Podcasts about defense contracting

In this episode of the DOD contract Academy podcast we go over some recent listener questions. included topics touch on how to develop relationships, why RFPs don't win contracts, specific questions about user industries even whether or not you need the latest AI tools to help write a proposal! 00:12 How important are relationships in winning government contracts?  02:10 RFPs don't win contracts, here's why?  03:30 Do you need a contractor's license to do government work? 04:00 How to write a proposal? 06:25 Can 8(a) certification help in winning more government contracts?   SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL https://www.youtube.com/@dodcontractacademy/?sub_confirmation=1 Join The Gov Close Wait List https://www.govclose.com FREE GIFT: https://www.dodcontract.com 

This week, our very own Bonnie Evangelista explores the intricacies of AI literacy within the defense sector in this special recast of her presentation at the AI Literacy Conference. Get an in-depth look at how evolving contracting mechanisms like BAAs and CSOs are reshaping the way the military engages with cutting-edge AI technologies, and learn how Tradewinds is revolutionizing contract acquisitions to align with the CDAO's mission. Join us for a deep dive into this modern marketplace, its compliance with competition standards, and how it bridges the gap between innovation and procurement. TIMESTAMPS: (1:12) Keep up or you'll get left behind (6:05) Yes, Tradewinds is legal! (10:35) Why we should approach exploration through a kid's lense (14:25) How the Marketplace is embracing new paradigms in defense contracting (17:31) General solicitation vs. RFP (21:50) How CSOs allow for broader contracting (25:39) No more written documentation, no more white sheets, no more technical proposals (28:33) The power of industry and academia peer panels (31:12) Spotlight on Akbot – the advanced tech powering the platform (36:00) Why AI literacy is key in government acquisitions LINKS: Follow Bonnie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonnie-evangelista-520747231/ CDAO: https://www.ai.mil/ Tradewinds AI: https://www.tradewindai.com/

Sean Slatter joins me today to talk about his successful career as a business owner, and mover and shaker in the world of Defense Contracting and Local Politics. He also turns the tables and interviews me, as all great podcasters do. Sean's Podcast is called LSI WINS. He's a great conversationalist and good friend.

Given the pitiful state of defense acquisition for R&D and delivering new capability defers risk to the warfighter, wastes taxpayer funding, shrinks the industrial base, steals from the future, and is an obvious threat to national security, one would think that there would be serious and concerted efforts to change it. You would be wrong! In order for something like that to happen, someone in charge would have to be responsible or held accountable. As witnessed, only subordinates are ̶t̶h̶r̶o̶w̶n̶ ̶u̶n̶d̶e̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶u̶s̶ held accountable. The status quo unquestionably benefits government and industry insiders, even the tiniest perceived threat to the gravy train, careerism, and comfort afforded by the system is vehemently rebuffed by bureaucrats and influential special interests. This is done, in part, by constricting and restricting thinking along with a host of perverse incentives, making it difficult for individuals to conceptualize change and unpalatable.DoD leadership's longtime failing to lead when it comes to this issue is confounding and frustrating. They have ignored Congressional mandates, directives, and policies. They defend business-as-usual, by casting doubt and shade over innovative acquisition authorities created specifically to remediate the obvious and long known problems. Instead they undermine them while talking out of both sides of their mouth, publicly stating support, but behind the scenes it is different story and substantive action is always absent. They fashion the status quo as the "gold standard" and cast doubt over anything different or new. Then there are the government lawyers, who consistently have been acknowledged as a barrier to consequential positive change in federal acquisition. Practically every group or team who musters the energy and gathers the courage to be innovative in their business processes for R&D finds legal staff obstructing their way. It is like they are Storm Troopers protecting the "Soviet-style" institutionally corrupt acquisition system from would be rebel insurgents. It is rare to find a government lawyer who is an enabler of innovative business and teaming strategies who is following the Congressional mandates (law). These actions regularly hinder and demoralize their colleagues, who are trying to explore better ways to accomplish goals and objectives.Today the DoD is still indoctrinating the acquisition workforce in the old ways, business-as-usual. The calls for more ̶f̶a̶i̶l̶u̶r̶e̶ barriers and bureaucracy to fix the problems of the existing bureaucracy and barriers is once again in vogue. The only thing different this time is, it's the Millennials enforcing their updated branding of the exact same status quo. They are the latest generation who believe they can just kick-the-can.The failing of defense acquisition to appropriately accommodate the age and times in which we live, in favor of furthering an institutionally corrupt system is a tragedy. The government created this problem and is responsible for solving it. Plenty of remedies and solutions have been provided. BUT it requires the will, some know how, new education, and leadership articulating actionable strategies and goals, and clearing the way. The longer one looks at the problems that ail federal acquisition, the more one realizes they are straight-forward, identifiable, and totally solvable if desired. That this has been allowed to continue for so long is truly a national disgrace.

In this episode I interview Andrew Everett, owner of Everetech Management & IT Professional Services. He has a fascinating journey as a successful small business defense contractor. Learn how he used his psychology degree and passion for understanding people to help communicate the value of his business to the US government and consistently win contracts. You can get in touch with Andrew at the below links: https://www.everetech.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-everett-everetech/ If you want personlized assistance from my team and I to help you start selling to the US government, increase the number of contracts you are winning or optimize the contracts you currently have please reach out to us at: https://www.dodcontract.com/ If you have comments or would like to reach me personally you can do so at richard@richardchoward.com Connect with me on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickychoward/

Doug's love of canoeing began when he was a camper and counselor in the early 1970s.  Following a 51-day canoe trip to Hudson Bay, in 1979, he went on a 68-day Alaska canoe expedition through the Brooks Range.  He spent 1981 to 1982 living off the grid with the Ojibway First Nations people of the Winisk River in Northern Ontario.Doug's love of canoeing led him to marathon canoe racing and custom-building composite competition canoes. He built over 1600 canoes over 24 years. This self-taught skill carried him on to 17 years of developmental research programs in Aerospace and Defense Contracting. All borne out of the desire to create the best canoes possible.The canoe began as a simple craft of exploration of self and wilderness and has continued to guide him to new endeavors.See also:Alumni Complete Canoe Trip Expedition in the Wilds of Canada by Eric ThumHudson Bay Men Rejoin CV Staff by Peter Grunawalt-- (Sound effects and music from Pixabay—Lesfm and Olexy) --Co-hosts Alex Kvanli & John Burgman discuss all-things related to Camp Voyageur in Ely, Minnesota. They share trail stories, interview Voyageur alumni, & reflect on the lore of the Great Northwoods. They also trade Boundary Waters travel tips & advice. Whether you're a former camper, a current camper, or an adventure enthusiast looking to improve your Boundary Waters experience, there's something for everyone in each episode. Can't get enough? Read our blog Find us on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube Enroll your son at Camp Voyageur Work at Camp Voyageur 11 Proven Ways Wilderness Adventure Camps Can Transform Your Kid's Life by Alex Kvanli

Learn why defense & government contracts are an untapped revenue stream for most small businesses. Learn more at www.DoDContract.com

In this episode Rick Dunn, Strategic Institute, sits down with Raj Shah a former Managing Partner at the Defense Innovation Unit, an F-16 pilot, and entrepreneur to discuss gearing defense acquisition to keep pace and innovative to meet current and future challenges.  

