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On this episode of The Future of GovCon, Jake Frazer sits down with Chris Decker, President and Founder of Planate Management Group, a veteran-owned small business operating in 26 countries doing some of the hardest engineering and infrastructure work in the world's most challenging locations.
Chris is a Naval Academy graduate and Navy Civil Engineer Corps veteran who built his company from the ground up across three global hubs in the Philippines, Florida, and Kenya. In this conversation he gives a rare ground level view of what is actually happening right now in Indo-Pacom, Africa, and Southcom, why the defense acquisition system is consolidating, and what AI could mean for the future of government proposals.
He also serves as past chairman of ISOA and hosts his own podcast, Mission Ready.
🔔 Subscribe and leave us a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps more people in the GovCon community find the show.
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Hook: Why service contracting is so inefficient right now
00:31 – Welcome and introduction
01:38 – Who is Chris Decker: President and Founder of Planate Management Group
03:28 – Historic times: the most transformation since 9/11
06:22 – Growing up in Pennsylvania: Navy family, German roots, soccer
07:25 – Choosing the Naval Academy
09:06 – The three tracks in the Navy Civil Engineer Corps: Seabees, public works, contracts
10:22 – Leading a major Pentagon acquisition program for seven years
11:11 – The moment he knew he wasn't built for the Corps
12:27 – How Planate Management Group was born
13:25 – His son Joe, now activated with a Seabee unit
17:49 – What Planate Management Group does today: planning, design, engineering, construction
20:16 – The origin of the name Planate: three books and a mathematical surface
22:04 – Three support centers: Subic Bay, Orlando, and Nairobi
24:08 – What's happening on the ground in Indo-Pacom right now
27:28 – Pent up demand: construction running two years behind operational plans
30:20 – China's investment strategy vs. the US approach in the Pacific
31:41 – Shifting to Africa: the decline of USAID and the rise of DFC investment
35:46 – Rare earth minerals, energy, and the real US interest in Africa
38:25 – Shifting to Southcom: the border wall, Peru, Puerto Rico, Guantanamo
40:05 – Where the center of gravity is moving in Southcom
41:47 – The great realignment: consolidating acquisition authority toward GSA
46:48 – Concerns about small business set asides and execution costs
48:50 – Executive order driven change without congressional support
51:09 – Fast forward to 2029: what does the engineering and construction market look like
52:07 – Progressive design build and cutting government oversight layers
53:40 – Could AI eliminate the proposal process entirely
54:23 – One word on the future: "Speed"
55:35 – ISOA's role and Chris's time as chairman
58:01 – The Mission Ready podcast and why he started it
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On this episode of The Future of GovCon, Jake Frazer sits down with John Heller, CEO of Amentum, one of the most consequential leaders in the government contracting industry today.
Amentum is a $14 billion advanced engineering and technology company operating in 70 countries with over 50,000 employees. Under John's leadership the company has grown through landmark acquisitions including the merger with Jacobs, expanded into nuclear energy, space systems, and critical digital infrastructure, and played a key role supporting the recent Artemis II launch.
John shares his journey from Pittsburgh to West Point to Deloitte to leading PAE through its IPO, and what he has learned about building culture, growing into adjacent markets, working with private equity, and leading at scale in one of the most dynamic periods this industry has seen.
🔔 Subscribe and leave us a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps more people in the GovCon community find the show.
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Hook: Our industry is evolving quickly
01:15 – Welcome and introduction
01:36 – John's background and how he and Jake first connected nine years ago
02:29 – What Amentum is: $14 billion, 70 countries, 50,000 employees
03:21 – The legacy companies behind Amentum: AECOM, Jacobs, PAE, DynCorp
04:16 – What people miss about this industry: entrepreneurial and innovative
05:14 – The right company at the right time
05:37 – What makes someone say I am part of Amentum
09:29 – Growing up in Pittsburgh: steel, resilience, and choosing West Point
12:54 – A defining moment: leading a brigade reconstitution in Germany
15:08 – The transition out of the military: choosing graduate school over a paycheck
17:35 – Career advice for young leaders: experience over money in your 20s
19:16 – Leading PAE for eight years and taking it public
20:20 – Growing PAE into the intelligence community from zero to 750 million
22:10 – Private equity's growing interest in GovCon over the last 25 years
25:17 – You saw the future four years ago: the right company at the right time
25:58 – Amentum's growth markets: nuclear energy, digital infrastructure, space systems
26:50 – The Artemis II mission and Amentum's role in launch support
29:07 – Using AI to scale into new markets
29:42 – Practical AI applications: intelligence analytics, infrastructure monitoring, supply chain
33:23 – What does GovCon look like in 2029?
