The Merge

Don’t miss our newsletter! Former Australian diplomat John Fowler joins Mike Benitez to discuss what’s happening around the world through the lens of international relations. John is a repeat guest—check out episode 16 to get caught up. In this episode, we discuss China, the South China Sea, the Taiwan elections, Russia in Ukraine, and even cautiously venture a bit into how US domestic politics is muddying the waters with Ukraine aid. Should we even be involved? Why or why not? We look at both sides from a few perspectives you won’t hear anywhere else. We also make a detour into AUKUS, Japan’s rebuilding of its military, and discuss what the real superpower of the US is. John Fowler runs International Intrigue, a daily newsletter written by a team of former diplomats (link below!). It’s packed with great, easy-to-consume content and helps you keep a pulse on what’s happening in the world—and why it matters. For those interested in #military #technology #strategy #diplomacy #china #asia #security #government #nationalsecurity #defense #nationaldefense #russia #ukraine    ---- Links • Sign up for our ⁠amazing newsletter⁠! • Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠! • Mike Benitez (LinkedIn) • John Fowler (X) • International Intrigue newsletter • Dickerpicss (IG) ---- Follow us on... • ⁠Instagram⁠ • ⁠Facebook⁠ • ⁠X (Twitter)⁠ • ⁠LinkedIn⁠ • ⁠Website⁠ ---- Show Notes (01:04) Intro (05:06) China’s economic shifts (08:14) China’s real estate crisis (11:48) Taiwan elections (18:22) South China Sea (19:40) the “9-dash line” (21:30) the Second Thomas Shoal (31:08) coalitions and consensus (34:37) Russia in Ukraine (36:55) Ukraine aid in Congress (41:02) the real superpower of the US (45:06) the risk of hedging (46:21) AUKUS, Japan, and China (53:54) good for Russia, good for China (55:11) China using history as a weapon (58:02) outro

Our lowdown of the week's military tech happenings. We release these in between our more in-depth discussions to keep our audience up to speed. Don’t miss our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠newsletter!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! ---- Follow us on... • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Don’t miss our newsletter! Mike and Jake host Dr. Christine (Chris) Michienzi, supply chain expert and former senior Pentagon executive, on the US government’s recently released National Defense Industrial Strategy—plan to revive its fragile defense industrial base. With 30 years of experience in this sector, she was recently the Chief Technology Officer for the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy and the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition & Sustainment. Chris knows all the ins and outs of the woes of the industrial base—she saw the issues first-hand when she led the Pentagon’s efforts to surge munition production lines to support Ukraine after Russia’s 2022 invasion. Hear just how big the problem is—and how it’s WAY harder to fix than it may sound. For those interested in #defense #military #business #technology #nationalsecurity #industry #supplychains #logistics ---- Links! • Sign up for our ⁠amazing newsletter⁠! • Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠! • Jake Chapman X (@vc) • Mike Benitez (LinkedIn) • Chris Michienzi (LinkedIn) • 2023 National Defense Industrial Strategy ---- Follow us on... • ⁠Instagram⁠ • ⁠Facebook⁠ • ⁠X (Twitter)⁠ • ⁠LinkedIn⁠ • ⁠Website⁠ ---- Show Notes (01:27) Intro (02:36) investing supply chains (6:26) CTO of the supply chain office (8:11) what is the Defense Industrial Base? (9:52) the 2023 NDIS   (17:16) efficiency vs resiliency (23:40) don’t compare this to WWII (26:52) multi-year buy authorities (30:28) reverse engineering obsolete parts (31:40) ball bearings (33:28) incentivize companies? (35:05) the investor side of the equation (37:10) solid rocket motors (40:15) what does success look like? (42:10) the F-35 magnet story (44:03) how supply chain visibility doesn’t work (45:58) Chinse brushless motors (48:31) COVID-19 raised supply chain awareness (49:31) crystal ball of badness (51:33) isolation the solution? (54:11) magic wand for Chris (56:21) metrics for success (59:30) outro

