Podcast appearances and mentions of Larry O Spencer

In this episode of the Tesseract Podcast, Retired General Larry Spencer shares his journey from a young man, uncertain about an Air Force career, to becoming the vice chief of staff of the United States Air Force. His story begins in Washington D.C., where a chance encounter with an Air Force recruiter dramatically changed the trajectory of his life. Spencer recounts how he transitioned from playing football to joining the Air Force, fueled by a recruiter's promise of a future that combined his passion for sports with military service. His candid reflection on the lack of mentors during his early years, his initial confusion about his career path, and his eventual decision to enlist paint a picture of a young man searching for a purpose.

On this episode of the Mission: Readiness Podcast, host Brigadier General (Ret.) Rich Gross, U.S. Army, is joined by General (Ret.) Larry O. Spencer, U.S. Air Force. General Spencer shares his journey “from the Horseshoe to the Pentagon” through incredible stories of his family and childhood, his chance meeting with an Air Force recruiter, and many other  insights into his career from enlisted to four-star general.  After listening to this episode, you'll definitely want to read General Spencer's book, Dark Horse: General Larry O. Spencer and His Journey from the Horseshoe to the Pentagon. 

Join us for a retrospective on our favorite books of the year, with the 'From Balloons to Drones' editor-in-chief, Dr Ross Mahoney! Each of us discusses our top three reads of 2022, and we take a look forward at some topics we'd really like to hear more about in the future. The books: 'Malayan Emergency and Indonesian Confrontation, 1950-1966' by Mark Lax 'Air Power in the Falklands Conflict: An Operational Level Insight into Air Warfare in the South Atlantic' by John Shields 'Air Power Supremo: A Biography of Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir John Slessor' by William Pyke 'Black Snow: Curtis LeMay, the Firebombing of Tokyo, and the Road to the Atomic Bomb' by James Scott 'A Long Voyage to the Moon: The Life of Naval Aviator and Apollo 17 Astronaut Ron Evans' by Geoffrey Bowman 'Dark Horse: General Larry O. Spencer and His Journey from the Horseshoe to the Pentagon' by Gen. Larry O. Spencer, USAF (Ret.) 'Wings of Gold: The Story of the First Women Naval Aviators' by Beverly Weintraub 'Tomcats and Eagles: The Development of the F-14 and F-15 in the Cold War' by Tal Tovy 'Because Our Fathers Lied: A Memoir of Truth and Family, from Vietnam to Today' by Craig McNamara

Today we return to the Story of retired Air Force Four Star General, Larry O. Spencer. General Spencer has such an inspirational Saluki Story, we decided to revisit our conversation last November.

Today, the Armed Forces Benefit Association (AFBA) continues to honor its mission, in war and peace, for those who serve this great nation, including our military, emergency first responders, government employees and contractors, and their families. They continue promoting members' welfare through death benefits and other member benefits. AFBA is proud to serve nearly 650,000 members and has paid nearly $2 billion in death benefits since inception. AFBA death benefits are funded by life insurance underwritten by 5Star Life Insurance Company (“5Star Life”). 4 Star General Larry O. Spencer (ret.) USAF is now the President of AFBA and discusses its mission and products with host Jim Fausone.

With 44 years of service under his belt, Air Force Veteran, four-star general and former Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force Larry Spencer decided that he earned a well-deserved break and retired on a Friday in 2015. But that very following Monday, he went right back to work, promoting aerospace education in his new role as president of the Air Force Association.Did Spencer regret going straight back into work after retiring and does he recommend it to others? You might be surprised by his answer and what he recommends Veterans do instead.While Spencer commanded at all levels of the military and was the second-highest military member of the Air Force, he claimed that his favorite experience remains his first command post as a squadron commander. It might be a low-level command job, but Spencer explains why he found it to be the most rewarding of all his leadership experiences.Spencer also specializes in financial management and is a well-respected comptroller in the Air Force community. He wrote extensively on how money is used during times of war. In his latest book, The Green Eyeshades of War, he analyzes the complex policies, negotiations and procedures that are involved in financing a war.In recognition of his service to the nation, the Air Force created the General Larry O. Spencer Innovation Award in 2015. This award honors Airmen who made significant contributions to saving Air Force financial and manpower resources through innovation.Today, he is on the board of directors for Whirlpool Corporation and president of the Armed Forces Benefit Association and 5Star Life Insurance Company. He has lived a rich life thus far and shares much of his experiences and wisdom on this episode of Borne the Battle.Borne the Battle Veteran of the Week:Army Veteran Alwyn C. Cashe Additional Links: In addition to writing The Green Eyeshades of War, Spencer also wrote on his upbringing and the journey that he took to reach the heights he did in his book Dark Horse. VA, HUD and community partners conduct annual homeless census. VA funding available to create technology helping eligible service members and Veterans adapt their homes.

