The Defense Tech Underground
Episodes
016: Andy Yakulis - Vector: Modern Warfare as a Service
18 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
015: Rylan Hamilton & Austin Gray – Blue Water Autonomy: Building the Navy’s Future Fleet
26 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rylan Hamilton and Austin Gray are co-founders of Blue Water Autonomy, a venture-backed defense tech startup designing and building the next generatio...
014: John Clark & Chris Moran – Lockheed Martin: Innovation with Purpose
18 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
John Clark is Senior Vice President of Technology and Strategic Innovation at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, the legendary advanced development program ...
013: Jonny Dyer - Delivering Earth Intelligence With Muon Space
21 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jonny Dyer is the Co-Founder and CEO of Muon Space, an end-to-end space systems provider that designs, builds, and operates LEO satellite constellatio...
012: Ray Powell and SeaLight - Shedding Light on China’s Gray Zone Activities in the Indo-Pacific
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ray Powell is the Founder and Director of SeaLight, a maritime transparency project of the Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation at Sta...
011: Dr. Craig Martell - The Pentagon's Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office
02 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Craig Martell served as the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer for the DOD from June 2022 through April 2024. While at the Pentagon...
010: Dan Berkenstock: The Journey From Space Founder to Defense Tech Advisor
04 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dan Berkenstock is an entrepreneur, aerospace engineer, and Stanford PhD who co-founded Skybox Imaging, a satellite imaging company acquired by Google...
009: Jeff Decker - The Hacking for Defense Manual
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Jeff Decker is managing director of the Technology Transition for Defense Program and co-instructor of Hacking for Defense at Stanford University....
008: Pat Ryan & Rob Wittman: U.S. House Defense Modernization Caucus
13 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Representative Rob Wittman is a Republican representing Virginia’s 1st Congressional district in the US House of Representatives. Representative Pat...
007: Wyman Howard - Build a Little, Test a Little, Learn a Lot - Innovation in the SEAL Teams
20 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of the Defense Tech Underground, RADM (ret.) Wyman Howard - the former commander of the elite Navy Special Warfare Group and later the...
006: John Goodson - From Deployment to Darkhive
04 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
John Goodson is the co-founder and CEO of Darkhive, an early stage drone startup based in San Antonio, TX. John served from 2007-2016 in the United St...
005: Raj Shah - Unit X: The Rise of the Defense Innovation Unit
19 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Raj Shah is a former US Air Force F-16 pilot and was the head of the Defense Innovation Unit, Experimental. He now leads Shield Capital, an early st...
004: Trae Stephens - In Pursuit of Good Quests
21 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Trae Stephens is the co-founder and executive chairman of Anduril, and partner at Founder’s Fund. After fighting his way into Georgetown Universit...
003: Nand Mulchandani - The CIA's Chief Technology Officer
12 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nand Mulchandani joined the Central Intelligence Agency as its first-ever Chief Technology officer in 2022, but his career started a long way from Lan...
002: Michèle Flournoy: Your Country Needs You
22 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Michèle Flournoy served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy from February 2009 to February 2012 where she was the principal advisor to the S...
001: Steve Blank - Entrepreneur, Educator, & Prankster
27 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Steve Blank came to Silicon Valley after serving in the Air Force during the Vietnam War. Over nearly six decades, he witnessed the advent of the inte...