34:06 – The market becoming more open: commercial style procurement
35:46 – AI pushing companies to move faster with ideas
37:13 – A new breed of business development: bring an 80% solution, don't wait for the RFP
37:52 – Amentum's global footprint: UK, Australia, AUKUS, Indo-Pacom
38:53 – Nuclear energy and the demand for electricity driving AI and the economy
39:48 – One word on the future: "Evolving"
40:51 – PSC, leadership, and the importance of industry participation
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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On this episode of The Future of GovCon, Jake Frazer sits down with Barry Pavel, former Director for Defense Policy and Strategy on the National Security Council under Presidents Bush and Obama, former VP at RAND Corporation, and co-founder of the Scowcroft Center at the Atlantic Council.
Barry has helped write multiple presidents' national security strategies and the first cyber deterrence strategy in the Pentagon. In this conversation he connects the dots on China, Iran, AI, and the four country alignment that should have every defense executive paying attention.
🔔 Subscribe and leave us a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps more people in the GovCon community find the show.
00:00 – Hook: Iran, North Korea, Russia, China — the four country alignment
01:19 – Welcome and introduction
01:39 – Barry's background: Pentagon, NSC, RAND, Atlantic Council
04:18 – Growing up in Philadelphia, path into government
05:55 – Writing the first cyber deterrence strategy in the Pentagon
06:17 – Sent to the White House during the 2008 presidential transition
07:35 – Working for both Bush and Obama
09:40 – Secretary Rumsfeld's entrepreneurial culture and the lessons it left
10:01 – In the E-ring in June 2001: a boss looks out the window
10:54 – In the Pentagon on 9/11 and back the next day
12:10 – The lesson: prepare to be surprised
13:06 – The mega changes shaping our environment right now
16:16 – AI is not the future, it is now
17:33 – Artificial superintelligence and why it matters
18:27 – AI experts in private: a 3% chance of human extinction in three years
19:22 – The $1.5 trillion defense budget
20:17 – Neo Primes: Anduril, Palantir, and the new entrants
21:21 – NATO, Europe, and the administration's tone toward allies
25:51 – Will the US stay in NATO?
28:16 – Every administration says no more Middle East, then gets pulled back in
29:01 – Four scenarios for what the Iran conflict means for US-China competition
33:54 – What Gulf states are already buying
35:06 – Pivoting to the Pacific and the NDS
37:19 – China is still the pacing threat
39:07 – Russia, North Korea, and the formal alliance
40:07 – The four country alignment and the World War Two parallel
42:01 – Could AI force US-China cooperation?
46:19 – Fast forward to 2029: Barry's view of the world
47:37 – XI Jinping and the Davidson Window
49:05 – AI adoption across the military
51:42 – One word on the future: "Dynamic"
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On this episode of The Future of GovCon, Jake Frazer sits down with Tim Garnett, Partner and Space, Defense and Government Practice Lead at Oliver Wyman, formerly co-founder and Managing Partner of Avacent.
Tim has spent 25 years at the intersection of government, defense, and capital markets. He has advised on some of the most consequential M&A transactions in the GovCon space and has a front row seat to the capital revolution reshaping the defense industrial base right now.
In this conversation he covers the shift from waiting for the RFP to bringing solutions, the bifurcation of the market between exquisite and commercial, the rise of private equity and venture capital in defense, what the European defense build-up means for industry, and what GovCon looks like in 2029 when the current transformation is in full swing.
🔔 Subscribe and leave us a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps more people in the GovCon community find the show.