Our lowdown of the week's military tech happenings. Don’t miss our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠newsletter!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! mandatoryfunday IG post we refer to at the end ---- Follow us on... • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Don’t miss our newsletter! Mike and Jake host John Ferry to discuss the ins & outs and the highs & lows of trying to sell tech to the Pentagon, and the US government—how it really works. Warning: We had a ton of fun—maybe a bit too much. This episode is full of spicy takes and unvarnished thoughts and opinions based on 15+ years of experience and scar tissue. Hang on for a ride deep down the rabbit hole of govcon and fedtech nerdiness, but we make it out ok at the end—discussing the next AI vs. AI front. For those interested in #defense #military #business #technology #nationalsecurity ---- Links • Sign up for our ⁠amazing newsletter⁠! • Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠! • Jake Chapman X (@vc) • Mike Benitez (LinkedIn) • John Ferry (LinkedIn) • Rogue.com ---- Follow us on... • ⁠Instagram⁠ • ⁠Facebook⁠ • ⁠X (Twitter)⁠ • ⁠LinkedIn⁠ • ⁠Website⁠ ---- Show Notes (01:10) John Ferry (08:30) coming out of the shell (10:52) selected not funded (wtf!) (11:22) confessions of a SBIR scorer (14:06) GovCon Merit Badges (17:57) SBIR “consultants” (19:50) SBIR mills (21:56) founder horror story (26:05) John’s creative process (29:48) PowerPoint Ranger (32:43) change the industry vs change yourself (34:17) the same, but also never easier (43:38) play the game, roll the dice (44:50) pump those numbers up! (cost plus) (46:06) recent fixed-price pushback (50:42) using AI to write government proposals (54:57) AI vs AI proposal writing/scoring (1:00:10) outro

Our lowdown of the week's military tech happenings. Don’t miss our ⁠⁠⁠⁠newsletter!⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! ---- Follow us on... • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Our lowdown of the week's military tech happenings. Don’t miss our ⁠⁠⁠newsletter!⁠⁠⁠ Support us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠! ---- Follow us on... • ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠

Our lowdown of the week's military tech happenings. Don’t miss our ⁠⁠newsletter!⁠⁠ Support us on ⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠! ---- Follow us on... • ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠

In the latest episode of The Merge Podcast, Mike sat down with Joe DeAntona, Raytheon vice president, Requirements & Capabilities, Land & Air Defense Systems, to discuss the NASAMS (National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System) a product that re-purposes AIM-120 and AIM-9X missiles for air defense. They cover various topics, including the system's capabilities, its deployment in different countries, its success in combat situations (including Ukraine), and its potential applications. They also talk about system flexibility, collaboration with partners like Kongsberg, recent developments, and a demo conducted to enhance the system's capabilities, especially in countering cruise missiles.   Show notes: ●     Introducing Mike [01:05] ●     Joe’s background [03:30] ●     Overview of NASAMS and its capabilities [04:29] ●     The key part of NASAMS [06:39] ●     Different generations of NASAMS, and where it is in the U.S. military [11:13] ●     The key elements of NASAMS [19:45] ●     Discussion on ground-based air missiles [23:20] ●     Raytheon’s history, and the IRAD project [33:13] ●     NASAMS’ successful demonstration supported by the U.S. Air Force [38:00] ●     Discussion on radars [41:57] ●     NASAMS involvement in the IFPC [48:00] ●     NASAMS' combat success and its deployment in Ukraine [54:53] ●     On developing a counter cruise missile solution [01:05:18]   Links: ●     Sign up for our newsletter⁠ ●     Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠ ●     Mike Benitez (LinkedIn)   Follow us: ●     ⁠Instagram⁠ ●     ⁠Facebook⁠ ●     X (Twitter)⁠ ●     LinkedIn⁠ ●     ⁠Website⁠

Our lowdown of the week's military tech happenings. Don’t miss our ⁠newsletter!⁠ Support us on ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠! ---- Follow us on... • ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠Website⁠⁠

Our lowdown of the week's military tech happenings. Don’t miss our newsletter! Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠! ---- Follow us on... • ⁠Instagram⁠ • ⁠Facebook⁠ • ⁠X (Twitter)⁠ • ⁠LinkedIn⁠ • ⁠Website⁠