I recently posted in a LinkedIn group what apparently, was a pretty controversial statement. In this episode I go over that, what the real point of defense contracting is, and where to concentrate your efforts for the best results

This episode Johnny discusses the current events in the Ukraine and Russia, but what it will affect in terms of assets. Which companies are doing well, and which are not during these tense times? Also discussed is reasons why you should NOT have filed your taxes already, a hot take on the main stream media news, and a fun debate about having children. Follow on Instagram @talkcashpod - www.instagram.com/talkcashpod/ and Twitter @TalkCashPod - twitter.com/talkcashpod. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In this segment of By Any Means Necessary, Sean and Jacquie are joined by technologist Chris Garaffa, the editor of TechforthePeople.org to discuss the use of AI technologies for surveillance in prisons and the potential consequences of its use, Google workers fighting back against the company's contracts with the defense industry, and Facebook's refusal to take substantial action against harmful hate speech.

On this edition of On DoD: a deep dive on other transactionagreements. According to the Federal Procurement Data System DoD's useof OTAs has skyrocketed from 342 agreements worth $1.4 billion in 2016 to 3,200agreements worth more than $16 billion in 2020. Despite that growth, the rulesgoverning OTAs – what few rules there are – aren't universally understood eveninside the department's own acquisition bureaucracy. To help demystify OTAs, we're joined by Hallie Balkin, oneof DoD's leading experts on OTAs. She is a government procurement attorney whocurrently works at Defense Acquisition University, where she's the learningdirector for other transactions. Balkin is also involved in an effort with theOffice of the Secretary of Defense to update and reissue DoD's OtherTransactions Guide.

The Defense acquisition workforce has faced challenges at other times in its history, but as of 2021, it's living in interesting times. Contracting officers, program managers and other acquisition professionals are navigating their way through some big changes. Just to name a few: a major recent rewrite of the DoD 5000.02 series of policy instructions, a massive rise in interest in other transaction agreements and other nontraditional procurement vehicles, a new “pathway” designed for software acquisition, and new ways to budget for those software procurements. On this special edition of On DoD, we're joined by three of the key leaders who are helping to prepare the workforce for these new challenges, and who are also finding new instructional and collaboration mechanisms to provide acquisition professionals with the tools they need to meet their missions. Our guests are James Woolsey, the president of Defense Acquisition University, Frank Kelley, DAU's vice president, and Michelle Currier, professor of contract management at DAU.