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Hook: A generational leadership change moment
01:13 – Welcome and introduction
01:34 – Tim's background and how he and Jake met 15 years ago
02:15 – What makes Oliver Wyman different: finger on the pulse of the budget and capital markets
03:10 – William and Mary, political science and economics
03:30 – Early career in Russia: the Wild West of the late 90s
05:17 – Friends who made their fortunes in Russia and what happened after Ukraine
05:36 – How Tim got into government contracting: finding DFI
06:45 – Learning the language of GovCon from day one as an analyst
07:50 – Curiosity is king in consulting: your most valuable day is your first
08:20 – The original tech boom and the early intersection of technology and defense
09:11 – Founding Avacent in 2007: the origin story
10:23 – Six partners, one vision: customer first, great culture
11:31 – The origin of the name Avacent: Steve Irwin and the word engine
12:36 – Growing Avacent from 36 to 140 people across DC, London, Paris, Tokyo
13:46 – Building an enterprise not a cult of personality
14:28 – Proprietary data and budget forecasting as a core differentiator
15:11 – What Tim looks for when hiring: hard work, curiosity, smart work
17:19 – Joining Oliver Wyman in November 2022: why the time was right
18:32 – Cultural fit and 15 years of relationship building with Roger Layman
19:08 – What Oliver Wyman added that Avacent never had: digital, supply chain, scale
20:40 – What Tim does now: Space, Defense and Government practice globally
21:54 – Working directly for OSD on industrial base transformation
24:02 – The PSC annual conference: the difference between 2025 and 2026
24:50 – How to get lined up for the $1.5 trillion budget
25:22 – The biggest challenge: timing. How long can you get ready without running?
26:06 – The DOGE philosophy: good in principle, complex in execution
27:58 – Why policy change takes ten years and what the parallel acquisition community means
28:45 – Where the priorities are heading: defense and Intel big increases
29:23 – How to tell your story in a way that gets the customer excited
30:28 – Changing your face to market: the open door administration
31:12 – Bring the solution. Don't ask what they need.
32:13 – The old school BD model is over: companies winning are leaning forward with 80% solutions
33:24 – Brett Lambert and the dinosaurs knitting sweaters
34:23 – Legacy vs new entrants: moving from competition to partnership
35:20 – Capital as the new lever: the triangle has become a square
36:02 – Early 2000s: taking DARPA technology commercial
36:28 – Palantir broke the mold. Anduril followed.
37:32 – The UAS consolidation that is coming: category winners and fallout
38:23 – Private equity: from the global financial crisis to today
40:23 – Where PE interest has shifted: services to manufacturing, software and tech
40:44 – Francisco Partners, Thoma Bravo, Bain Capital coming into defense
41:11 – The government as a source of creative capital: debt, equity, and customer all at once
42:20 – European defense: 11 to 12% growth forecast over 5 to 7 years
43:12 – Rebuilding the European industrial base: ESG reversal and 18 to 20 new PE funds
44:07 – The two track race: Ukraine near-term vs. long-term industrial rebuild
45:12 – Freedom's Forge 2.0: shuttered automotive factories being redesigned for defense
46:23 – The services gap in Europe: a huge and underappreciated opportunity
47:32 – What does GovCon look like in 2029?
48:17 – Strain on the acquisition force: spending fast with fewer people
49:04 – 2027 to 2028 getting things in order. 2029 the real bifurcation begins.
50:53 – The AI strategy question: everyone wants one but few know what it means
52:37 – One word on the future: "Dynamic"
53:14 – Generational leadership change: who steps up and redefines the great brands?
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On this episode of The Future of GovCon, Jake Frazer sits down with Lieutenant General (Ret.) John Morrison, former Army G6 and Deputy Chief of Staff for IT, former Chief of Staff for U.S. Cyber Command, and former Commanding General of the Army Cyber Center of Excellence.
John has seen the Army's technology landscape evolve from crank telephones to AI assisted operations. In this conversation he breaks down what that transformation really means for industry, why the coupling between DoD and the private sector is a national imperative, and the single most important thing any company can do to get and keep a seat at the table.
His message to industry is simple: stop selling widgets. Start solving problems.
🔔 Subscribe and leave us a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps more people in the GovCon community find the show.
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Hook: Stop selling widgets, start solving problems
01:15 – Welcome and introduction
01:39 – John's background: Army G6, Cyber Command, NETCOM
02:43 – Growing up as an Army brat: France, Germany, and moving the world over
03:32 – Was the Army destiny? Plato, service, and being part of something bigger
04:37 – James Madison University, ROTC, and a soccer injury that changed everything
05:46 – Playing soccer in Germany and the Gulf War years
07:01 – Choosing Signal Corps: a blessing in disguise
08:32 – The arc of the Signal Corps: from crank telephones to AI
09:39 – The rate of change and the adaptability of signal and cyber talent
10:09 – The talent challenge: competing with industry for the best tech minds
11:22 – Four daughters, none in the military, all serving in their own way
12:16 – Leading a support branch inside combat units: the 82nd and 1st Cav
13:17 – Think like a maneuver commander: how to get a seat at the table
14:22 – From support function to main effort: how cyber became a domain
15:23 – The unified network vision and the change management battle
16:28 – AI and cybersecurity: the danger of embracing one without the other
17:46 – DevSecOps: bake security in from the start or pay for it later
18:31 – First exposure to government contracting: a brigade with its own acquisition authority
19:41 – The PEO model and how the Army is consolidating acquisition under one roof
20:21 – Modernization: not new, but finally accelerating in the right direction
21:37 – Tight fusion between industry speed and military operational problems
22:38 – Moving technology from Navy to Army: what works and what does not
23:00 – Don't sell a widget: come in solving a problem in the customer's language
24:22 – The vendors that got crickets vs. the ones that got contracts
24:46 – What John would do differently as Army G6 knowing what he knows now
25:50 – The level of commitment from industry that surprised him on the outside
26:51 – How to guide industry partners to articulate operational benefit better
27:22 – Two key pieces of advice for every GovCon company right now
28:22 – The $1.5 trillion budget request: a strong signal of where things are heading
29:17 – What industry should be doing to get ready for the coming surge
30:10 – Commercial tech smartly applied in a tactical space is a game changer
31:01 – Looking ahead to 2029: what does the military technology space look like?
