity from our international partners to speed innovation Let's go!

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The highlights from the SASC FY25 NDAA Summary include: • $25B topline above FRA caps • Streamline Milestone A and B approvals • Strengthens Middle Tier of Acquisition authority • Reinforces the need to reform DoD budget and requirements processes • Increased approval thresholds for OTAs • UAS and C-UAS initiatives • AI and Emerging Tech #NDAA #FY25NDAA https://lnkd.in/gJmJ2wpv

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SBA Mentor Protégé Approval Update: September 2024 This report provides an in-depth look into the latest additions and trends within the SBA Mentor-Protégé Program. The U.S. Small Business Administration (#SBA) continues to shape the small business landscape significantly. Every month, they release an updated Active Mentor-Protégé Program Agreement List, a vital tool for market research that aids contracting officials in making strategic contract awards. 🔍We broke down this list, and provide the following insights: - Deep dive into the 45 New Protégés Approved in September. - NAICS Assessment. - Certification Breakdown. - Trends from 2018 to Present. 👀 Check out the report here: - Health: https://lnkd.in/g-ye4kXi - Fedciv: https://lnkd.in/gwpWe6EJ - Defense: https://lnkd.in/gYxuVU-Y 🔗 Access the Full SBA #MentorProtégé List here: https://lnkd.in/gAxzHXW3 (Last Updated October 8, 2024). 🎯 Why This Matters: Understanding the dynamics of the SBA Mentor-Protégé Program is crucial for anyone involved in government contracting. This report will help you identify potential partners, grasp market trends, and maintain a competitive edge. 👉 Don’t miss out on these insights! Stay informed, stay competitive with G2Xchange. #Govcon #SB #govcom

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Defense Tech and Acquisition: Pivot or Perish Edition Many executives across Washington are 🚨 sounding the alarm 🚨 that bold change is needed to address the critical national security threats. This week Matt MacGregor and I cover top stories like: • CNAS Defense Task Force Report by Michael A. Brown, Ellen Lord, Andrew Metrick, and Robert Work • Op-eds by Robert Gates, David Petraeus and Andy Yakulis • DoD scales production of munitions • Hudson Institute panels on Defense Innovation • Army Awards Robot Contracts • Marines get new C-UAS systems by Epirus • Navy needs to shipyards • Air Force reoptimizes and disaggregates • Space Force gets more software vendors • Congress punts on a defense budget with a CR https://lnkd.in/ePag2XE8

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Friday Spicy 🌶️: Earlier this week I spoke at the MISSION 2044 conference on the ethics of defense investment. What follows is part 1 of 2 (or 3?). Organizations with a blanket ethics policy against defense investment are lazy, unserious, or both. First off, all the policies I've come across are based on industry or category, in other words, they are not company specific. This is a deeply flawed approach to one's ethics. A few examples of companies or technologies to kick off the discussion... 1) A missile technology [Bad] 2) A small drone company whose team won't develop kinetic (explosive) payloads [Good] 3) An ecommerce company selling discount goods [Good / unrelated] Easy calls right? WRONG; lazy calls Example 1: The missile is the Standard Missile 2 (SM2) and the Standard Missile 6 (SM6) of which ~150 were fired by the Eisenhauer carrier strike group over the last several months. These missiles were used to shoot down other missiles and one way strike drones which were aimed at civilian shipping and civilian population centers. Countless lives were saved by the use of these missiles. These missiles can also be used to attack ships, planes, or ground targets but the US Navy used them to protect innocent lives. Now tell me, ethical investment or unethical? Example 2: The company manufactures a small group 1 UAS. Extremely capable, beats essentially all of their many direct competitors on ease of flight, stealthiness, speed, range, etc. The company's team meets internally to discuss how they feel about working with the Department of Defense and they decide that they will not develop kinetic payloads. They will however develop reconnaissance payloads AND a laser designator. Reconnaissance payloads are used to sight artillery, and identify targets and laser designators essentially serve no purpose other than guiding in laser guided munitions. This company is up and down the kill chain but won't actually get its hands dirty. Is this company ethical or unethical? Example 3: Temu is a Chinese company founded two years ago and is directed by members of the Chinese Communist Party. Temu will generate almost $60 billion in sales in the US this year. The sales are highly subsidized which makes everything extremely inexpensive. This unfair competition has allowed Temu to capture 15%+ of the discount online retail market in the US, killing US businesses and hoovering up vast quantities of Americans' data. It is crop top fentanyl. Is this company ethical or unethical? Whether or not an investment is ethical or unethical MUST come down to the intent of the company. Why does the company exist? Who will they sell products to? How do they envision their technology being used and for what purpose? Any analysis that fails to ask these questions is a morally bankrupt one that is simply looking for easy answers.  Please don't push the easy button when it comes to ethics. America deserve better. Jay Wisham Jackson Moses 🇺🇸 Dr. Markus Federle

