Emerging Tech Horizons
Episodes
I/ITSEC and the Future of Defense Training Technologies
24 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join ETI Associate Research Fellow Anna Kim for a live conversation from the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation, and Education Conference (I/I...
Industry and Innovation in the Tech Competition with China
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join host Arun Seraphin for a conversation on U.S.–China technology competition and industrial policy with Randy Shriver and Mike Kuiken of the U.S....
The Research Security Tightrope: Openness vs. Protection
10 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join host Dr. Arun Seraphin for a deep dive into the evolving challenges of research security in national security R&D with guest Dr. Shanni Silbe...
Following the Money: Inside Pentagon Tech Funding
03 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join host Arun Seraphin for a discussion into the complexities of tracking Pentagon funding for emerging technologies with experts Bess Dopkeen, found...
Countering the Drone Threat: Inside the Evolving CsUAS Battlespace
20 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join host Arun Seraphin for an in-depth exploration of countering small unmanned aerial systems (CsUAS) technologies with Booz Allen Hamilton experts ...
Rethinking Command and Control Capabilities through JADC2
14 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join host Dr. Arun Seraphin for an in-depth exploration of the Pentagon's Combined Joint All Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) strategy with Dr. Dav...
Breaking Trail: Women In Security & How It’s Shaping the Future of Defense
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join Dr. Arun Seraphin at the 2025 Women in Defense (WID) Conference for a conversation with Michelle Letcher, retired U.S. Army Brigadier General and...
Advancing Defense Through Data and Public Private Partnerships (PPP)
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join Dr. Arun Seraphin at the Women in Defense Conference for an engaging discussion with Tara Murphy Dougherty, CEO of Govini and Service to the Flag...
If GPS Fails, National Security Is at Risk
29 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join Dr. Arun Seraphin for a conversation with Dana Goward, President of the Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation. Goward shares insights into ...
Empowering Innovation in Defense Manufacturing and Policy
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join Arun Seraphin at the 2025 Women in Defense Conference for a conversation with Halimah Najieb-Locke, Senior Vice President of Global Public Policy...
Innovation in AI-Powered Disaster Response
22 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join guest host Dr. Mark Lewis, President and CEO of the Purdue Applied Research Institute, for a discussion at the 2025 Emerging Technologies Confere...
Leveraging AI to Advance DoD and Industry Collaboration
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join guest host Dr. Mark Lewis, President and CEO of the Purdue Applied Research Institute, for a discussion with Dr. Will Roper, CEO of Istari Digita...
Thinking Like the Brain: Neuromorphic AI and the Future of Defense Computing
15 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join host Dr. Arun Seraphin for a conversation with Dr. Steve Harber of Parallax Advanced Research and the Ohio Aerospace Institute. In this episode, ...
Women in Defense 2025: Exploring Planetary Protection
10 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join host Arun Seraphin at the 2025 Women in Defense Conference for a conversation with PhD Candidate Adrienne Rudolph and Professor Brent Barbee of t...
NATO DIANA: Transatlantic Security and Defense Innovation
08 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join guest host Dr. Mark Lewis, President and CEO of the Purdue Applied Research Institute at the 2025 Emerging Technologies Conference, for a convers...
Inside Latvia’s Defense Tech Sector
03 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join Emerging Technologies Conference 2025 guest host Dr. Mark Lewis, President and CEO of the Purdue Applied Research Institute, for a conversation w...
Rations to the Warfighter: Innovation and Vulnerabilities
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join guest host Dr. Liz Specht for a conversation with Nicole Favreau Farhadi, Senior Research Biochemist at the Army Combat Capabilities Development ...
DARPA’s Role in Protecting the Agricultural Supply Chain
24 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join guest host Dr. Liz Specht for a conversation with Dr. Michael Koeris, Director of the Biological Technologies Office at the Defense Advanced Rese...
Hackathons – Delivering Relevant Tech to the Warfighter Ahead of Requirements
19 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Nick Sinai, former U.S. Deputy CTO and venture capital investor, is a leading authority on federal innovation policy and defense start-ups. We spoke ...
The Age of Biology: Safeguarding America’s Bio-Industrial Edge
17 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join host Dr. Liz Specht for a conversation with Dr. Michelle Rozo, Vice Chair of the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology, to discu...
NDAA 2026: Breaking Down the Biggest Changes
15 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join host Arun Seraphin for a conversation with defense acquisition expert Moshe Schwartz to discuss how the FY 2026 NDAA is shaping up. Arun and Mosh...
Beyond the Pitch Deck: Venture Signals for Defense Startups
12 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join guest host Dr. Mark Lewis and Meritech Capital Partners cofounder Paul Madera for a talk on Series C/D investing, how VCs judge business models, ...
Synthetic Strength: Positioning Biomanufacturing as a U.S. Strategic Asset
10 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join guest host Dr. Liz Specht for a conversation with Matt Spence, the managing director and global head of venture capital banking at Barclays. In t...
The Future of U.S. Food Security
03 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join host Dr. Arun Seraphin for a conversation with Dr. Liz Specht, a Horizon Institute Public Service Fellow with the Emerging Technologies Institute...
Beast in the Machine: The Future of AI and Robotics in War
20 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join host Dr. Arun Seraphin for a conversation with Dr. George Dougherty, who is a retired Air Force Colonel with deep experience in the Air Force Sci...
Fostering Defense-Tech Innovation Across the NATO Alliance
13 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join host Dr. Arun Seraphin for a conversation with Mr. Tom McSorley, General Counsel the NATO Defense Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic, ...
DOD-Industry Collaboration in Science & Engineering Technology
07 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join host Dr. Arun Seraphin for a conversation with Dr. Reed Skaggs, Chief Strategy and Business Operations Officer at Lewis-Burke Associates, and Jen...
Does the DOD need Warfighter-Portable Drones in the Indo-Pacific?
24 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join host Dr. Arun Seraphin for a conversation with Dr. David Bray, Director of the Loomis Accelerator Program and Distinguished Fellow at the Stimson...
How DIU is using AI to Connect Commercial Innovation to the Warfighter
02 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join host Dr. Arun Seraphin for a conversation with Cheryl Ingstad, Deputy Director for Digital Platforms & Developer Ecosystem at the Defense Inn...
Lessons Learned from DOD IT-Acquisition Failures
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we are joined by John Weiler, CEO of the IT-Acquisition Advisory Council, to discuss the past, present, and future of DOD IT acquisit...
Supporting the Defense Acquisition Workforce with AI
11 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In May 2025, the Emerging Technologies Institute and MITRE Corporation released a report that explores how artificial intelligence (AI) can improve th...
Building the Future of Maritime Mobility
28 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we are joined by Tom Huntley, who is Vice President of Government Relations and Defense at REGENT, to discuss the future of advanced ...
Replacing the Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System
21 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we are joined by William C. Greenwalt, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), to evaluate the state of the Joint C...
Grading the U.S. National Security Innovation Base
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In March, the Ronald Reagan Institute published its third annual National Security Innovation Base (NSIB) Report Card, a scorecard that uses 10 indica...
Defense Budget Reforms: An Appropriators Perspective
07 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we sit down with Kate Käufer, former Majority Clerk of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense and founder of KMK Global S...
The State of Defense Appropriations
30 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we sit down with Kate Käufer, former Majority Clerk of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense and founder of KMK Global S...
5 Years Later: How is DoD's Adaptive Acquisition Framework Working?
23 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 2020, the DoD adopted the Adaptive Acquisition Framework (AAF), a major shift aiming to make DoD procurement faster, more flexible, and closer to...
Building and Integrating Capabilities Using Modular Open Systems Architecture
17 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Our guests, Dr. Evan Fortunato (President & CEO, Apogee Research), Kirk McConnell (retired Professional Staff Member on the Senate Armed Services ...
Understanding Modular Open Systems Approach and Why it Matters for DoD
09 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How is the Department of Defense faring with incorporating Modular Open Systems Architecture (MOSA) into its technology development processes? Recent ...