32:18 – The acceleration of innovation across all armed forces
33:18 – A national imperative: more companies need to get under the tent
34:37 – Will there be a separate Cyber Service in three years?
35:34 – One word on the future: "Acceleration"
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On this episode of The Future of GovCon, Jake Frazer sits down with Patrick "PJ" Lechleitner, former Acting Director and Deputy Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 21-year DHS and HSI veteran, Navy cryptologist, and Fairfax County police officer turned federal investigator.
PJ pulls back the curtain on what is really happening inside ICE and DHS right now, where the money is flowing, how the contracting environment is evolving, and what companies need to do to position themselves in what he calls a once in a generation funding moment for homeland security.
He calls it like it is. No partisan spin, no lobbying. Just the reality of one of the most consequential shifts in federal law enforcement spending in U.S. history.
🔔 Subscribe and leave us a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps more people in the GovCon community find the show.
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Welcome and introduction
01:26 – Who is PJ Lechleitner: Navy, police, 21 years at DHS and HSI
02:29 – Growing up in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania: big Irish Catholic family
04:05 – Joining the Navy right out of high school: a family tradition
06:11 – Cryptology in the Navy: signals intelligence and life in the SCIF
07:16 – Living in Italy and England: the highlight of his military career
08:05 – Admiral Crowe's advice: get out, figure yourself out
08:30 – George Mason, Fairfax County PD, and the transition to federal law enforcement
10:12 – Why being a street cop is the best training for federal investigation
11:57 – How PJ ended up at U.S. Customs, which became ICE
12:48 – How DHS was formed: ICE, CBP, USCIS explained simply
14:32 – HSI vs ERO: the detectives vs the detention and removal side
15:50 – ERO's chronic underfunding and the new surge of attention
16:43 – How CBP and ICE relate: uniform vs investigative functions
17:56 – How HSI uses contractors: the innovation lab, big data, and cyber operations
19:56 – How to engage: GSA vehicles, independent contracting, and what's changing
21:10 – Where the big beautiful bill money is actually going inside DHS
22:19 – Detention capacity: from 41,500 beds to a target of 100,000
23:36 – Transportation: why ICE needs wraparound contract support, not just airframes
24:41 – The massive scope of contracting opportunity: IT, healthcare, logistics, facilities
25:02 – Nontraditional contracting vehicles: WEXMAC and the push for speed
28:41 – The DOGE effect: brain drain, efficiency pressure, and doing more with less
29:12 – Career vs. political appointee friction and how it is settling down
32:07 – New DHS Secretary Mark Molan and the normalization of contracting processes
34:08 – How to protect yourself as a new entrant in the DHS space
35:21 – Do your due diligence: talk to people who know the space
36:06 – The run on DHS procurement and contracting expertise
37:31 – Testifying before Congress: PJ's experience on the Hill
40:10 – A once in a generation funding moment: there has never been this much money
41:21 – What does the DHS space look like in 2029?
43:25 – The mission never goes away: DHS traces back to 1789
44:10 – Pushing enforcement beyond the borders: prevention vs reaction
46:14 – Transnational criminal organizations and the proliferation of cyber threats
47:50 – The pendulum swings: FBI, CIA, ATF and what happens after immigration
48:46 – One word on the future: "Chaotic"
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On this episode of The Future of GovCon, Jake Frazer sits down with John Ustica, CEO of Siemens Government Technologies, for a conversation on the trends reshaping defense and GovCon from the ground up.