The war in Afghanistan is over. In this episode, we document how and why the Biden administration finally admitted defeat in our 20 year attempt to create a new government in Afghanistan and we take a hard look at the lessons we need to learn. Afghanistan is a country in a far away land, but there are disturbing similarities between the Afghanistan government that just collapsed and our own. We'd be wise not to ignore them. Executive Producer: Rachel Passer Executive Producer: Anonymous  Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Support Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: Donation@congressionaldish.com Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or Donation@congressionaldish.com Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536. Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Background Sources Recommended Congressional Dish Episodes CD236: January 6: The Capitol Riot CD218: Minerals are the New Oil CD210: The Afghanistan War CD124: The Costs of For-Profit War How We Got Here Craig Whitlock. The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War. Simon and Schuster, 2021. Patrick Tucker. August 18, 2021. “Trump's Pledge to Exit Afghanistan Was a Ruse, His Final SecDef Says.” Defense One. Eugene Kiely and Robert Farley. August 17, 2021. “Timeline of U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan.” FactCheck.org. Eric Schmitt and Jennifer Steinhauer. July 30, 2021. “Afghan Visa Applicants Arrive in U.S. After Years of Waiting.” The New York Times. Craig Whitlock, Leslie Shapiro and Armand Emamdjomeh. December 9, 2019. “The Afghanistan Papers: A secret history of the war.” The Washington Post. Mark Landler and James Risen. July 25, 2017. “Trump Finds Reason for the U.S. to Remain in Afghanistan: Minerals.” The New York Times. John F. Harris. October 15, 2001. “Bush Rejects Taliban Offer On Bin Laden ” Washington Post. The Evacuation: Those Left Behind William Mauldin. September 2, 2021. “Afghanistan Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Staff Left Behind.” Wall Street Journal. Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Annie Karni. August 29, 2021. “Series of U.S. Actions Left Afghan Allies Frantic, Stranded and Eager to Get Out.” The York Times. Sami Sadat. August 25, 2021. “I Commanded Afghan Troops This Year. We Were Betrayed.” The New York Times. Marjorie Censer. August 18, 2021. “US contractors rush to get former employees out of Afghanistan.” Defense News. Siobhan Hughes. August 18, 2021. “Afghanistan Veterans in Congress Trying to Prevent ‘a Death Warrant' for Helping America.” Wall Street Journal. Alex Sanz and Tammy Webber. August 18, 2021. “US friends try to rescue brother in arms in Afghanistan.” AP News. Seth Moulton. June 04, 2021. "Moulton, Bipartisan Honoring Our Promises Working Group to White House: Evacuate our Afghan Partners.” Contractors in Afghanistan Matt Taibbi. August 18, 2021. “We Failed Afghanistan, Not the Other Way Around.” TK News by Matt Taibbi on Substack. Jack Detsch. August 16, 2021. “Departure of Private Contractors Was a Turning Point in Afghan Military's Collapse.” Foreign Policy. Matt Stoller. July 15, 2021. “‘A Real S*** Show': Soldiers Angrily Speak Out about Being Blocked from Repairing Equipment by Contractors.” BIG by Matt Stoller. Lynzy Billing. May 12, 2021. “The U.S. Is Leaving Afghanistan? Tell That to the Contractors.” New York Magazine. Oren Liebermann. March 29, 2021. “Pentagon could open itself to costly litigation from contractors if US pulls out of Afghanistan this year.” CNN. Lucas Kunce and Elle Ekman. September 15, 2019. “Comment Submitted by Major Lucas Kunce and Captain Elle Ekman.” [Regulations.gov(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulations.gov). Aaron Mehta. Oct 25, 2016. “30 Years: William Perry — Reshaping the Industry.” Defense News. Jared Serbu. August 22, 2016. “DoD now awarding more than half its contract spending without competitive bids.” Federal News Network. 41 U.S. Code § 3307 - Preference for commercial products and commercial services. Money: Lost and Gained David Moore. August 23, 2021. “Lawmakers Benefit From Booming Defense Stocks.” Sludge. Lee Fang. August 20, 2021. “Congressman Seeking to Relaunch Afghan War Made Millions in Defense Contracting.” The Intercept. Anna Massoglia and Julia Forrest. August 20, 2021. “Defense contractors spent big in Afghanistan before the U.S. left and the Taliban took control.” OpenSecrets.org. Stephen Losey. April 16, 2021. “The Bill for the Afghanistan War Is $2.26 Trillion, and Still Rising.” Military.com. Eli Clifton. February 16, 2021. “Weapons Biz Bankrolls Experts Pushing to Keep U.S. Troops in Afghanistan.” Daily Beast. Open Secrets. 2021. Defense: Lobbying, 2021. Open Secrets. 2021. Defense: Money to Congress. Laws S.1790 - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 Sponsor: Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK) Status: Became Public Law No: 116-92 on December 20, 2019 H.R. 3237: Emergency Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 Sponsor: Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) Status: Signed into law, 2021 May 20 House Vote Breakdown Congressional Budget Office Score Law Outline TITLE IV: BILATERAL ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE GENERAL PROVISIONS EXTENSION AND MODIFICATION OF THE AFGHAN SPECIAL IMMIGRANT VISA PROGRAM Sec. 401: Amends the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009 to expand eligibility to include Afghans who worked not only for the US Government for more than 1 year but also our allies as an off-base interpreter or if they performed "activities for United States military stationed at International Security Assistance Force (or any successor name for such Force). Increases the number of Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) to Afghan partners by 8,000, for a total of 34,500 allocated since December 19, 2014. Sec. 402: Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security and Secretary of state to jointly waive for 1 year (maximum 2 years with an extension) the requirement that Afghan partners eligible for SIVs get a medical exam before they can receive their visa. The Secretary of Homeland Security has to create a process to make sure Afghan SIV holders get a medical exam within 30 days of entry into the United States. Sec. 403: Allows the surviving spouse or child or employee of the United States Government abroad to be eligible for immigration into the United States if the employee worked for our government for at least 15 years or was killed in the line of duty. It also expands entry permissions for Afghan SIV applicants in addition to those who have already been approved. This is retroactive to June 30, 2021. Policies for Visa Processing: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Policy Manual, Chapter 9: Certain Afghan Nationals U.S Department of State -- Bureau of Consular Affairs. “Special Immigrant Visas for Afghans - Who Were Employed by/on Behalf of the U.S. Government.” Audio Sources Gen. Mark Milley: "There was nothing that I or anyone else saw that indicated a collapse of this army and this government in 11 days." August 18, 2021 General Mark Milley: The time frame of rapid collapse that was widely estimated and ranged from weeks to months, and even years following our departure, there was nothing that I or anyone else saw that indicated a collapse of this army and this government in 11 days. Central Command submitted a variety of plans that were briefed and approved by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Secretary of Defense and the President. These plans were coordinated, synchronized and rehearsed to deal with these various scenarios. One of those contingencies is what we are executing right now. As I said before, there's plenty of time to do AARs(After Action Reviews) and key lessons learned and to delve into these questions with great detail. But right now is not that time. Right now, we have to focus on this mission, because we have soldiers at risk. And we also have American citizens and Afghans who supported us for 20 years also at risk. This is personal and we're going to get them out. President Biden on Afghanistan Withdrawal Transcript July 8, 2021 Sound Clips 01:30 President Biden: When I announced our drawdown in April, I said we would be out by September, and we're on track to meet that target. Our military mission in Afghanistan will conclude on August 31. The drawdown is proceeding in a secure and orderly way, prioritizing the safety of our troops as they depart 3:40 President Biden: Together with our NATO allies and partners, we have trained and equipped nearly 300,000 current serving members of the military, the Afghan national security force, and many beyond that are no longer serving. Add to that hundreds of thousands more Afghan national defense and security forces trained over the last two decades. 04:04 President Biden: We provided our Afghan partners with all the tools, let me emphasize, all the tools -- training, equipment -- of any modern military. We provided advanced weaponry, and we're going to continue to provide funding and equipment and we'll ensure they have the capacity to maintain their Air Force. 5:54 President Biden: We're also going to continue to make sure that we take on Afghan nationals who worked side by side with US forces, including interpreters and translators. Since we're no longer going to have military there after this, we're not going to need them and they'll have no jobs. We're [sic] also going to be vital to our efforts. they've been very vital, and so their families are not exposed to danger as well. We've already dramatically accelerated the procedure time for Special Immigrant Visas to bring them to the United States. Since I was inaugurated on January 20, we've already approved 2,500 Special Immigrant Visas to come to the United States. Up to now, fewer than half have exercised the right to do that. Half have gotten on aircraft and come commercial flights and come and other half believe they want to stay, at least thus far. We're working closely with Congress to change the authorization legislation so that we can streamline the process of approving those visas. And those who have stood up for the operation to physically relocate 1000s of Afghans and their families before the US military mission concludes so that, if they choose, they can wait safely outside of Afghanistan, while their US visas are being processed. 8:13 President Biden: For those who have argued that we should stay just six more months, or just one more year, I asked them to consider the lessons of recent history. In 2011, the NATO allies and partners agreed that we would end our combat mission in 2014. In 2014, some argued one more year. So we kept fighting. We kept taking casualties. In 2015, the same, and on and on. Nearly 20 years of experience has shown us that the current security situation only confirms that just one more year of fighting in Afghanistan is not a solution, but a recipe for being there indefinitely. It's up to the Afghans to make the decision about the future of their country. Others are more direct. Their argument is that we should stay with the Afghans and Afghanistan indefinitely. In doing so they point to the fact that we we have not taken losses in this last year. So they claim that the cost of just maintaining the status quo is minimal. 9:19 President Biden: But that ignores the reality, and the facts that already presented on the ground in Afghanistan when I took office. The Taliban is at its strongest militarily since 2001. The number of US forces in Afghanistan had been reduced to a bare minimum. And the United States and the last administration made an agreement that they have to with the Taliban remove all our forces by May 1 of this year. That's what I inherited. That agreement was the reason the Taliban had ceased major attacks against US forces. 