Hypersonic Aircraft—Accelerating Toward the Future
26 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hermeus Corporation is a venture-backed aerospace company developing reusable hypersonic aircraft for defense and commercial flight. Join Zach Shore, ...
Analyzing Unidentified Aerial Phenomena
19 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Recent government and public imagery of unidentified flying objects (UFO) has lead to increased Congressional and Pentagon interest in the analysis of...
The Role of High-Skilled Immigration in Defense
05 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join Jeremy Neufeld, Senior Immigration Fellow at the Institute for Progress, and Wilson Miles, Associate Research Fellow at ETI, as they discuss thei...
Prototyping for the Future
20 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join Stephanie Halcrow, Senior Fellow at the GMU Baroni Center for Government Contracting, and Anna Kim, Associate Research Fellow at ETI, as they dis...
The FY25 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) (Part 2): Technology, Innovation, and the Outlook for Future
11 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In December, the FY25 National Defense Authorization Act was signed into law. What does the bill do to improve the ability to develop and field emergi...
The FY25 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA): Supply Chains and Acquisition Reform (Part 1)
05 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In December, the FY25 National Defense Authorization Act was signed into law. This major annual policy legislation once again includes many provisions...
Why Government Space Missions Need the Commercial Sector
22 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join the CEO of the Space Foundation MG (Dr.) Heather Pringle, USAF (Ret.) as she discusses how space has become such a key element of national securi...
Pioneering Progress Part 2: An American Industrial Innovation Policy
15 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join MIT's Bill Bonvillian, author of the new book "Pioneering Progress: American Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy," as he describes the ele...
Pioneering Progress: Policies to Drive Innovation for National Defense and Economic Growth Part 1
08 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join Bill Bonvillian from MIT and author of the new book "Pioneering Progress: American Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy" to discuss the his...
Accessing Commercial and Global Innovation for Defense
25 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Join Chairman & CEO of Airbus U.S. Space & Defense, Inc., Robert Geckle for a discussion of how the commercial and global innovation can best ...
Connecting Silicon Valley to Defense Industry
11 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Join Daniel Ateya, Managing Director of RTX Ventures, as he discusses how best to integrate the VC community into the defense industrial base to promo...
Navigating Classification, Part 2: Breaking Into Defense Innovation
27 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Hon. Sue Gordon, President of Gordon Ventures, Member of the Defense Innovation Board, and former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligen...
Unlocking Innovation: Small Companies in the Classified Space, Part 1
13 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Securing a place in the defense intelligence sector can be an uphill battle for small companies, universities, and other organizations aiming to parti...
The State of Defense Appropriations
30 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Matt MacGregor, Fellow at the Acquisition Innovation Research Center and Senior Director for Strategic Growth at Anduril Industries, joins the podcast...
Bridging Commercial and DOD Production with Booz Allen Hamilton
23 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How is DOD adopting autonomous technologies for both tactical missions and back-end work? How are industry and government working together to deliver ...
Munitions Update at the 2024 Future Forces Capabilities Conference
16 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jeff Janey is Chair of NDIA’s Munitions Technology Division, which facilitates technical dialogue between industry and government concerning the dev...
Armaments Update at the 2024 Future Force Capabilities Conference
09 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nick Perry, NDIA Armaments Division Chair and Director of Global Strategy and Defense Systems at Northrop Grumman, joins live from the floor of the 20...
Robotics Spotlight at the 2024 Future Force Capabilities Conference
02 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Dooley, NDIA Robotics Division Chair and Defense Strategic Initiative Lead at Forterra, and Pat Acox, Head of Government Growth at Forterra, join...
DOD's new Acquisition Policy Innovation Engine: The AIRC
18 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
DOD's new Acquisition Innovation Research Center brings together the best minds in academia with experts in defense acquisition to help address so...
How Estonia, the EU’s E-State, Promotes Defense Technology
04 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How has Estonia, a country of just 1.5 million people, blessed with few natural resources, developed a flourishing defense technology sector? For this...
Reviewing the 2024 GAO Weapon Systems Annual Assessment
21 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How well is the DoD positioned to field systems at the speed of relevance? Has the DoD effectively used additional Congressional acquisition authoriti...
Reviewing the 2024 NSIB Report Card (Part 2)
15 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Join us for Part Two of the discussion of the ReaganInstitute’s 2024 National Security Innovation Base Report Card with Rachel Hoff (Reagan Institut...
Reviewing the 2024 NSIB Report Card (Part 1)
07 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What is the 2024 National Security Innovation Base (NSIB) Report Card? Have U.S. grades improved since last year? How have venture capital and private...
Evaluating AI-enabled Drone Swarms and the Future of Homeland Security
24 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What delineates surrogate from intelligent drone swarms? What are the threats, vulnerabilities, and consequences associated with these systems to the ...
NDIA's Vital Signs 2024 Report with Jen Stewart
10 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How healthy is the U.S. defense industrial base? What challenges does it face at a time of accelerating innovation, regulatory challenges, and the nee...
Previewing the NDIA Emerging Technologies Conference with Under Secretary Heidi Shyu
26 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Description: What are the emerging technologies that will shape future national defense and how will they be fielded? Ahead of the upcoming Emerging T...
Reshaping Energy Generation and distribution Through Power Beamin
12 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Energy is critical for anything we do. Power beaming is an emerging technology that could reshape how we generate and distribute energy and how our de...
The Future of the Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT)
29 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In an era where the Global Positioning System (GPS) is increasingly under threat by jamming and other anti-satellite capabilities, what does the futur...
Emerging Technologies in FY24 Appropriations Part 1
15 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How did the Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations bill impact DoD's critical technology areas and technology transition efforts for emerging technologie...
Venture Meets Mission: Public-Private Partnerships to Solve Today’s Problems
01 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, our guest Arun Gupta describes how strong collaboration between business, government, and society can lead to opportunities to impact...
Unpacking INDUS-X with Dr. Sameer Lalwani
24 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
DESCRIPTION: How is the science and technology relationship between the United States and India evolving? What can we do to increase U.S.-Indian defen...
PPBE Commission Report: Moving Money at the Speed of Innovation, Part 2
17 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Tune in for Part 2 of our conversation with Lara Sayer, the PPBE Reform Commission's Executive Director, and Jennifer Santos, one of the study'...
PPBE Commission Report: Moving Money at the Speed of Innovation, Part 1
02 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What is DoD's Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) system, and how does it succeed and fail to direct resources to the correct p...
National Defense Industrial Strategy with DOD's Justin K. McFarlin
20 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International and Industry Engagement Justin McFarlin joins the podcast to discuss the Department of Defense...
What is the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) About? Part 2
06 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Tune in for Part 2 of our conversation with Moshe Schwartz, President of Etherton and Associates, as we continue to discuss the FY2024 NDAA and what i...
What is the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) About?
21 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What is the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)? Who produces it, and what does it mean for national security? What did the recently-passed Fisc...
Are Directed Energy Supply Chains Ready? Part 2
07 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this Part 2 episode, guests Mark Neice and Rebecca Wostenberg continue their discussion of ETI’s recently released report, Directed Energy Weapo...
Are Directed Energy Supply Chains Ready? Part 1
25 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, guests Rebecca Wostenberg and Mark Neice discuss key findings and recommendations from ETI’s recently released report, Directed Ene...
What is the Defense Civilian Training Corps (DCTC)?
11 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, our guest Karen Thornton introduces us to the recently launched Defense Civilian Training Corps (DCTC) and explains how the Acquisiti...
Assessing Financial Risks in Defense Supply Chains with RapidRatings International
27 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What are the biggest financial vulnerabilities in the defense supply chain? How are global market and economic conditions affecting supply chains? How...
Hacking your Bureaucracy with Nick Sinai
13 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In today's episode, our guest Nick Sinai discusses strategies and best practices for navigating the bureaucratic complexities inherent in emerging...