Don’t miss our newsletter! Mike and Jake host defense industry legend Norm Augustine in a rare interview! He started as an aeronautical engineer in the 1950s and rose to become the first CEO of Lockheed Martin, before leaving it all. He lived through the 1980s defense industry heyday, wrote a hilarious book called ‘Augustine’s Laws ’ and led the industry through a massive consolidation in the early 1990s after the infamous ‘Last Supper.’ This is a first-hand account of how it all went down—he was in the room when it happened. Norm shares his professional experiences and some amazing personal stories—like how he almost bought Northrop Grumman. This is an interview you don’t want to miss. If you need any more reasons to listen, his resume and achievements are so incredible they sound made up: - Co-founded In-Q-Tel, the venture capital arm of the CIA - Chairman of the Red Cross - President of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics - President of the Boy Scouts of America - Chairman of the Aerospace Industries Association - President and Chairman of the Association of the United States Army - Chairman of the National Academy of Engineering - Served 16 years on the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology - traveled to 130 countries - holds 34 honorary degrees - received dozens of accolades, including the Pentagon’s highest civilian decoration, the Distinguished Civilian Service Award---FIVE TIMES. For those interested in #defense #military #business leadership  ---- Links • Sign up for our ⁠amazing newsletter⁠! • Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠! • Jake Chapman X (@vc) • Mike Benitez (Linked In) ---- Follow us on... • ⁠Instagram⁠ • ⁠Facebook⁠ • ⁠X (Twitter)⁠ • ⁠LinkedIn⁠ • ⁠Website⁠ ---- Show Notes (01:06) intro (03:48) 1950’s at Boeing & Douglas (04:59) Sputnik (05:45) becoming Under Secretary of the Army (08:59) working for Robert McNamara (14:24) Martin Marietta (15:47) Space shuttle story (22:23) 1980’s defense industry hey day (23:49) $600 roll of tape (29:25) Augustine’s Laws (40:04) The Last Supper (51:04) The industry consolidates in the 1990s (54:17) The ramifications today (1:02:12) How Norm became CEO of Lockheed Martin (1:05:34) Norm almost bought Northrop Grumman? (1:13:41) How Lockheed Martin got its name (1:16:16) the lawsuit (1:20:32) Why Norm left the defense industry (1:25:12) Norm’s passion now (1:26:18) 2 life-changing encounters (1:29:21) A call from the CIA leads to creating In-Q-Tel (1:36:44) outro

Sign up for our ⁠⁠amazing newsletter⁠⁠! As the year comes to a close, enjoy (or re-enjoy) one of our favorite episodes of 2023. Mike "Pako" Benitez joins forces with John “Rain” Waters to co-host a first-of-its-kind interview with the Commander of the Air Force Thunderbirds AND the Executive Officer of the Navy Blue Angels. We go behind the scenes with both teams to learn about leadership, flying, teamwork in a way you’ve never heard before. It’s an epic discussion not to be missed! For those interested in #military #leadership #teamwork #flying   ---- Links • Sign up for our ⁠amazing newsletter⁠! • Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠! ---- Follow us on... • ⁠Instagram⁠ • ⁠Facebook⁠ • ⁠X (Twitter)⁠ • ⁠LinkedIn⁠ • ⁠Website⁠ ---- Show Notes (01:20) intro (2:45) icebreaker (10:06) sitting in the same room (12:53) learning from each other (13:55) T-birds rough period (14:47) sometimes you can see culture (15:40) cultural waves in the two teams (16:36) the T-birds T-38 cultural era (19:02) President Carter’s Crisis of Confidence (26:02) Blue’s “glad to be here” culture (27:59) how tough is the flying? (29:44) there is no off-season (33:37) team dynamics of an exemplar squadron (35:08) The T-birds’ hangar (36:27) contagious culture of excellence (36:42) Agile Combat Employment (37:27) Blue Angels' hangar (39:57) how they travel (43:28) authority and trust are key (45:19) Fat Albert (46:12) Van Halen M&Ms (47:15) they’ve never canceled due to maintenance (48:47) Angels on arrival (50:01) debrief culture (50:52) Fat Albert JATO (52:18) Top Gun Maverick (54:10) new Super Hornets (57:30) T-Birds’ tricks to flying that good (1:03:00) Angels’ tricks to flying that good (1:04:43) counting feathers (1:06:17) aiming to crash (1:07:57) most memorable experience on the teams (1:08:59) Chris Darnell (1:14:12) outro

