Podcast Update 3

Jim and I have been a little less active on the webinar series the last few months but now have two very useful Podcasts to share. Please comment below to let us know what you think.

Podcast #11: Big Data Advantages with ElasticSearch

Smart-Future Webinar with guest Kevin Keeney

Kevin Keeney, from Elastic, joins us to discuss the big data advantages using ElasticSearch. Kevin discusses the value of finding data using a search paradigm as an option distinct from the more traditional data collection and sharing option.

Podcast #12: U.S. Navy Cyber Operations Data Analytic Fabric

Smart-Future Webinar with guest Rachel Bondi.

We discuss the the U.S. Navy’s activities for tactical cybersecurity with Rachel Bondi, the Technical Director Cyber Security Program Office Warfare Information Assurance. The NAVWAR PEO C4I, PMW 130 office is launching the SPINNAKER effort as part of the unified platform/big data platform (UP/BDP) for Joint Services. SPINNAKER is a cloud based platform for storing and visualizing large cyber decision analytic visualizations.

Posted in Cybersecurity, DoD Acquisition, DoD IT Acquisition, Technology Evolution | Leave a comment

Does China Hold the Strategic Advantage?

Does China Hold the Strategic Advantage by Operating Inside the U.S. and Allies’ OODA Loop?

Guest post by Evan Dudik

What is the biggest roadblock to a successful U.S. China strategy? Maybe it lies hidden in plain sight. Here’s a sketch of what really is certainly in plain sight:

  • China has increasingly flown provocative flights over Taiwan, testing the island’s readiness, wearing out its pilots and consuming its air force’s supplies.
  • China continues to build and fortify artificial islands in the South China Sea.
  • China has harassed and chased out of its self-proclaimed but internationally unrecognized sovereign waters—those within the so-called nine-dash line– fishing and mineral prospecting vessels that aren’t Chinese. The nine-dash line encompasses the Spratly and Senkaku Islands, extending within spitting distance of the Philippines.
  • China has massively increased the size of its “maritime militia,” a mild term for the thoroughly militarized, 20,000-vessel, fully armed adjunct force to the People’s Liberation Army (Navy). [1]
  • As of the end of March 2021, Chinese vessels have provided a constant presence around Senkaku, with ships hovering in the contiguous zone and, at times, making incursions into Japan’s territorial sea. Only on three stormy days—February 17 and 18 and March 5—have Chinese vessels been absent. [2]
  • China has reincorporated Hong Kong into the Chinese Reich and employs every military, diplomatic and economic wile to do the same to Taiwan.
  • China has launched the huge Belt and Road initiative whose threat to the world’s maritime chokepoints cannot be overstated. Each initiative focuses on a single country, a single chokepoint at a place, time, and level of effort of China’s choosing.
  • In the infamous city of Wuhan, China has recently built a giant 15 square mile campus cybersecurity training university aiming to churn out 2,500 graduates per year, fueling future hacking sprees as deadly or more than the Microsoft Exchange hacking ‘spree’ launched the week before this was written (July 25, 2021). [3]
  • China announced it will invest $400 billion in Iran in return for a favorably priced supply of oil.
  • China is investing in quantum computing, artificial intelligence, hypersonic weapons, numerous diesel electric submarines, anti-satellite missiles, and satellites. And on and on and on, all of which have the potential to neutralize and/or defeat U.S. military forces in the Pacific.
  • China is cornering the world’s supply of cobalt, vital for our electric cars, iPhones, weapons systems, communications equipment and more, by buying mining companies’ operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (and at least a half dozen other African countries).
  • And sending hundreds or thousands of managers and overseers employing practically slave adult and child labor under appalling conditions. [4]

Continue reading

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ADM Archie Clemins Memoriam & New Webinars

Admiral Archie Clemins, a mentor and friend, passed away last March 14, 2020. He was a brilliant operational leader that also left his mark across the U.S. Navy by forcing the installation of modern information technology across the operational forces. During his last active duty position as Commander Pacific Fleet (November 1996 – October 1999), he initiated the IT-21 program to put modern desktop computers, and Microsoft Desktop applications, into all Navy ships. This marked the first time that commercial IT hardware and software were used to support operational Navy missions. His leadership and foresight paved the way for the following Navy, Marine Corps Intranet (NMCI) program which further outfitted a 360,000 computer/network infrastructure across the entire Navy, beginning in the year 2000.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions ADM Clemins was not laid to rest at Arlington Cemetery until 16 July of this year. His wife and life-partner Marilyn Clemins created this beautiful Memoriam that I recommend to your attention. ADM Clemins was truly one of our Country’s great leaders, visionaries, and a man that spoke when needed but always acted to do the right thing.

New Webinars

Jim and I have recently added three new webinars that you may find interesting. We have also added AI written transcripts to each of the webinars for those that would prefer reading or skimming the webinars, and we also now have added an audio only podcast for each of the webinars to help make it easier to listen while doing other activities.

Please take a look at these webinars and leave us any comments or suggestions you may have for future webinars topics or guests. Thanks, marv

Webinar #7: Data in Motion

Data in Motion with guest Jason Schick

Data expert Jason Schick discusses how data has evolved from static enterprise data to dynamic data-in-motion, and how open source software tools like Kafka are making it possible to access needed data in near real time to enhance enterprise processes.

Webinar #8: Quantum Computing

Quantum Computing with guest Mark Jackson

Quantum computing expert, Mark Jackson Ph.D, joins us to discuss the latest state of quantum computing and how he see it progressing over the next five plus years. We discuss the technology, opportunities, and cybersecurity aspects.

Webinar #9: AI and DoD Technology Adoption

AI and DoD Technology Adoption with guest Bob Beaton

Our Nation’s Military has always relied upon technology adoption to keep it ahead of peer adversary forces. Today Artificial Intelligence and a host of related and supportive technologies are front and center as our Nation works to remain strong in the face of peer competitors, China and Russia. Expert DoD technologist, Bob Beaton, joins Jim and I to discuss the state of play for AI and related technology adoption.

Posted in Leadership, Technology Evolution | 10 Comments

Podcast Update

Jim and I have now completed six thirty minute webinars that are posted on this site, YouTube, and Linkedin. Here is a short introduction to these webinars. We find these discussions to be very informative and relevant to the challenges of today. Please let us know your thoughts.

Podcast #6 guest discussion is with DoD acquisition expert, Bill Greenwalt, who discusses his Congressional Staff work that helped make Other Transaction Authority contracting available for all programs of record within DoD and also delivered the Covid-19 vaccine in record time.

Also, please take a look at Bill’s recent Hudson Institute paper — Competing in Time: Ensuring Capability Advantage and Mission Success through Adaptable Resource Allocation. This paper addresses the budget process “elephant in the room” for U.S. Military capability over time.

Podcast #5 guest discussion is with Zero Trust and 5G expert, Junaid Islam, who discusses how the future of 5G presents even greater cybersecurity challenges for the future.

Podcast #4 discussion is with guest blogger Evan Dudik, an expert China analyst, who walks us through his research and views on how China is working to influence global trends and how that relates to U. S. National Security.

Podcast #3 guest discussion is with AI expert Todd Carrico who discusses his views on where AI is today relative to the past. Todd is the developer of a multi-agent AI platform to support Defense logistics.

Podcast #2 guest discussion is with We discuss how China has emerged as a peer competitor to the U.S. particularly in the Pacific region.

Podcast #1 guest discussion is with Ken Tirman who discusses some of the biggest challenges for our Nation and the planet in today’s accelerating technology world.

I have also posted my June 15th San Diego AFCEA luncheon talk on the future of Navy ship-to-shore and ship-to-ship communications when Starlink’s low earth orbit (LEO) internet communication satellite constellation has 12,000 satellites on orbit by 2027.

If you have ideas on topics or guests you would like to hear from please leave a comment or send Jim an email at jim@pietrocini.com or marv@marvlangston.com. You will also find a short bio on each of our guests under the Guest Bio’s pulldown.

Posted in Cybersecurity, DoD Acquisition, DoD IT Acquisition, Global Perspectives, Leadership, National Security, Technology Evolution, The China Challenge, U.S. Navy Capability | Leave a comment

New Podcast Series

Jim Pietrocini and I have started a new Podcast series intended to:

  • Explore important topics in technology, global trends, DoD acquisition activities, and research & development related to U.S. National Security.
  • Invite key thinkers and leaders to share their views, ideas, concerns, and interests.
  • Make the podcasts available to a wide audience and encourage questions for guest speakers, and share ideas for future podcasts.

You can find these Podcasts under the “Podcast” pull down menu on the home page, or on YouTube under “Smart Future Podcast Series,” and they are also available on my LinkedIn homepage. You can also find the backgrounds of our webinar guests under the “Guest Bios” pull down.

We would love to hear your comments, discussion, and suggestions for future webinars. We plan to publish them every week or two.

Posted in Global Perspectives, National Security, Technology Evolution, The China Challenge | 3 Comments

How should the U.S. respond to China’s Taiwan Provocations?

By Evan M. Dudik
edudik@evandudik.com

March 9, 2021

What do you do when a well-armed enemy gives every sign of spoiling for a fight? That’s what China signals by its latest, expanded incursions into Taiwan’s defense zones January 23-24 2021. China’s forces included nuclear-capable bombers, anti-submarine aircraft and fighter escorts. On Monday, March 1, China launched a month-long combined forces exercise in the South China Sea. As public guarantor of Taiwan’s de facto independence, a provocation of Taiwan also provokes the U.S. Continue reading

Posted in Global Perspectives, National Security, The China Challenge | 2 Comments

How Did We Get Into This Cybersecurity Mess?

Spy satellites quietly move to subscription licensing - Hardware - iTnewsWe all know that information about our adversaries and partner countries is and always has been critical to National Security. Before our interconnected world of the internet, information operations were more about human spying, one person to another. As technology has progressed this information criticality has only become more intense, and today has become the most critical component of modern warfare.

The root of today’s information technology can be traced back to the humble use of the binary numbering system of ones and zeros. Before that, information was locked into the analogue world of sine wave radio frequency communications, decimal numbers, and language specific alphabets. Continue reading

Posted in Cybersecurity, Technology Evolution | 15 Comments

China’s Grand Strategy: Downloads

In follow up to the series on China’s Grand Strategy, you can download the full PDF version and supplement using the links below:

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China’s Grand Strategy: Part 8

What is the United States to do?
By Evan Dudik

We’ve established in this series that China is a behemoth to be reckoned with.   

If you believe, as I do, that China’s drive for hegemony represents a steadily less speculative and ever-clearer danger to the United States, the West and the world, it’s worthwhile to analyze how best the US should respond.

Continue reading

Posted in Global Perspectives, National Security, The China Challenge | 1 Comment

China’s Grand Strategy: Part 7

China’s Grand Strategy
By Evan Dudik

Previously, we outlined in detail areas where China is jockeying for influence across the globe. We’re now positioned to distill the country’s Grand Strategy.

Continue reading

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