Examining the Joint Warfighting Concept: Challenges & Opportunities w/ the Hon. Al Shaffer
29 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today's podcast guests are the Honorable Alan R. Shaffer, Director of Washington Operations at MIT Lincoln Laboratories, and ETI Associate Researc...
Defense Microelectronics Modernization Challenges and Opportunities
15 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Join Jacob Winn, NDIA ETI Associate Research Fellow, and Dr. Michael Fritze, an independent consultant, to discuss their new paper, "Modernizing ...
Strengthening STEM Engagement with Minority Serving Institutions
08 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In May 2023, the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA)’s Emerging Technologies Institute (ETI), the Office of the Chief Scientist of the Ai...
Letterkenny Army Depot Talks About Emerging Technologies, Industry Relations, and Workforce Efforts
18 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
NDIA’s Emerging Technologies Institute visited the Letterkenny Army Depot in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. ETI's Executive Director, Dr. Arun Sera...
5G & Future G Capabilities and What It Means to the Defense Industrial Base
05 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Nick Maynard, CEO and Co-Founder of U.S. Ignite, speaks on the various uses of 5G technology, including the ability to connect 5G networks with sm...
Software Productivity Trends and Issues within the Defense Industrial Base
20 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Department of Defense is experiencing an explosive increase in its demand for software-implemented features in weapon systems. The combination of ...
DoD's S&T Budget Priorities for FY24
06 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Join us for a conversation with Dr. Reed Skaggs, Lewis Burke's Chief Strategy and Business Operations Officer. Listen as Dr. Skaggs explores the...
Evaluating the U.S. Innovation Ecosystem with Ronald Reagan Institute
23 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In March 2023, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation Institute released their "National Security Innovation Base" report card, which ass...
How the Department of Defense Benefits from Regional Collaboration in Texas
09 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How does Texas innovation fit within larger, national defense missions? At the 23rd Annual Science & Engineering Technology Conference, Dr. Arun ...
Previewing the Emerging Technologies Conference with Under Secretary Heidi Shyu
02 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Honorable Heidi Shyu, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering joins Dr. Arun Seraphin for a discussion on the upcoming Emerging Te...
Software Modernization with Dr. Forrest Shull
19 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How can DoD modernize software for defense missions? What came out of NDIA ETI and the Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute's...
Evaluating the Benefits of Department of Defense-Minority Serving Institution Partnerships with UTSA
14 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How can Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) support DoD and defense industry workforce needs? How have students from MSIs contributed to defense miss...
The future of S&ET at the 23rd Annual Science & Engineering Technology Conference
28 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This year’s conference brought Industry together with the Department of Defense Research, Engineering, Acquisition, and Sustainment communities to e...
How DoD Funds Science and Technology on Emerging Tech Horizons
14 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Join us for a conversation with Jacob Winn, ETI Associate Research Fellow. This episode discusses a brand new ETI report on changes over time in the D...
Redefining Higher Education with University of Texas San Antonio
08 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Join us for a conversation with NDIA’s new Executive Vice President, Brigadier General (Ret.) Guy Walsh. The podcast focuses on the University of Te...
Why the Use of Glass to Support Emerging Technologies for Defense
31 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Glass is one of the oldest technologies in history. Is there any room for improvement? Is our defense industrial base healthy enough to manufacture an...
The Future of Hypersonics Supply Chains on Emerging Tech Horizons
17 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Are U.S. supply chains capable of bearing the burden of expanded hypersonics production? How do supply chain vulnerabilities affect U.S. national secu...
Is the Department of Defense struggling with its data management?
03 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Are commerically dervied technologies superior to the governemnt's systems? Are they inferior? How does the government's data management fare against ...
Why is quantum computing so important to the Department of Defense?
19 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Has the United States fallen behind in the development of quantum computing to it's competitors? Is it even possible to build a general purpose one-mi...
Why is the Department of Defense interested in digital twinning?
05 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What does digital twinning mean? How does it work? Can the DOD replicate the successes the private industry had made through digital twinning? Join Dr...