John brings a perspective you don't often hear on this show: a career built not in the Pentagon but on the factory floor, working his way through one of the most complex companies in the world before taking the helm of SGT. In this conversation he covers energy investment, power dominance, digital twins, micro nuclear, shipbuilding, reshoring, and where the $1.5 trillion defense budget is really going.
If you work in defense technology, energy, or GovCon broadly, this one is packed with insight.
🔔 Subscribe and leave us a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps more people in the GovCon community find the show.
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Hook: Energy investment and the reshoring renaissance
01:24 – Welcome and introduction
02:46 – John's background: factory floor to CEO
04:08 – Childhood cancer survivor and the leadership lesson it left
05:20 – Choosing Siemens over Lockheed Martin out of college
07:38 – Running a factory in Fort Payne, Alabama: hard lessons in leadership
08:45 – Surround yourself with people smarter than you
09:37 – How John learned GovCon fast: be interested, not interesting
11:02 – Growing up in Fort Myers, Florida: fishing, sailing, and lessons from the water
12:24 – What boating teaches you about leadership under pressure
13:22 – How big is SGT inside the Siemens universe?
13:55 – What foreign ownership mitigation actually means and why it matters
15:24 – The next aircraft carrier will be delivered digitally on Siemens software
16:34 – Serving the Army in Korea, Japan, and Australia: the AUKUS opportunity
17:49 – Closing the loop: from design to delivery in one digital environment
18:44 – Digital twins and what they mean for cost and speed in defense
19:54 – Power dominance: energy as the new national security priority
20:24 – Building the energy backbone at Guantanamo Bay
21:39 – Data centers, the grid, and the coming infrastructure challenge
22:43 – Partnering on small modular reactors and micro nuclear
24:02 – What SGT is doing in data and the Altair Engineering acquisition
25:07 – Real time data lakes, attribute level security, and RapidMiner
27:58 – Reacting to the $1.5 trillion defense budget request
28:40 – Shipbuilding: Hyundai, Newport News, and modernizing public shipyards
29:45 – Speed in procurement and the rise of nontraditional contractors
30:35 – European defense: partners calling for help moving faster
31:24 – What does GovCon look like in 2029?
32:01 – Reshoring as a renaissance for U.S. manufacturing
33:54 – Investing in apprenticeships and the skilled labor pipeline
35:15 – One word on the future: "Amazed"
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On this episode of The Future of GovCon, Jake Frazer sits down with retired Lieutenant General Dave Julazadeh, former Deputy Chief of Staff for Capability Development at NATO's Allied Command Transformation, F-16 combat pilot, and newly appointed COO of BENS (Business Executives for National Security).
Dave breaks down what the war in Ukraine is revealing about the changing character of warfare, why the cost barrier to generating strategic effects has dramatically fallen, and where he sees the biggest opportunities for industry over the next three years.
🔔 Subscribe and leave us a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps more people in the GovCon community find the show.
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Welcome and introduction
01:30 – Dave's career overview: F-16s, NATO, and ACT
04:50 – Growing up in Illinois and falling in love with aviation
07:00 – University of Kansas, ROTC, and a critical graduation timing call
09:00 – First assignment: Ramstein and nuclear deterrence missions
11:40 – Embedded with the Rangers: Haiti and a crash course in joint ops
16:45 – Years of European assignments and how they shaped his worldview
19:00 – What is NATO Allied Command Transformation and why it matters
20:40 – Multi-domain operations explained
22:00 – How NATO nations divide domain responsibilities
24:50 – The U.S. Mission to NATO in Brussels: the best first stop for industry
27:20 – The changing character of warfare: what Ukraine is teaching the world
30:00 – Operation Spiderweb and the collapse of the cost barrier to strategic effects
33:30 – Why NATO's innovation cycle is dangerously slow
36:00 – How Dave championed NATO's first Space Symposium
39:00 – Space as a service and what the U.S. is doing right
40:45 – Where things are headed by 2029: AI-assisted decision-making
42:30 – Dave's new role as COO of BENS
44:20 – One word on the future: "Bright"
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On this episode of The Future of GovCon, Jake Frazer sits down with Rear Admiral (Ret.) Mark Fedor, 34-year Coast Guard veteran, former Coast Guard CFO, and Senior Director of Programs at HII.
Mark pulls back the curtain on one of the most undercovered opportunities in GovCon: the Coast Guard. With $25 billion injected through budget reconciliation, a major headquarters reorganization with five new PEOs, and a rapid prototyping office called Raptor actively pulling in industry partners, the Coast Guard is open for business in a way it hasn't been before.