9:55 President Biden: If in April, I had instead announced that the United States was going to go back on that agreement, made by the last administration, the United States and allied forces will remain in Afghanistan for the foreseeable future, the Taliban would have again begun to target our forces. The status quo was not an option. Staying would have meant US troops taking casualties, American men and women back in the middle of a civil war, and we would run the risk of having to send more troops back in Afghanistan to defend our remaining troops. Once that agreement with the Taliban had been made, staying with a bare minimum force was no longer possible. 10:34 President Biden: So let me ask those who want us to stay: how many more? How many 1000s more Americans' daughters and sons are you willing to risk? How long would you have them stay? Already we have members of our military whose parents fought in Afghanistan 20 years ago. Would you send their children and their grandchildren as well? Would you send your own son or daughter? After 20 years, a trillion dollars spent training and equipping hundreds of 1000s of Afghan National Security and Defence Forces. 2,448 Americans killed, 20,722 more wounded, and untold 1000s coming home with unseen trauma to their mental health. I will not send another generation of Americans to war in Afghanistan with no reasonable expectation of achieving a different outcome. 11:51 President Biden: Today the terrorist threat has metastasized beyond Afghanistan. So, we are repositioning our resources and adapting our counterterrorism posture to meet the threats where they are now: significantly higher in South Asia, the Middle East and Africa. 12:07 President Biden: But make no mistake, our military and intelligence leaders are confident they have the capabilities to protect the homeland and our interests from any resurgent terrorist challenge emerging or emanating from Afghanistan. We're developing a counterterrorism over-the-horizon capability that will allow us to keep our eyes firmly fixed at any direct threat to the United States in the region and act quickly and decisively if needed. 12:38 President Biden: We also need to focus on shoring up America's core strengths to meet the strategic competition competition with China and other nations that is really going to determine our future. 14:58 Reporter: Is the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan now inevitable? President Biden: No. It is not. Because you have the Afghan troops, 300,000. Well equipped, as well equipped as any army in the world, and an air force against something like 75,000 Taliban. It is not inevitable. 15:45 President Biden: Do I trust the Taliban? No, but I trust the capacity of the Afghan military who is better trained, better equipped, and more competent in terms of conducting war. 18:07 Reporter: Your own intelligence community has assessed that the Afghan government will likely collapse President Biden: That is not true 18:53 President Biden: And I want to make clear what I made clear to Ghani, that we are not going to walk away and not sustain their ability to maintain that force. We are. We're going to also work to make sure we help them in terms of everything from food necessities and other things in the region. But there is not a conclusion that in fact, they cannot defeat the Taliban. I believe the only way there's going to be -- this is now Joe Biden, not the intelligence community -- the only way there's only going to be peace and secure in Afghanistan, is that they work out a modus vivendi with the Taliban, and they make a judgement as to how they can make peace. And the likelihood there's going to be one unified government in Afghanistan, controlling the whole country is highly unlikely. 21:30 Reporter: Mr. President, how serious was the corruption among the Afghanistan government to this mission failing there? President Biden: First of all, the mission hasn't failed yet. 22:00 President Biden: There were going to be negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan national security forces, and the Afghan government that didn't come to fruition. So the question now is where do they go from here? The jury is still out, but the likelihood there's going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely. 23:20 Reporter: Mr. President, "speed is safety," as you just said in your remarks. Are you satisfied with the timeline of relocating Afghan nationals? Is it happening quickly enough to your satisfaction if it may not happen until next month at the end? President Biden: It has already happened, there have already been people, about 1000 people have gotten on aircraft and come to the United States already on commercial aircraft. So as I said, there's over 2500 people, that as from January to now, have have gotten those visas and only half decided that they wanted to leave. The point is that I think the whole process has to be speeded up -- period -- in terms of being able to get these visas. Reporter: Why can't the US evacuate these Afghan translators to the United States to await their visa processing as some immigrants of the southern border have been allowed to? President Biden: Because the law doesn't allow that to happen. And that's why we're asking the Congress to consider changing the law. President Biden Remarks on Afghanistan Strategy Transcript April 14, 2021 Sound Clips 00:38 President Biden: I'm speaking to you today from the Roosevelt -- the Treaty room in the White House -- the same spot where in October of 2001, President George W. Bush informed our nation that the United States military had begun strikes on terrorist training camps in Afghanistan. It was just weeks, just weeks after the terrorist attack on our nation that killed 2,977 innocent souls, that turned Lower Manhattan into a disaster area, destroyed parts of the Pentagon and made hallowed ground in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and sparked an American promise that we would never forget. We went to Afghanistan in 2001, to root out al Qaeda to prevent future terrorist attacks against the United States planned from Afghanistan. Our objective was clear, the cause was just, our NATO allies and partners rallied beside us. And I supported that military action along with the overwhelming majority of the members of Congress. More than seven years later, in 2008 weeks before we swore the oath of office -- President Obama and I were about to swear -- President Obama asked me to travel to Afghanistan and report back on the state of the war in Afghanistan. I flew to Afghanistan to the Kunar Valley, a rugged, mountainous region on the border of Pakistan. What I saw on that trip reinforced my conviction that only the Afghans have the right and responsibility to lead their country. And that more and endless American military force could not create or sustain a durable Afghan Government. I believed that our presence in Afghanistan should be focused on the reason we went in the first place: to ensure Afghanistan would not be used as a base from which to attack our homeland again. We did that, we accomplished that objective. I said, along with others, we would follow Osama bin Laden to the gates of hell if need be. That's exactly what we did. And we got him. It took us close to 10 years to put President Obama's commitment into form. And that's exactly what happened Osama bin Laden was gone. That was 10 years ago. Think about that. We delivered justice to Bin Laden a decade ago. And we've stayed in Afghanistan for a decade since. Since then, our reasons for remaining in Afghanistan have become increasingly unclear, even as the terrorist threat that we went to fight evolved. Over the past 20 years, the threat has become more dispersed, metastasizing around the globe. Al Shabaab in Somalia, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, on Al Nusra in Syria, ISIS attempting to create a caliphate in Syria and Iraq and establishing affiliates in multiple countries in Africa and Asia. With the terror threat now in many places, keeping 1000s of troops grounded and concentrated in just one country at a cost of billions each year makes little sense to me and our leaders. We cannot continue the cycle of extending or expanding our military presence in Afghanistan, hoping to create ideal conditions for the withdraw and expecting a different result. I'm now the fourth United States President to preside over American troop presence in Afghanistan: two Republicans, two Democrats. I will not pass this responsibility on to a fifth. After consulting closely with our allies and partners, with our military leaders and intelligence personnel, with our diplomats and our development experts, with the Congress and the Vice President, as well as with Mr. Ghani and many others around the world. I concluded that it's time to end America's longest war. It's time for American troops to come home. 5:01 President Biden: When I came to office, I inherited a diplomatic agreement, duly negotiated between the government of the United States and the Taliban, that all US forces would be out of Afghanistan by May 1 2021, just three months after my inauguration. That's what we inherited. That commitment is perhaps not what I would have negotiated myself, but it was an agreement made by the United States government. And that means something. So in keeping with that agreement, and with our national interest, the United States will begin our final withdrawal beginning on May 1 of this year. 8:11 President Biden: You all know that less than 1% of Americans serve in our Armed Forces. The remaining 99%, we owe them. We owe them. They've never backed down from a single mission that we've asked of them. I've witnessed their bravery firsthand during my visits to Afghanistan. They've never wavered in their resolve. They paid a tremendous price on our behalf and they have the thanks of a grateful nation. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) High-Risk List Center for Strategic and International Studies Transcript March 10, 2021 Speaker: John Sopko - Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction Sound Clips 7:40 John Sopko: But right now, that state is under threat. In the wake of the February 2020 withdrawal agreement, all is not well. Compromise appears in short supply on either side. Taliban attacks have actually increased since the agreement was signed. Assassination of prominent officials, activists, journalists, aid workers and others have also increased, including an unsuccessful attack on one of the female members of the peace negotiating team. And the Taliban offensive on Kandahar city last October, as peace negotiations were ongoing, may well have succeeded, were it not for U.S. air support. Peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban have achieved little for Afghanistan so far, and only time will tell as to whether the new Biden administration initiative will bear fruit. And the Afghan people's fears for its own government survival are exacerbated by the knowledge of how dependent their country is on foreign military and financial support. 12:56 John Sopko: Another equally serious threat to Afghanistan's stability has also largely been ignored as we focus on the boots on the ground in Afghanistan. And that is the provision of last year's U.S.