Gen. Larry O. Spencer, USAF (ret.), was born and raised in a tough inner-city street in southeast Washington D.C. Both parents lived in the rural south under Jim Crow and "separate but equal" laws. Spencer's father was a career Army soldier who lost his left hand during the Korean War and suffered from post-traumatic stress. Growing up Larry suffered from being overweight, having poor self-esteem, and a bleak outlook for the future. He experienced summers on his grandfather's tobacco farm, which shaped him as did inner-city sports and fights. Quite by chance, Spencer enlisted in the U.S. Air Force where he continued to struggle with the racial turmoil of the 1970s. He talks about how various NonCom's took him under their wing and mentored him with host Jim Fausone. He moved up the ranks in Financial Management to become a 4-Star General in the Pentagon. 

General Larry O. Spencer completed his SIUC undergraduate degree in Industrial Technology without ever stepping on the Carbondale campus. He took his classes on one of the many military bases served by the SIU Extended Campus program. General Spencer has an inspiring story to tell. He wrote it down in his book, Dark Horse: General Larry O. Spencer and His Journey from Horseshoe to the Pentagon, is being released November 15. Dark Horse: General Larry O. Spencer and His Journey from the Horseshoe to the Pentagon: Spencer USAF (Ret.), Gen. Larry O.: 9781682477021: AmazonSmile: Books

Michael Kanaan has helped a wide swath of decision-makers better grasp the nature of AI. He has a knack for expressing complex topics in clear, accurate and succinct ways and many of us in the national security community have already had the pleasure of hearing from him in person or in conferences. His book, T-Minus AI: Humanity’s Countdown to Artificial Intelligence and the New Pursuit of Global Power, provides context and insights in a way that can help concerned citizens and business leaders better grasp the issues of AI. He gives us all a call to action to learn more because as he makes clear in the book, the countdown to AI is actually over. In this OODAcast we explore a bit of what makes Kanaan tick, and dive into his motivations for this book. We discuss what citizens should know about AI and what business leaders can do to prepare their companies for success in the coming age. You will find Michael to be very plain spoken. When asked to define AI for us, he approached it in a way we have never heard before, starting with a reminder that on the Internet CATS are everywhere so he wants to use that as an acronym/nemonic. CATS is a reminder to always consider that when a person is talking about AI they may be referring to a Concept, and Application or a Techniques. So when you hear someone talk about AI, be sure to know which the speaker is referring to. We especially loved at the 10 minute mark in the discussion when he put AI into the context of the OODA loop. He thinks of AI as best in the observe and orient side of the OODA loop, since this is AI doing what it does best, but wants the decide and act part of the decision process to always be a human job.  We tend to agree of course, except in use cases where humans have decided the machines are ok to act. We asked Michael his views on the security if AI and coming issues of the threat and ways to mitigate threats to AI. His view: just like building trust with humans, we need to build trust with AI, and it will take time to do that. Michael's Bio: Michael Kanaan was the first chairperson of artificial intelligence for the U.S. Air Force, Headquarters Pentagon. In that role, he authored and guided the research, development, and implementation strategies for AI technology and machine learning activities across its global operations. He is currently the Director of Operations for Air Force / MIT Artificial Intelligence. In recognition of his fast-rising career and broad influence, the author was named to the 2019 Forbes "30 Under 30" list and has received numerous other awards and prestigious honors--including the Air Force's 2018 General Larry O. Spencer Award for Innovation as well as the US Government's Arthur S. Flemming Award (an honor shared by past recipients Neil Armstrong, Robert Gates, and Elizabeth Dole). Kanaan is a graduate of the US Air Force Academy and previously led a National Intelligence Campaign for Operation Inherent Resolve in Syria and Iraq.

Airmen and Air Force civilians were recognized with the General Larry O. Spencer Innovation Award.