🔔 Subscribe and leave us a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it helps more people in the GovCon community find the show.
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Welcome and introduction
01:00 – Mark's background: 34 years, six ships, three commands, Coast Guard CFO
02:30 – Nickname "Bomber" and growing up in Bristol, CT
05:40 – Why the Coast Guard over the Navy
07:00 – Coast Guard Academy vs. sister service academies
12:10 – Harvard Kennedy School and the path to senior leadership
13:20 – First ship in Miami: counter-narcotics and 480 migrants aboard
15:40 – The leadership lesson that stayed with him
17:00 – Early exposure to government contractors
19:30 – The Deepwater acquisition collapse
23:45 – Becoming the Coast Guard CFO
25:30 – Post-9/11 budget step change
29:00 – The One Big Beautiful Bill: $25B and the pressure to execute
31:00 – Buying vs. leasing vs. contracting
33:00 – Five new PEO structures explained
35:20 – The Raptor Office: rapid prototyping for vendors
36:00 – How to engage the Coast Guard via SAM.gov
39:10 – Could the Coast Guard move from DHS to DOW?
41:50 – The Coast Guard as a geopolitical instrument
44:20 – Force Design 2028 and the three-year outlook
47:50 – One word on the future: "Optimistic"
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Description: On this episode of The Future of GovCon, Jake Frazer sits down with Major General (Ret.) Ryan Heritage — former J3 at U.S. Cyber Command, Commanding General of Marine Corps Western Recruiting, and one of the most operationally grounded voices in the cyber domain today.
Ryan brings a perspective you don't often hear: an infantry officer who came up through the mud and guts of maneuver warfare and applied that same mindset to cyber operations. In this conversation he breaks down how the cyber domain works as a maneuver space, what industry is getting wrong in how they engage Cyber Command, why a dedicated Cyber Service may be on the horizon, and where the AI and cyber race is heading by 2029.
If you work in defense tech, cyber, or GovCon broadly, this one is essential listening.
🔔 Subscribe and leave us a rating, it helps more people in the GovCon community find the show.
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European defense is entering a historic shift.
In this bonus episode of The Future of GovCon, Jake Frazer breaks down the first edition of Precision Talent Solutions’ Monthly Industry Spotlight, focused on the rapidly evolving European defense market.
Jake explains the evolution of NATO from NATO 1.0 to NATO 3.0, why European nations are dramatically increasing defense spending, and what this means for companies operating in the government contracting ecosystem.
With lessons from Ukraine, new procurement models emerging across NATO, and growing pressure for Europe to build a stronger industrial base, the coming years could create significant opportunities across the defense sector.
In this episode we cover:
• The evolution from NATO 1.0 to NATO 3.0
• Why Europe is dramatically increasing defense spending
• How lessons from Ukraine are reshaping defense investment
• Major procurement and contracting opportunities emerging in Europe
• The technologies and capabilities attracting the most investment
If you work in government contracting, defense technology, or European security, this conversation provides important context for where the industry is heading.
Subscribe to the podcast:
https://pts.careers/podcast
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What does it take to manage the workforce of one of the largest organizations in the world?
In this episode of The Future of GovCon, Jake Frazer sits down with Lieutenant General (Ret.) Doug Stitt, former U.S. Army G-1, the officer responsible for personnel policy and talent management for over one million soldiers and civilians.
Doug shares insights from leading the Army’s people enterprise, including recruiting strategy, leadership culture, and how organizations can care for people at scale.
They discuss:
• Why leadership must care for people, not outsource it to HR
• Lessons from managing talent across a million-person organization
• How the Army adapted its recruiting strategy for a changing workforce
• What artificial intelligence may mean for the future of personnel systems
• How companies should rethink talent acquisition and leadership development
Doug also reflects on his career path from Armor officer to the Army’s senior human resources leader and what industry leaders can learn from military leadership.
KEY MOMENTS (TIMESTAMPS)
00:00 Intro
01:36 Doug Stitt joins the podcast
03:10 Early Army career and leadership lessons
11:38 Why he joined the Army
17:05 Transition from Armor officer to personnel leadership
23:22 Humanizing the personnel process
25:28 Leadership lessons from becoming Army G-1
29:07 Caring for people at scale
31:13 Advice for industry leaders on talent management
38:12 Fixing Army recruiting strategy
45:13 AI and the future of personnel systems
47:39 What the Army workforce could look like in 2030
52:46 Closing thoughts
Subscribe to the podcas: pts.careers/podcast
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Major General (Ret.) Matt Van Wagenen joins Jake Frazer to discuss the future of European defense, NATO transformation, and the growing opportunities for the defense industry.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, European nations are rapidly rebuilding military capabilities that were reduced after the Cold War. Governments across the continent are increasing defense spending, modernizing their armed forces, and investing in new technologies across air defense, electronic warfare, and munitions production.