-Taliban agreement that stipulates that in addition to the departure of U.S. and coalition troops, or non-diplomatic civilian personnel: private security contractors, trainers, advisors, and supporting service personnel also must leave the country by May 1. Should this come to passSIGAR and many others believe this may be more devastating to the effectiveness of the Afghan security forces than the withdrawal of our remaining troops. Why is that? Because the Afghan government relies heavily on these foreign contractors and trainers to function. In the first quarter of fiscal year 2021 there are over 18,000 Defense Department contractors in Afghanistan, including 6000 Americans, and 7,000 3rd country nationals, 40% of whom are responsible for logistics, maintenance, or training tasks. Now, it is well known that the Afghan security forces need these contractors to maintain their equipment, manage supply chains, and train their military and police to operate the advanced equipment that we have purchased for them. For example, as of December, the Afghan National Army was completing just under 20% of its own maintenance work orders, well below the goal of 80% that was set and the 51% that they did in 2018. So that's actually going down. The Afghan National Police were just as bad if not worse, undertaking only 12% of their own maintenance work against a target of 35% and less than the 16% that we reported in our 2019 high risk list. Additionally, and more troubling. The Department of Defense does train, advise and assist command air, or commonly called TAC air recently reported that since late 2019, they have reduced their personnel in Afghanistan by 94%, and that the military drawdown now requires near total use of contract support to maintain the Afghan Air fleet. They assess that quote “further drawdown in the associated closure basis will effectively end all in country aviation training contracts in Afghanistan.” Again, why is this significant? Why do we view this as a high risk? Namely because contractors currently provide 100% of the maintenance for the Afghan Air Force, UAE 60 helicopters and CE 130 cargo aircraft and a significant portion of Afghans Light Combat Support aircraft. TAC air this January gave a bleak assessment, namely, that no Afghan airframe can be sustained as combat effective for more than a few months in the absence of contractor support. 17:51 John Sopko: Continued funding for U.S. reconstruction programs aimed at promoting economic development, rule of law, respect for human rights, good governance and security for the Afghan people may be more significant, because it may be the primary lever left for the US and other donors to influence that country. It appears that even the Taliban understand Afghanistan's dire need for foreign assistance. Because, as one of the few commitments that the US had to make last year was, “to seek economic cooperation for reconstruction, with the new post settlement, Afghan Islamic government.” Now how much the donor community wishes to stay involved will of course depend on what that government looks like and how it behaves. Numerous officials, including then Secretary of State Pompeo and Ambassador Halley, have stated that the US will be able to advance its human rights goals, including the rights of women and girls with the Taliban by leveraging or conditioning this much needed financial assistance. But unfortunately, as SIGAR has long reported, even when conditionality involved only dealing with the Afghan government, donors do not have a stellar record of successfully utilizing that conditionality to influence Afghan behavior. 27:19 John Sopko: Today our report suggests the donor community should realize the Afghan government is focused on a single goal, its survival. Afghanistan is more dependent on international support than ever before. It may not be an overstatement that if foreign assistance is withdrawn and peace negotiations fail, Taliban forces could be at the gates of Kabul in short order. Hearing: A PATHWAY FOR PEACE IN AFGHANISTAN: EXAMINING THE FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE AFGHANISTAN STUDY GROUP House Committee on Oversight and Reform: Subcommittee on National Security February 19, 2021 Testimony was heard from the following Afghanistan Study Group officials: Kelly A. Ayotte, Co-Chair; News Corp Board of Directors since April 2017 BAE Systems Board of Directors since June 2017 Blackstone Board of Directors Boston Properties Board of Directors Caterpillar Board of Directors Board of Advisors at Cirtronics General Joseph F. Dunford, Jr. (Retired), Co-Chair Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Obama and Trump presidencies. Lockheed Martin Board of Directors since February 2020 Nancy Lindborg, Co-Chair President and CEO of the David Lucile Packard Foundation Former President and CEO of the US Institute for Peace Former Assistant Administrator for the bureau for democracy conflict and humanitarian assistance at USAID During the mid-Obama years. Sound Clips 3:13 Rep. Stephen Lynch (MA): I'd also like to take a moment to thank the nonpartisan US Institute of Peace for the support and expertise they provided to the study group during the course of its work. 3:23 Rep. Stephen Lynch (MA): In the fiscal year 2020 omnibus bill Congress led by Senator Graham Senator Patrick Leahy and the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee of state foreign ops and related programs. They tasked the independent and bipartisan Afghanistan study group to quote, consider the implications of a peace settlement or the failure to reach a settlement on US policy, resources and commitments in Afghanistan. After nearly nine months of review and consultation with current and former US and Afghan government officials, allies and partners and other key stakeholders, the Afghanistan study group issued its final report earlier this month. 15:12 Kelly Ayotte: We recommend that US troops remain beyond may 1. We believe a precipitous withdrawal of US and international troops in May, would be catastrophic for Afghanistan, leading to civil war, and allow the reconstitution of terror groups which threaten the United States within an 18 to 36 month period. 15:41 Kelly Ayotte: Let me be clear, although we recommend that our troops remain beyond may 1, we propose a new approach toward Afghanistan, which aligns our policies, practices and messaging across the United States government to support the Afghan peace process, rather than prosecute a war. Our troops would remain not to fight a forever war, but to guarantee the conditions for a successful peace process and to protect our national security interests to ensure that Afghanistan does not become a haven again, for terrorists who threaten the United States of America. 37:15 General Joseph F. Dunford: Do we need to increase forces if the Taliban don't accept an extension past the first of May, and if they then would re initiate attacks against US forces? and Chairman, we heard exactly what you heard. In the fall. What we were told by commanders on the ground in the department of fence was that 4500 US forces, in addition to the NATO forces that are there was the minimum level to address both the mission as well as protection of our forces in the context of the conditions that existed in the fall in as you've highlighted, those conditions have only gotten worse since the fall so in in our judgment 2500 would not be adequate. Should the Taliban re initiate attacks against the United States Hearing: Examining the Trump Administration's Afghanistan Strategy House Committee on Oversight and Reform, Subcommittee on National Security January 28, 2020 Witness: John Sopko - Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) Sound Clips 48:54 John Sopko: We've almost created a system that forces people in the government to give happy talk success stories because they're over there on very short rotations. They want to show success. The whole system is almost geared to give you, and it goes up the chain of command, all the way to the President sometimes. He gets bad information from people out in the field because somebody on a nine month rotation, he has to show success, and that goes up. 54:24 John Sopko: Maybe incentivize honesty. And one of the proposals I gave at that time,be cause I was asked by the staff to come up with proposals, is put the same requirement on the government that we impose on publicly traded corporations. Publicly traded corporations have to tell the truth. Otherwise the SEC will indict the people involved. They have to report when there's a significant event. So put that onus, call it The Truth in Government Act if you want, that you in the administration are duty bound by statute to alert Congress to significant events that could directly negatively impact a program or process. So incentivize honesty. 1:10:25 John Sopko: Over 70% of the Afghan budget comes from the United States and the donors. If that money ended, I have said before and I will stand by it, then the Afghan government will probably collapse. Wartime Contracting Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs September 21, 2011 Witnesses: Charles Tiefer: Commissioner on the Commission on Wartime Contracting Clark Kent Ervin: Commissioner on the Commission on Wartime Contracting Sound Clips 1:11:30 Charles Tiefer: Our private security in Afghanistan appears to be a major source of payoffs to the Taliban. Our report has the first official statement that it's the second-largest source of money for the Taliban. Sen. Carl Levin: After drugs. Charles Tiefer: After drugs, that's right. 1:25:18 Clark Kent Ervin: It's critical that the government have a choice, and that means that there needs to be at least a small and expandable, organic capacity on the part of these three agencies to perform missions themselves, so the next time there's a contingency, the government has a choice between going with contractors and going in-house and the determination can be made whether it's more effective to do it either way, whether it's cheaper to do it either way. As we said at the inception, right now the government doesn't have an option. Contractors are the default option because they're the only option. President George W. Bush announces U.S. Military Strikes on Afghanistan October 7, 2001 President George W. Bush: Good afternoon. On my orders, the United States military has begun strikes against Al-Qaeda terrorist training camps and military installations of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. These carefully targeted actions are designed to disrupt the use of Afghanistan as a terrorist base of operations and to attack the military capability of the Taliban regime. More than two weeks ago, I gave Taliban leaders a series of clear and specific demands: close terrorist training camps, hand over leaders of the Al-Qaeda network, and return all foreign nationals including American citizens unjustly detained in your country. None of these demands were met and now the Taliban will pay a price by destroying camps and disrupting communications. We will make it more difficult for the terror network to train new recruits and coordinate their evil plans. ** International Campaign Against Terrorism Senate Foreign Relations Committee October 25, 2001 Witness: Colin Powell: Secretary of State Sound Clip 27:00 Colin Powell: Our work in Afghanistan though, is not just of a military nature. We recognize that when the Al Qaeda organization has been destroyed in Afghanistan, and as we continue to try to destroy it in all the nations in which it exists around the world, and when the Taliban regime has gone to its final reward, we need to put in place a new government in Afghanistan, one that represents all the people of Afghanistan and one that is not dominated by any single powerful neighbor, but instead is dominated by the will of the people of Afghanistan. Executive Producer Recommendations Elect Stephanie Gallardo 2022 Krystal Kyle and Friends. August 21, 2021. “Episode 35 Audio with Matthew Hoh.” Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio)

After a long and bitter legal dispute, the Defense Department has opted to cancel its signature cloud computing contract. The Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure deal, known a JEDI, had been awarded to Microsoft and was protested by Amazon. Now the whole project will be replaced. Federal News Network's Jared Serbu had the latest on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

Retired Navy SEAL Bob Reitz joins the show to share how his deployments have shaped civilian life as well as the coping mechanisms he's developed in conjunction with NuCalm, to manage his PTSD and hypervigilance.   Introduction quote “You may be able to hold your breath for five minutes, but they want to know how you manage and how you act at five minutes and one second. Do you panic? Do you compete? Do you keep your composure? Do you stay underwater and relax even though you're a quiet storm inside? All those things matter.” — Bob Reitz   Guest bio Bob joined the Navy in 1988 and served both as an Enlisted Sailor and a Commissioned Officer over his 22 year career.  The first 8 years in the Navy Bob served as a Machinist Mate where he repaired Submarines in Italy and followed by his time in at the University of Arizona where he received his Bachelor's Degree and Commission; the last 16 years he served as a Commissioned Officer in the US Navy SEAL Teams. Bob was assigned to SEAL Team ONE, SEAL Team FIVE, Special Boat Team TWELVE and also the Naval Postgraduate School where he received his Master's Degree.  Over his time in the Navy he deployed 6 times for 6-7 months each deployment and served 4 years abroad when he was stationed in Italy and Guam.   After leaving the Navy Bob worked as a Security Contractor with other SEALS protecting the Middle East Maersk Shipping line from Pirating and Kidnapping operations conducted by local criminal elements;  He later went into the Defense Contracting Industry where he sold Covert Audio and Video equipment to both DOD and Federal Agencies.  It was during this time that he was introduced to NuCalm by way of a Gifted NuCalm System from Dr. David Walters (Bob's personal Doctor) to help him with Sleep and Travel.  Because NuCalm had such a profound effect on Bob, he quit his Defense Contracting career and reached out to NuCalm to join the team!   Key Takeaways [1:00] David welcomes a long-time friend, Navy SEAL, hero, all-around awesome human and asks him to share the story of how he came to serve.   [5:23] The people who make it to SEAL training need to really want to do it — there is a 75% to 85% drop-out rate! Bob shares some of the grueling trials and training required.   [8:31] Bob shares some of his deployments, what they have meant, and the fundamental mission difference between pre- and post-9/11.   [13:56] Six to seven months of constant sympathetic drive is not something your body or mind is used to recuperating from, but it's part of the job. Bob shares the hurdles of hypervigilance experience as well as the hardships of managing the need for control post-deployment.   [20:13] Bob shares a personal example of how hypervigilance can show up inappropriately — even backyard camping — in a personal and family relationship setting.   [22:11] Growing with a tightly knit unit of brothers at arms and developing this uniquely unshakable bond teaches you that life is really about community. Retirement from this context can lead to a profound feeling of loss and Bob shares how some people find relief from this feeling of emptiness.   [30:12] PTSD is ugly. And easy to deny. Bob opens up about his Veteran grandfather.   [35:55] To put things into perspective, Bob shares what a day in his life is on deployment 24/7 for seven months at a time — from Djibouti to Afghanistan.   [40:32] What does Veteran's day mean to Bob? He also shares advice on how to come back to civilian life.   [48:12] From dying on the vine to Bob figuring out the best coping mechanisms for managing his PTSD — including NuCalm.   [52:33] Audience questions start with “How do you share this PTSD experience with others?”   [58:05] “Have you customized NuCalm for your own optimal experience?”   [1:01:52] “TBI and TMJ are causing grinding. Will NuCalm help with this?”   [1:07:04] “Bob's recommendations for getting — and staying — in the zone.”   [1:16:30] David thanks Bob for his service, his experience, and for sharing so much of himself.   Continue on your journey and until next time, breathe deep, relax, and keep looking forward.   Mentioned in this episode NuCalm   More about your host Connect with David Poole — Chief Business Officer at NuCalm on LinkedIn   More about NuCalm and the podcast This is NuCalm, the show for those looking to improve sleep quality, manage stress, and boost recovery. Brought to you by Solace Lifesciences, the makers of NuCalm, the world's only patented and proven neuroscience technology that works within minutes, without drugs, every time! In over one million medical sessions, NuCalm has helped men and women around the world.   NuCalm: stress relief for the way we live today, technology to help you disconnect.   Pull quotes   “A lot of people think that SEALS are these big strong guys that can do anything, and oftentimes, those are the first guys that quit!” — Bob Reitz   “Everything about SEAL training is failure.” — Bob Reitz   “The dysfunction that we end up dealing with when we come home is hypervigilance.” — Bob Reitz   “I miss it… I miss working, I miss being in SEAL teams.” — Bob Reitz   Tweet #1 PTSD is ugly, and it can eat people alive. This is NuCalm Episode 12 guest Bob Reitz, retired Navy SEAL shares his personal experience with PTSD.   Tweet #2 Dying on the vine can happen to anyone, but Veterans are even more at risk. This is NuCalm Episode 12 guest Bob Reitz, retired Navy SEAL shares his personal experience.  