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This week in Defense Tech: 1️⃣ United States Department of Defense top artificial intelligence official laid out the DoD's vision yesterday for scaling digital data #analytics and #ai across the department to ensure decision advantage for the warfighter. 2️⃣ Defense now outweighs offense, thanks to new tech, per Army Futures Command head Gen. Rainey. The realization may have wide-reaching implications for how the US Army trains and equips its forces. 3️⃣ Pentagon issues new guidance to address industry gripes about ATO process. "We're trying to strike a balance in maintaining our [risk management framework-driven] cybersecurity, but to make sure that we are able to move more quickly and not have to basically check everyone's homework,” CIO John Sherman told DefenseScoop. 4️⃣ Pentagon CIO previews ‘Fulcrum,’ the next digital modernization strategy. “The June time frame is when you'll be seeing some release on that," John Sherman told DefenseScoop. 5️⃣ As DoD concern grows about the increasing ability of adversaries to disrupt GPS satellite signals, experts warn that there is no one-size-fits-all alternative to meet military needs for positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) capabilities. 6️⃣ The US Navy Neptune Cloud Portal is accelerating cloud adoption to lighting speed. The newly updated portal features a streamlined interface to request cloud services, dashboards for IaaS/PaaS/SaaS, and access to broader DoD cloud offerings such as Cloud One, JWCC. 7️⃣ US Army set to issue new policy guidance on use of #LLM. Pentagon officials see generative AI as a tool that could be used across the department, but security concerns need to be addressed. 8️⃣ House panel calls for a DOD quantum computing Center of Excellence. A subcommittee is pushing for the creation of a new military-focused quantum hub. 9️⃣ Despite demand, Defense Information Systems Agency financially constrained to scale cloud capabilities overseas. Part of the strain comes from the large amount of infrastructure and capability that DISA must allocate money towards maintaining. 🔟 US Army moving closer to having global access to secret network. The Army launched the first phase of Global Commercial Solutions for Classified. It is expected to reach initial operational capability by fiscal 2025. 🔗 Links in comments below 👇 #DoD #DHS #defenseinnovation #defense #defensetechnology #technology #tech #nationalsecurity #jadc2 #army #navy #airforce

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In tech, pivoting is a completely acceptable and necessary part of innovation. Pivoting means moving away from what is not working or what no longer works. "Failing fast" as the military likes to say, but rarely does, is what pivoting is all about. Good summary article here from John G. Ferrari, American Enterprise Institute #DefenseIndustry #Funding #Congress

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🛬 Lead the U.S. Air Force in the Great Power Competition with Agile 🛫 In the face of the U.S. Air Force and Space Force’s "Great Power Competition," embracing Agile methodologies is not just beneficial—it's essential. Aligned with the DoD Strategic Plan FY 2022-2026, these practices are crucial for achieving the mandate that 55% of new custom software and 10% of all systems utilize Agile, Lean, and DevSecOps by FY 2025. Here are the Top 5 Strategies Program Managers can implement to stay aligned: ✅ Adopt Agile/Lean Methodologies: Integrate Agile practices to align with the DoD’s goals, ensuring high-quality product delivery. ✅ Continuous Training and Education: Upskill teams in Agile and Lean to foster innovation and efficiency. ✅ Measure and Monitor Progress: Consistently track Agile adoption to stay aligned with strategic objectives. ✅ Engage with Cross-Functional Teams: Enhance collaboration to streamline Agile integration across your projects. ✅ Leverage Agile Tools and Technologies: Utilize tools like Jira and CI/CD pipelines for efficient project management and delivery. As Program Managers, we can lead our teams to success by implementing these strategies and stay ahead in the "Great Power Competition" while meeting the DoD’s strategic goals for FY 2025. Your Next Steps: Think about: 🛫 What Agile practices are you implementing? Share your experiences in the comments below! 🛫 Follow me for more insights on driving innovation in defense through Agile methodologies. #AgileLeadership #LeanMethodologies #DevSecOps #GreatPowerCompetition #USAirForce #USSpaceForce #DoDStrategicPlan #ProgramManagement #Innovation #HighQuality #MilitaryTech #Jira #CrossFunctionalCollaboration

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