Don’t miss our newsletter! Mike hosts Billy Flynn to discuss everything you need to hear about the Royal Canadian Air Force. All is not right in Canada; their Air Force has atrophied in several key areas. What happened? Why are the fighter pilots quitting? Can they still contribute to NATO? Is it too late to fix it? Tune in for answers! For those interested in #military #technology #strategy #airforce #NATO   ---- Links • Sign up for our ⁠amazing newsletter⁠! • Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠! Billy Flynn •• website •• LinkedIn •• X (Twitter) •• Instagram ---- Follow the Merge! • ⁠Instagram⁠ • ⁠Facebook⁠ • ⁠X (Twitter)⁠ • ⁠LinkedIn⁠ • ⁠Website⁠ ---- Show Notes (01:29) intro (07:48) the Royal Canadian Air Force (08:45) how Canada got F-18s (17:54) NORAD and Canada (21:40) why Canada matters to US defense (24:27) the RCAF’s key maritime mission (32:50) Canada’s F-35 debacle (44:33) losing the fighter pilot (52:25) how to fix the RCAF? (56:48) outro

Don’t miss our newsletter! Mike and Jake host REGENT Co-founder & CEO Billy Thalheimer to discuss Wing-In-Ground-effect (WIG) vehicles. Why do they refer to them as seagliders? What is the science and technology that makes them work? Why is there no pilot? Why is the Marine Corps is interested? Tune in for answers! For those interested in #military #technology #strategy #innovation #business #transportion   ---- Links • Sign up our ⁠amazing newsletter⁠! • Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠! • ⁠Mike Benitez LinkedIn • Jake Chapman X (@vc) • Billy Thalheimer LinkedIn • REGENT website ---- Follow us on... • ⁠Instagram⁠ • ⁠Facebook⁠ • ⁠X (Twitter)⁠ • ⁠LinkedIn⁠ • ⁠Website⁠ ---- Show Notes (01:12) intro (03:11) What are WIGs (07:43) Flown by a captain? (10:52) full scale mockup (14:30) $60M Series A fundraise (16:35) Marine Corps application (22:03) electric vehicles in a Pacific fight? (24:30) building a strong board of advisors (25:57) certification and safety (31:10) scale (34:30) dual-use development (36:14) Coast Guard interest? (37:26) Why Rhode Island? (40:15) outro

Sign up for our newsletter! Mike, Jake, and Tim reunite to discuss the latest defense-related news and happenings: Israel at war, Congress elects a Speaker, growing support for the $1B tech hedge against China, and how innovation really works. For those interested in #military #technology #strategy #china #israel #innovation  ---- Links • Sign up for the Merge’s ⁠amazing newsletter⁠! • Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠! • ⁠Mike Benitez LinkedIn • Jake Chapman X (@vc) • Tim Nolan LinkedIn   ---- Follow us on... • ⁠Instagram⁠ • ⁠Facebook⁠ • ⁠X (Twitter)⁠ • ⁠LinkedIn⁠ • ⁠Website⁠ ---- Show Notes (00:40 ) intro (01:37) Israel/Gaza War (33:07) Congress – the House gets a new Speaker (44:30) the $1B defense tech hedge (51:49) how innovation happens (59:36) Air Force STRATFI-TACFI (1:09:08) outro

Mike Benitez hosts Scott Schneider, CEO of HTX Labs, to discuss the future of learning. Hear about how a small startup pivoted into working with the Air Force and how they’ve used immersive learning in XR to change the way the Air Force trains aircraft maintainers and pilots. For those who like #military #technology #aviation #airforce #learning #training #XR  #VR ---- Links • Sign up for the Merge’s ⁠amazing newsletter⁠! • Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠! • ⁠Mike Benitez LinkedIn • HTX Labs website • HTX Labs email: collaborate@htxlabs.com ---- Follow us on... • ⁠Instagram⁠ • ⁠Facebook⁠ • ⁠X (Twitter)⁠ • ⁠LinkedIn⁠ • ⁠Website⁠ ---- Show Notes (00:53) intro (01:54) HTX Labs origin story (05:22) what is XR (07:10) EMPACT (10:57) VR and Air Force pilot training (13:58) the “aha” moment (16:52) Pilot Training Next    (21:15) Crew chiefs and maintainers (23:23) ATO/cybersecurity (24:59) working with the Pentagon (26:35) the importance of a contract vehicle (33:10) SBIR story (38:45) questions to ask XR/VR vendors (44:13) outro