Matt Van Wagenen spent more than three decades in the U.S. Army and served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations at NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), where he helped oversee the transformation of NATO back into a warfighting command focused on collective defense.
In this episode, Matt shares an inside look at how NATO has evolved since 2022, the major capability gaps European nations are racing to fill, and where the largest opportunities may emerge for government contractors supporting the alliance.
Topics discussed include:
• How NATO transformed from expeditionary operations back to collective defense
• Why European defense spending is accelerating rapidly
• The biggest capability gaps across European militaries
• Air and missile defense as the top priority investment area
• Why electronic warfare has become the “invisible high ground”
• The urgent need to rebuild munitions production capacity
• What defense contractors should expect from the European market
As Europe rebuilds its defense posture, the scale of investment required will reshape procurement, industry partnerships, and NATO’s military capabilities for years to come.
Subscribe to the podcast:
https://pts.careers/podcast
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The global supply chain is no longer just an economic issue. It has become a core national security challenge.
In this episode of The Future of GovCon, Jake Frazer sits down with Brandon Daniels, CEO of Exiger, to discuss how AI, supply chain intelligence, and data analytics are reshaping how governments and companies manage risk.
They explore how supply chain vulnerabilities drive inflation, disrupt defense production, and create national security threats. Brandon explains how AI driven analytics are helping governments and companies identify hidden risks and build more resilient systems.
This conversation offers a unique look at how technology is transforming the way the GovCon ecosystem understands risk, resilience, and national security.
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Russia is back at the center of global conversation. But what does that actually mean for the future of geopolitics, defense, and the GovCon industry?
In this episode, Jake sits down with Andy Kuchins, one of the leading experts on Russia and Eurasia, to break down what is really happening beneath the surface.
From the war in Ukraine to NATO, China, and the Middle East, Andy shares a clear-eyed perspective on where things are heading over the next three years and why Russia continues to play a central role in nearly every global issue.
He also shares insights from decades of experience, including time spent in Moscow, advising U.S. leadership, and even direct interactions with Vladimir Putin.
Key themes include:
• Why Russia is “always dangerous to count out”
• How the Ukraine war could realistically end
• What NATO 3.0 looks like
• Russia’s evolving relationship with China and the U.S.
• Why the global balance of power is becoming more fluid
Andy’s final word on the future: challenging
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In this episode of The Future of GovCon, Jake Frazer speaks with Callie Groth, a defense technology entrepreneur working at the intersection of UAS, AI, and autonomous systems.
Callie shares her journey from studying international diplomacy and Mandarin to building companies in the defense technology space. She discusses the realities of launching a startup in the GovCon ecosystem, learning the acquisition process from scratch, and working directly with end users to build practical capabilities.
The conversation also explores how the UAS industry is evolving, how venture capital is influencing defense innovation, and why the future of defense technology will depend not just on hardware, but on how humans interact with autonomous systems.
Key topics in this episode include:
• building defense technology startups from the ground up
• the evolution of the UAS and autonomous systems market
• how venture capital is influencing defense innovation
• lessons learned from working directly with military operators
• where defense technology may be heading over the next few years
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The defense industry is changing faster than ever.
In this episode of The Future of GovCon, Jake sits down with Dennis Kelly, CEO of Tyto Athene and a five time CEO in the government technology sector. Dennis shares insights from decades of leadership across both public companies and private equity backed defense firms.
They discuss how private equity is reshaping the GovCon landscape, why innovation is moving faster than traditional procurement, and how emerging defense tech companies are challenging the old model dominated by large primes. Dennis also explains the economic problem facing modern warfare.
“What we cannot do is use a two million dollar missile to shoot down a thirty thousand dollar drone.” 
The conversation explores AI adoption, cyber capabilities, defense investment trends, and why speed is becoming the most important competitive advantage in the national security market.
Topics include:
• The difference between public companies and private equity backed GovCon firms
• Why defense tech startups are accelerating innovation
• The economics of modern warfare and counter drone technologies
• How AI is transforming every role in the industry
• What the GovCon ecosystem could look like three years from now Dennis closes with his outlook for the future of the sector in one phrase: cautious optimism. Subscribe for more conversations with leaders shaping the future of government contracting.