The Navy wants to embrace digital engineering to help speed up its acquisition process and cut its long-term sustainment costs. To do that, it needs “digital threads” that span all the way from a new system’s initial design through its eventual retirement. And to jumpstart the process, officials are considering ways to use the digital engineering platforms defense contractors have already built to design their own systems. Federal News Network’s Jared Serbu has details.

Do you have a suspicious co-worker who is involved with espionage, sabotage, terrorism, or subversive activities while working in the DoD? Should my Facility Security Officer report it to the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency or directly to the FBI? This aid provides guidance to assist defense contractors with general scenarios for incident reporting. For an entire list of reportable activities, reporting requirements, and recipients, please refer to the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (NISPOM) and the Security Executive Agent Directive (SEAD) 3:https://news.clearancejobs.com/fso-industrial-security-reporting-requirements-what-and-who-to-report-to/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In August, the Navy announced it was increasing the ceiling value for its Information Warfare Research Project OTA to $500 million. That’s after IWRP exhausted its initial 100 million dollar ceiling in just a little over a year and a half. To talk about how that happened and some of the technology that’s come out of IWRP since the OTA was first signed in 2018, Jared talks with two guests with us from Naval Information Warfare Center-Atlantic: Kevin Charlow, the Deputy Executive Director and chairman of the IWRP Executive Steering Group, and Don Sallee is the NIWC-Atlantic Acquisition Services Manager. Later in the program, Maj. Gen. Arnold Punaro (Ret.) joins us to talk about recent leaderships shakeups at the top of DoD's civilian leadership structure and how they might impact the presidential transition process.

Discussing our Experiences as Defense Contractors overseas. The Pros and Cons of working abroad. Culture Shockand adapting to a different lifestyle and environment. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Defense contracting is a multi-hundred-billion-dollar activity. It can also be highly technical and demanding. Now the University of Oklahoma's Graduate School of Business has launched an online graduate degree program for aerospace and defense. Joining the Federal Drive with the details, the program director Shad Satterthwaite.

In this segment, Adam Simmons and Darryl Murdock interview Mike Grochol on the topic of Young Professional Leadership in Defense Contracting. Discussing what it takes in today’s world to be successful as a young professional in the defense contracting world. The advantages: the youth factor and people wanting to be part of your success, being underestimated, the close-up an understanding of the mission. The disadvantage: being underestimated (the double-edged sword), how lack of experience hurts you, how a limited network hurts you. Ultimately it’s our ability (or inability) to build a team that can adequately address our market needs that sets us apart. You have to use the mystique to your advantage while proving over and over that you also know what it takes to win. This latest acquisition taught Mike so much the difference between a mom and pop small business and real enterprise expandable business. There are fundamental differences in how you plan and operate that are embedded in the walls. About Us Project Geospatial is a podcast hosted by Adam Simmons dedicated to increasing awareness of Geospatial Technology, education resources, and industry best practices. Our show is composed of industry professionals who discuss diverse topics such as new geospatial projects, innovations, and resources that benefit the overall community. If you are an industry professional reach out to us, we’d love to hear your feedback or have you on the show. Listen in and check us out at projectgeospatial.com

On this weeks podcast we interview Hillary Trout. Hillary is a local business professional who is the current CFO of both iFixit and Dozuki, two booming San Luis Obispo startups. Hillary is also the President of the board of the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce as well as the Treasurer of the French Hospital Foundation. Today she talks with us about what it takes to survive in the SLO business environment and what it takes to run a company in the midst of an unprecedented global pandemic. Hillary also keys us in on how to thrive in the business world and how a new outlook on fear can redefine your responses to your given situation. This is Hillary Trout.

Welcome to episode lucky thirteen of the Low Tide Boyz, a Swimrun Podcast!On this week’s show we chat with the Godfather of Swimrun in the U.S., Andy Hewitt. He put on the first swimrun event in the United States and was our first Patron on Patreon. (Spoiler alert: if you support us on Patreon you’ll likely be interviewed for the show!) More on the interview later in the show.We’re still under a shelter-in-place order and we learned this week that the order is being extended until the end of April. As mentioned previously on the show, we encourage everyone to follow the guidelines of the WHO and their local authorities on what to do. While our pools and parks are closed we are keeping busy with running and other dry land activities.Speaking of which, this week’s shout out goes to Drew Sapp. He’s Co-owner of Crew Racing and Rehab and he sent us some dry land workouts for bands after we posted up on IG that we didn’t know how to use them. Thanks for that Drew!This got us thinking that we should host a bunch of these “pools are closed” workouts on our site. If anyone else has some cool dry land workouts that they want to share, send us an email at lowtideboyz@gmail.com and we’ll get that up on our site. In other news, our collab shirt fundraiser for the WILD Youth Initiative created by WILD Swimrun is still selling well! As a reminder, all proceeds from this apparel will go towards providing scholarships to help girls attend the WILD Swimrun camps. Have enough shirts (and/or pillows)? You can head over to lowtideboyz.com to donate to the WILD Youth Initiative on our homepage.Now for this week’s show! Andy Hewitt grew-up in San Diego. Rowed Crew at UC Berkeley. He then spent 28 years as an Infantry Officer in the Marine Corps where he participated in 7 wars throughout the Middle East and Central Asia. He did an 8-year assignment at the US State Department and spent time in Renewable Energy, Defense Contracting and worked for 10 years as a “low-grade” Hollywood actor. He’s been married for 31 years to a Super-Lawyer and has two sons. Athletically, Andy has completed 27 Marathons, 3 Ironman races, swam the English Channel, the Catalina Channel and swam around Manhattan. He has raced in 23 Swimrun events, including 5 Ötillö World Championships. He formed California Swimrun with Sean Durkin in 2015 and hosted the first race in United States on September 20th, 2015. Finally, it bears repeating that Andy was our first Patron on Patreon. In this interview we chatted about how he learned about Swimrun. How he pestered Mats and Michael to get into the World Championship with his friend Sean Durkin in 2015 and then hosted the first swimrun race in the U.S. 4 weeks later. We also chatted about how the sport is growing in the U.S. leading up to the first Ötillö race in California. We chatted about the genesis for the California Swimrun “Rules of Swimrun:”Tell everyone about swimrun!Greet everyone you see while runningStay with your teammate during runs and swimsDog in and out of the swims (Funny story about this one!)No complaining…everWe also chatted about the genesis of Ötillö Catalina and the role that Andy and California Swimrun played in getting that race to happen. The team of Sean, Natalie Foote and Andy worked really hard to help design the great course that we all raced. Finally, we chatted about Andy’s thoughts on how to best grow the sport in the U.S. while keeping the soul of the sport as it will inevitably grow in the U.S. Whether by supporting solo divisions to help introduce the sport to folks or showcasing local events, the future of the sport is about getting people to show up to the races. Andy feels that the team aspect of the sport is where the magic is. The biggest part is hosting swimrun events and the rest will take care of itself.That’s it for this week’s show. If you are enjoying the Löw Tide Böyz, please be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast player. We are on Apple Podcast, Spotify and Google Podcast. You can also follow along on Instagram and Twitter. You can also support us on Patreon, if you are so inclined. If you want to drop us a line, email us at lowtideboyz@gmail.com. 