Former Australian diplomat John Fowler joins Mike Benitez to unpack international relations. What is it? Why does it matter? Why is China being so ambitious? What are they doing in South America? How’s a Taiwan invasion looking? All that and more! For those who like #military #technology #strategy #diplomacy   ---- Links • Sign up for the Merge’s ⁠amazing newsletter⁠! • Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠! • ⁠Mike Benitez LinkedIn • International Intrigue newsletter • @intintrigue X • Taiwan Policy Act of 2022 ---- Follow us on... • ⁠Instagram⁠ • ⁠Facebook⁠ • ⁠X⁠ • ⁠LinkedIn⁠ • ⁠Website⁠ ---- Show Notes (01:28) intro (04:35) what is diplomacy? (09:31) military connection (13:27) Monroe Doctrine (21:19) Changing view on China (22:52) Belt & Road Initiative (26:54) BRI in Latin America (30:34) Davidson Window (33:52) Ukraine’s impact on China (43:18) Impact of decoupling chip industry (46:26) US policy on Taiwan (52:00) outro

Mike and Jake host Varda Delian Asparouhov, Founders Fund partner and co-founder of Varda Space Industries, to talk about venture capital investing, Varda’s efforts to make drugs in space, and why the Air Force is interested in using their orbiting pharmaceutical lab to help test hypersonic weapons. For those who like #military #technology #airforce #aviation #aerospace #space ---- Links • Sign up for our ⁠amazing newsletter⁠! • Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠ • ⁠Mike Benitez LinkedIn⁠ • Jake Chapman X (Twitter) • Delian Asparouhov X (Twitter) ---- Follow us on... • ⁠Instagram⁠ • ⁠Facebook⁠ • ⁠X (Twitter)⁠ • ⁠LinkedIn⁠ • ⁠Website⁠ ---- Show Notes (00:47) intro (05:00) Varda’s connection to Palantir and Anduril  (06:22) Varda’s origin story (08:58) how to find a co-founder (11:42) why drugs (13:23) naming the company (15:39) the space capsule (17:08) Falcon 9 launched into space (19:00) why Ritonavir (22:19) patent a space drug? (26:47) stuck in orbit? (28:27) how it comes back to Earth (30:20) how the Air Force became a customer (33:40) China’s hypersonic news (34:23) Varda’s Air Force STRATFI contract (37:14) Varda’s mission (39:17) Silicon Valley and Congress (42:48) Defense tech investing (47:31) lightning round (56:00) outro

Mike brings Matt back on the show to help unpack the raging debate about which engine should power the F-35 fighter jet into the future. This episode covers all the details about the technology at the center of the debate, as well as the politics, history, and strategy in play. Fence in for some education and entertainment! For those who like #military #technology #airforce #aviation #aerospace ---- Links • Sign up for our ⁠amazing newsletter⁠! • Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠ • ⁠Mike Benitez LinkedIn⁠ • ⁠Matt MacGregor LinkedIn⁠ • Pete & Matt’s ⁠Defense Acquisition Substack⁠ ---- Follow us on... • ⁠Instagram⁠ • ⁠Facebook⁠ • ⁠Twitter⁠ • ⁠LinkedIn⁠ • ⁠Website⁠ ---- Show Notes (00:44) intro (02:15) the F-35 engine problem (06:33) power & cooling (08:38) cooling (14:29) the 2 engine choices (14:48) option 1: engine core upgrade (19:32) sharks with lasers (22:38) option 2: new adaptive engine (33:16) adaptive engine history with the F-22 (35:12) 20 years of bad blood (40:47) the feud goes public (47:17) Congress weighs in (49:26) impacts on industry (50:36) 6th gen fighter engine program (53:55) Mike's spicy take (57:42) outro