The U.S. military has spent decades optimizing platforms while largely underinvesting in the system that actually operates them: the warfighter. As body-worn technologies mature, that imbalance is becoming harder to justify.

In this episode, Sonya Rahmani, Warfighter Performance Lead at Booz Allen, joins Dr. Arun Seraphin to argue that the future of military advantage lies in treating the warfighter as an integrated system—one that spans cognitive, physiological, and tactical domains. The challenge is no longer collecting data but transforming it into actionable insights using Defense AI Technology.

The conversation explores why the real bottlenecks are not just in AI or sensing, but in power management, system integration, and cybersecurity. Warfighters cannot manage fragmented devices, incompatible batteries, or constant data streams. The burden must shift from the individual to the system—through automation, edge computing, and intelligent filtering powered by Defense AI Technology.

Rahmani also explains why commercial wearable technologies, while essential, are insufficient on their own. Devices built for connected, civilian environments must be fundamentally reengineered for disconnected operations, cybersecurity risks, and mission-specific demands in modern defense environments. Learn more about Booz Allen’s Defense Technology: https://www.boozallen.com/defense

SAVE THE DATE: 2026 NDIA Emerging Technologies for Defense Conference and Exhibition September 9-10, 2026, at the Walter E. Washington DC Convention Center: ndiatechexpo.org/

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Over 3,000 troops and contractors experienced some form of casualty moving fuel to U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. That history explains why military energy thinking has defaulted to fuel logistics for two decades — and why a more serious vulnerability has gone largely unexamined. Today, the U.S. power grid is emerging as a critical infrastructure risk with direct implications for national security. Will Rogers, Principal at Converge Strategies and co-author of Powering the Fight: Lessons from the Grid at War, joins Dr. Arun Seraphin to discuss the military’s growing dependence on the power grid.

The conversation highlights the historical evolution of this dependency, noting that modern military operations rely heavily on a globally networked defense footprint tied to critical infrastructure systems. Rogers advocates for public-private cooperation to strengthen the power grid and address national security vulnerabilities under increasing stress.

Read Converge Strategies’ article here: https://convergestrategies.com/powering-the-fight-lessons-from-the-grid-at-war-converge-strategies/

Get in contact with Will Rogers and the team at Converge Strategies:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-rogers-66360414/

Email: wrogers@convergestrategies.com

Website: https://convergestrategies.com/

#EmergingTech #PowerGrid #CriticalInfrastracture #NationalSecurity Keywords: - Power grid - Critical Infrastructure - National Security

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Join host Dr. Arun Seraphin for a conversation with Dr. Reed Skaggs of Lewis-Burke Associates examining how the Pentagon’s new innovation memo is reshaping the Defense Technology ecosystem. The discussion focuses on the memo’s emphasis on accelerating speed to Capability, strengthening the STEM-focused innovation workforce, and clarifying how service laboratories and research organizations support Emerging Technology development within the defense technology pipeline. Dr. Skaggs also highlights the growing importance of developing K–12 STEM capacity as a foundational national security issue, given current education gaps impacting the future Defense Technology workforce.
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#Defense Technology #STEM #EmergingTech #EmergingTechETI

Join Dr. Arun Seraphin for a conversation with Dr. Sridhar Kota and Hal Chrisman of FlexSys exploring how adaptive morphing control surfaces are transforming aerodynamics across the aerospace industry and defense industry. The discussion centers on this engineering breakthrough and its potential to reshape future DoD platforms and missions. Drawing on more than two decades of experience in the aerospace and defense industry, Dr. Kota and Chrisman explain how this adaptive technology can improve lift-to-drag ratios, reduce fuel consumption and noise, and eliminate the need for conventional flaps in next-generation aircraft designs.

This conversation examines how morphing aerodynamics technologies could transform DoD mission requirements, from enabling shorter takeoff and landing distances to improving climb gradients and reducing fleet size requirements. In addition to the operational benefits for the Department of Defense (DoD), Dr. Kota and Chrisman explore key technology transition challenges facing the defense industry, including certification, integration, and scalability. The conversation concludes with a forward-looking vision for making morphing control surfaces an industry standard, along with practical guidance for OEMs and DoD partners interested in adopting this advanced aerodynamics technology.