In this episode we speak with 2 time Iraq War Champ Josh, who takes us on a journey through Iraq, the civilian world, and his entry into Defense Contracting. We talk war, lifestyle, and leadership. iTunes: https://lnkd.in/gWPwbYg Anchor: https://lnkd.in/gDHzdyD Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eGR5BUB --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/pmc-podcast/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/pmc-podcast/support

The basic requirement of weapons systems whether hand-held or mounted on a billion-dollar platform is to fire when you pull the trigger. And that's actually a tall order given the complexity of today's military systems. The Government Accountability Office has published a sort of primer on how the Defense Department should ensure reliability in its weapons. Federal Drive with Tom Temin spoke to Nate Tranquilli, GAO's assistant director of the Contracting and National Security Acquisitions team, for the highlights.

Nearly every program office in the Army is under pressure to cut budgets by 5% and repurpose the money for modernization. The one area where that type of cut may come easiest is in the buying of common goods and services. Rebecca Weirick is the executive director of the Services Acquisition Office of in the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Procurement. She told Federal News Network Executive Editor Jason Miller that the Army already saved more than $1 billion through category management, and that money did go to modernization. Hear more on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

Any Defense contractor that can fog a mirror should be paying attention to the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program. Eventually contractors will have to prove they've got cyber chops under CMMC if they want to keep doing business with the department. DoD is up to the pre-launch version 0.7 of the CMMC. Cybersecurity expert and attorney Bob Metzger joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin in studio to share what contractors need to know.

In today's Federal Newscast, a new Senate bill looks to improve the Defense Department's Mentor-Protégé Program, which expired last year.

  In this episode we talk with our new Cal OES Deputy Coastal Region Administrator Nehru Harper. Nehru has always led a life of service--from being a Brownie, to becoming one the first of many women to serve onboard a Pentagon sanctioned vessel in the United States Navy, to advocating for disabled veterans, and working for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (both in Boston and Oakland). Service has always been her calling. She moved to California in 2011 and fell in love with the State.   This lead to employment with the US Census Bureau, Defense Contracting and Management Agency, Veterans Benefits Administration and back to the Federal Emergency Management Agency out of Oakland in 2017 as part of FEMA’s Individual Assistance team. Nehru became all too familiar with the disasters that can and could plague FEMA IX. She began working very closely with Cal OES during the 2017 California fires as the FEMA Human Services Group Supervisor, worked in American Samoa for a housing mission in Saipan, and also worked in Hawaii to assist with the impacts of the volcanic eruptions, flooding, and earthquakes.   She is active in a variety of civic and cultural organizations including Habitat for Humanity, Women in the Arts, the Television Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Grammys. Outside of professional interests, Nehru travels widely, reads, and writes poetry, auditions for voice-overs, dee-jays, and helps addicts and alcoholics find recovery. She shares a home in the Sacramento with her partner, Maya. Mentions and Links While in the US Navy, she was one of the first women assigned to her ship, AS-39 USS Emory S. Land Her supervisor is Jodi Traversaro (podcast episode Facing Disasters In California’s Coastal Region) Coastal Region  FEMA Region IX  U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs  If you are a Veteran in crisis or concerned about one, connect with their caring, qualified responders for confidential help. Many of them are Veterans themselves. Call 800-273-8255 and press 1 Text 838255 Start a confidential chat Call TTY if you have hearing loss 800-799-4889 Get more resources at VeteransCrisisLine.net

In today's Federal Newscast, officials with the Defense Department's Office of Inspector General  say they've had much more success with a new alternative dispute resolution process. 

On this week’s edition of On DoD, we go a bit deeper into Federal News Radio’s series, Danger at High Speed: OTAs in Action. This edition of the program features some of the extended interviews Scott Maucione conducted with acquisition experts as part of the reporting process for his two-part series on the Defense Department’s use of acquisition authorities: -- Angela Styles, a former administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, now a partner at Bracewell. -- David Berteau, the president of the Professional Services Council and a former assistant secretary of Defense for logistics and materiel readiness -- Scott Amey, the general counsel at the Project on Government Oversight

In the 1930s during the run-up to WWII, many argued that arms manufacturers and bankers--"merchants of death"--had conspired to manipulate the U.S. into entering WWI. What is or should be the role of the profit motive in preparing for war? "This is a debate that is no less important now," says MIT's Christopher Capozzola, "but we are not having it, and we are not including all the people in that debate who need to be participating in it."

In the 1930s during the run-up to WWII, many argued that arms manufacturers and bankers--"merchants of death"--had conspired to manipulate the U.S. into entering WWI. What is or should be the role of the profit motive in preparing for war? "This is a debate that is no less important now," says MIT's Christopher Capozzola, "but we are not having it, and we are not including all the people in that debate who need to be participating in it."

How does this veteran work on a startup from Afghanistan?   Matt Helbig is a graduate of The American University in Washington DC and a former Army Infantry Officer. He’s currently working on Valid8: A Social Network for Startups. Prior to Valid8, Matt worked in sales, marketing and business development for both Startups and at least one Fortune 500 Company. He has also been a fundraising campaign manager at Project Welcome Home Troops; a non-profit dedicated to preventing veteran suicide.   http://www.successvets.com/2014/08/18/matt-helbig-army-infantry-pharma-sales-defense-contracting-and-entrepreneurship/

How does this veteran work on a startup from Afghanistan?   Matt Helbig is a graduate of The American University in Washington DC and a former Army Infantry Officer. He’s currently working on Valid8: A Social Network for Startups. Prior to Valid8, Matt worked in sales, marketing and business development for both Startups and at least one Fortune 500 Company. He has also been a fundraising campaign manager at Project Welcome Home Troops; a non-profit dedicated to preventing veteran suicide.   http://www.successvets.com/2014/08/18/matt-helbig-army-infantry-pharma-sales-defense-contracting-and-entrepreneurship/