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On this episode of The Future of GovCon, Jake sits down with Mike Benitez, former Marine, Air Force Weapons School graduate, Pentagon legislative fellow, and now CEO of Purple Rhombus.
Mike shares his journey from enlisted Marine mechanic and door gunner to flying F 15Es, serving in the Pentagon, and ultimately leading a defense tech startup focused on radically affordable mass in the UAS space.
The conversation explores one of the most important shifts happening in defense today: recharacterizing expendable drones as ammunition.If drones are treated like precious assets, they will not be used. If they are treated like ammunition, doctrine, procurement, and culture must change.
Mike explains:
• Why deterrence requires credibility
• What radically affordable industrial scale mass actually means
• How Purple Rhombus leverages existing industrial base capacity
• Why design for manufacturing matters more than concept prototypes
• What must change between now and 2029 in UAS acquisition
• How culture, not technology, may be the biggest barrier.
This is a strategic conversation about where the drone ecosystem is heading and what industry must do to keep pace.If you want to listen to the full episode and subscribe to the podcast, go here:https://pts.careers/podcast
Important Minutes
00:00 Expendable drones reclassified as ammunition
01:18 From Marine door gunner to defense startup CEO
09:32 Lessons from boot camp and grit in leadership
12:22 Transitioning from the Marine Corps to the Air Force
19:01 First exposure to government contractors
23:08 How industry truly partners in national security
24:22 Injury, career pivot, and thinking about force design
26:46 Working in Congress and learning the policy process
29:24 Transitioning from active duty to industry
30:37 Joining Shield AI and leading autonomy programs
32:32 Why Purple Rhombus is different
35:50 What radically affordable mass actually means
36:44 Scaling production without building new factories
39:06 Deterrence requires credibility
43:28 The culture shift required to treat drones as ammunition
45:31 Why standardization matters for real scale
47:03 One word
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On this episode of The Future of GovCon, Jake Frazer sits down with Lieutenant General (Retired) Omar Jones IV, former Commander of the Army Installation Management Command.
If you think installation management is just facilities, think again.
IMCOM oversees 104 Army installations across 39 states and 13 countries. That includes housing, utilities, childcare, airfields, training ranges, deployment infrastructure, police and fire services, and base operations. These are not just bases. They are cities.
Omar shares:
• How privatization transformed military housing
• Why installation resilience is now mission critical
• How shrinking resources and rising requirements are increasing risk
• Where AI, data analytics, and predictive systems must evolve
• Why industry opportunity over the next two to three years may be stronger than in decades
• The role of Corps of Engineers, MICC, and non appropriated fund contracting
• How installations are moving from gate security to multi domain defense
Omar’s message is clear. Requirements are rising. Budgets are flat. Risk is growing. And that creates opportunity for companies that can help the military become more resilient.
All statements of fact, opinion, or analysis expressed are those of the guest and do not reflect the official positions or views of the USG. Nothing in this episode should be construed as asseting or implying USG authentication of information or endorsement of the guest’s views.
Subscribe for more conversations on where the GovCon market is heading.
Listen on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.
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What does the future look like for Tribal 8As and entity-owned 8A companies?
On this episode of The Future of GovCon, Jake sits down with Ryan Berry, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Warden Berry, to break down the administration’s “sledgehammer” approach to 8A oversight, the SBA audit wave, and what it means for Tribal 8As, ANCs, and NHOs.
Ryan explains why this moment is not just about politics or headlines, but about strategic compliance. He walks through the SBA data call, the surge in suspensions, and why larger entity-owned 8As will likely “double down” on compliance while smaller entrants may struggle to keep pace.
This is a must-listen for leaders operating in or alongside the 8A ecosystem.
Important Minutes00:02:16 – The “Sledgehammer” and the Administration’s Focus on 8A
24:32 – SBA Announces 15-Year 8A Audit
26:52 – The Data Call and Immediate Suspensions
32:24 – DOD’s $20M Line-by-Line Contract Review
36:58 – Tribal 8As Will “Double Down” on Compliance
42:04 – Will Direct Awards Slow Down?
48:33 – Three Years From Now: Fewer Players, Higher Barriers to Entry
52:15 – “Compliance Is Cheaper Than Non-Compliance”
Strategic compliance is no longer optional. It is a differentiator.
Listen now.
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- Visa fler