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Another cycle of NDAA-driven Acquisition Reform has concluded, beginning with the introduction of the FoRGED Act and SPEED Act and culminating in the enactment of the FY26 NDAA. Join Dr. Arun Seraphin and Moshe Schwartz for a detailed discussion of NDAA acquisition reforms and why this legislation could represent one of the most significant defense acquisition reform packages in decades. Drawing on Moshe’s deep defense acquisition expertise, the conversation breaks down what changes to acquisition policy were enacted, what did not make it into law, and how Congress and the Department of Defense are aligned on implementation.The discussion examines major acquisition changes introduced in the FY26 NDAA, including expanded acquisition authorities, best-value decision-making, commercial-first acquisition preferences, and new roles and responsibilities across the defense acquisition workforce. Moshe and Arun analyze the potential impact of these reforms on defense contractors, including nontraditional defense contractors, with a close look at implications for intellectual property rights, consumption-based acquisition models, sustainment strategies, and the elevated roles of portfolio acquisition executives and product support managers within the Department of Defense.

Etherton and Associates: https://www.ethertonandassociates.com/

ETI's Insights into FY26 NDAA: https://www.emergingtechnologiesinstitute.org/publications/insights/fy2025ndaa

FY26 NDAA: https://www.congress.gov/119/bills/s1071/BILLS-119s1071enr.pdf

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Join Dr. Arun Seraphin and Dr. Jae Yu for a conversation that explores new data on Pentagon senior civilian leadership, illuminating the backgrounds of individuals serving in STEM leadership roles focused on Emerging Technologies. This discussion draws on the NDIA ETI report published by Dr. Yu, “Mapping Government Officials in Emerging Technologies Roles,” which examines how STEM education and prior STEM experience shape career pathways within the Pentagon.The report and conversation analyze leadership backgrounds across the 14 critical technology areas identified by the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (USD(R&E)), highlighting where STEM expertise is concentrated and where gaps remain in the Pentagon’s Emerging Technologies workforce. The discussion concludes with data-driven recommendations to strengthen the Pentagon’s senior civilian STEM workforce.

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#EmergingTech #EmergingTechETI #USDR&E #Pentagon #STEM

In part two of this conversation, Dr. Arun Seraphin is joined again by HON. David Berteau to examine how Defense Acquisition and Acquisition Reform in the Defense Industry evolved after the end of the Cold War. Berteau reflects on why Defense Acquisition Reform has remained a persistent challenge and highlights the need for a balanced approach that weighs both mission success and financial outcomes across the Defense Industry.

The conversation explores how Defense Acquisition challenges unfolded over time, beginning with post–Cold War budget drawdowns that accelerated consolidation within the Defense Industry. It then examines the 1990s rise of commercial technology, driven in part by new legislation such as the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act (FASA) and the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

David and Arun connect these Acquisition Reform efforts of the 1990s to today’s challenges by discussing how the Defense Industry can integrate commercial technology at speed, better align requirements with budgets and programs, and navigate Congress’s evolving role in Defense Acquisition. The discussion offers insight into what effective Defense Acquisition Reform could look like today amid near-peer competition and rapid technological change.

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Join Dr. Arun Seraphin and David Berteau for a conversation exploring the common threads across major defense acquisition reform efforts since the 1980s. Drawing on decades of experience in both the public and private sectors, David offers a historical perspective on how shifting geopolitical threats have driven repeated efforts to reform the Department of Defense’s acquisition system.

The discussion centers on the Carlucci Initiatives, which was a set of recommendations aimed at reducing costs, shortening acquisition timelines, and improving industry-DoD collaboration. Arun and David compare these initiatives with other major reform efforts, including the Packard Commission and the Goldwater-Nichols Act. David also reflects on his time as Executive Secretary of the Packard Commission, sharing firsthand insights into the challenges that led to its formation and the impact of its recommendations.

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