Felicia S. C. Gooden, M.S.’s Post

Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the church in Wittenburg in 1517, initiating a dramatic change in Christian organizational faith in Europe and then across the world. Then in 2024, Shyam Sanker of Palantir posted his 18 theses on the door of the internet for all to see. I'll be interested to see if his words have the needed effect on the Defense Industry. I love his comment "Everyone including the Russians and the Chinese have given up on communism except for Cuba and the DoD." Brilliant. He goes on to state that "We run a centrally unplanned process that neither has the supposed advantages of a planned economy nor the (far superior) advantages of a free market." Throw in changes in political parties, service secretaries and chiefs of staff with differing views, and the lack of long term planning is even worse, compounded by a system that is dogmatically slow and plodding, where the process is more important than the outcome. Couple of thoughts and additions to this brilliance: - The only requirement IS winning. The 1067, SPO spreadsheets, and POM briefings are all poor substitutes for winning. Catastrophic substitutes. - Stop spending money on R&D. Buy stuff. If it doesn't work, throw it away and buy an improvement. - Anything but national security is economic insecurity. If we don't spend on national security, we may as well not spend on anything. - SBIRs and small business research programs are a complete waste of money until the DoD streamlines fielding all of these great ideas. Only tinkerers want to perpetually be inventing. Builders want to build. - The DoD needs to produce and use. That is how you keep the industrial base moving. - Digital Engineering is great but it does not fix the speed of production. It is a focus on the means instead of the outcomes. I hope someone is listening. I don't want to be an alarmist, but we are in trouble. We are failing in deterrence beyond the Triad, we can't compete industrially, and we now solely rely on the grit and ingenuity of our servicemen. #dod #defenseindustrialcomplex #lastsupper Shyam Sankar Madeline Hart

The studies, headlines, reports, commissions, year after year, decade after decade all say essentially the same thing... DoD processes are antithetical to speed, innovation, and delivering the best solutions in a timely manner within reasonable cost. Congress continues to gift the bureaucracy with authorities that allow great freedom and flexibility to try new approaches and arrangements, to innovate and figure out how to deliver better outcomes - there are plenty of solutions available. Yet these are routinely ignored and nothing substantial ever happens while results continue to get worse. The same as it ever was, DoD 'innovates' on the fringes while protecting the status-quo - 1 step forward, 2 steps back. If the bureaucracy is in service to the status-quo, who benefits from the status-quo? Don't folks in this industry want to make it count, actually come through for the warfighter, natsec, taxpayer, posterity while invigorating the industrial base? The Kafkaesque and farcical focus on conforming to bureaucratically contrived 'rules' but not the law, mandates, need, or outcomes is not something to be proud of (IMO). Why not be creators, intellectuals or doers, why not set the intention of knocking it out of the park? You can.

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As the 119th Congress begins its work, I can’t help but reflect on how much potential and promise comes with a new legislative cycle. It’s also a great time to revisit the work we’ve done to bridge the gap between technology, defense, and policymaking. Last cycle, I had the honor of presenting at the NDIA Human Systems Conference on “The View from Capitol Hill.” (sorry for the grainy picture!) My remarks focused on how Congress approaches optimizing performance under high-stakes decision making, a topic that applies equally to warfighters in the field and the policymakers who oversee national security. Some key takeaways I shared: >Members of Congress prioritize tangible, immediate issues—often physiological and safety needs—over cutting-edge performance enhancements. This is driven by constituent advocacy, media narratives, and the practical realities of military readiness. >Successful advocacy to Congress hinges on being accessible (simplifying complex issues), realistic (highlighting achievable goals), localized (connecting to districts/states), and concise (clear asks with supporting rationale). The intersection of technology, human systems, and national security is more critical than ever. I’m hopeful this Congress will continue to explore ways to support our warfighters while advancing research and innovation in these areas. Here’s to a year of collaboration, progress, and new ideas! #HumanSystems #Congress #DefenseInnovation #PolicyMaking #NationalSecurity

Well this will not win a lot of attention within the Pentagon by starting off with “It was 2012 when I first realized that our current group of four star military leaders are largely inept at best and incompetent at worst …” Which is notable since the article’s author is calling for military reform and that will mean allies within the Pentagon are needed and will have to be part of the solution … but this author promotes their ineptitude and incompetence. Notably, the author was a product of the same environment (as was I), but I presume we are to believe they were immune to the same root causes. Vietnam was the start of the problem. Higher education is part of the problem. Following the orders of the civilian military leadership is (subtly identified) the problem. But at least, unlike most, the author comes with some recommendations: 1)     Eliminate Goldwater Nichols to refocus on parochialism. In other words, erode the U.S. military's strongest advantage in combat – the ability to operate as a single joint force.  2)     Doubling down – remove joint duty from officer progression and make a core service and a core joint option at the O4/O5 level.   See above comment.  3)     Track service and joint staff colleges and do not allow military members to engage in education in non-military universities or in think tanks / internships.  What exactly is the problem, and how in the heck would this fix the problem? Three recommendations to "fix" supposed rampant ineptitude among general officers and the only way forward is a personal jihad on joint warfare? Lots of fists shaking at the sky, but not a lot of clear identification of problems, drivers, mitigations. In the end a finely written rant that will accomplish little.

An inspiring declaration of intent from CG RM- we share the Commandos’ aptitude and desire to deliver the improbable. We are delighted to share that SNCMSUK has been selected as the Mission Partner for an innovative digital technology requirement for the Royal Navy and Royal Marines by the Ministry of Defence’s Future Capability Innovation (FCI) team.     This contract is a commercial change in approach for UK Defence by introducing continuous delivery and evergreen ways of working in a much closer partnership with the end-user. Under a two-year initial contract, with two optional years, the mission partner construct will allow the Royal Marines, Royal Navy and wider UK Defence to sustain and scale next generation digital technology and networks into service faster than previous acquisition approaches. The contract is expected to support up to 13x new UK jobs in the South Wales and south west of England region, and support a wider 25x jobs across the UK, with over 50% going to SMEs.    Working in close collaboration with the FCI, Royal Navy and Royal Marines we will jointly redefine how UK Defence adapts to and maintains information dominance ahead of hostile threat actors. This agreement represents our dedication to fostering innovation, promoting a culture of extensive collaboration, and prioritizing our mission.   Stay tuned as we embark on shaping the future of this important digital capability and UK industrial prosperity.            Dream. Innovate. Inspire. #SNCMSUK #TeamSNC #DES #RoyalNavy #veterans #wearerecruiting  

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An interesting article: