In this episode, Mike and Jake catch up on defense techhappenings.

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00:36 intro

03:31 defense tech investing

17:25 Anduril & Golden Dome

18:13 Golden Dome

25:51 frequency auctioning

28:12 Ukraine forcing a US reckoning

34:27 DIU criticism

42:24 the 4th offset?

46:39 Sun Tzu terrain

47:45 the torpedo

50:05 Ukraine drones and Israeli pagers

Tomorrow’s fight will be fast, complex, and contested. Victory won’t come from a single platform, weapon, or payload—it will depend on how well everything works together.

That’s where modeling and simulation (M&S) matters.

This week, Raytheon (an RTX company) joins us to discuss how they are leading the way with Rapid Campaign Analysis and Demonstration Environment (RCADE), a campaign-level M&S capability built to help decision-makers think beyond individual systems and enables them to see the entire operational ecosystem.

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In this episode, Mike sits down with Sheila Cummings,founder, president, and CEO of Cummings Aerospace.

Cummings Aero started in 2009 supporting the Huntsville,Alabama missile market, but recently decided to launch their own product—the Hellhound.

The Hellhound S3 is a man-portable, 3D-printe,d jet-powered kamikaze drone...and we have the FIRST-PUBLIC views of the actual drone—audio and video!

BREAKING NEWS: Sheila also announced a new variant—theHellhound S4. It’s tube-launched, bigger, better, and even faster than the S3!

If you're into military drones, cutting-edge tech, and thestart-up culture of finding ways to help the warfighter—this episode is for you.

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• Mike Benitez on LinkedIn

• Cummings Aerospace

• Sheila’s op-ed

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00:00 start

01:18 intro

01:56 origin story

05:03 high speed background

06:34 Hellhound origin story

10:54 introducing the Hellhound

11:27 3D-printed

12:31 finding an engine

13:34 See the Hellhound

21:20 naming the Hellhound

22:39 family of drones

24:38 supersonic variant

29:22 China & Industrialization

32:32 Industrial Mobilization Board

35:47 outro

Joe “Grip” Beissner, Director of Requirements and Capabilities for Radio Frequency Solutions at Raytheon, a business of RTX, joins us to discuss the cutting-edge AESA radars Raytheon delivers for our warfighters.

Jon "Stormin" Norman, Vice President of Requirements & Capabilities at Raytheon, a business of RTX, joins us to discuss the cutting-edge air-to-air and -surface weapons and effectors Raytheon delivers for our warfighters.

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In this episode, Mike sits down with Brett “Snappy”Abbamonte, a former Marine Corps F-35 pilot now at Advanced Strategic Insight (ASI) Inc.

Snappy is the program manager for ELITE (ExpendableLower-cost Integrated Training Emitter), a compact, cost-effective system designed to mimic high-end surface-to-air missile (SAM) threats.

Dive into how this innovative tech is reshaping training,enhancing readiness, and solving a critical warfighter problem—offering a firsthand look at how operators are using ELITE in the field to sharpen their edge.

If you're into military training, cutting-edge technology,and boosting warfighter readiness—this episode is a must-listen.

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• Mike Benitez on LinkedIn

• Brett “Snappy” Abbamonte on LinkedIn

• ASI company

• ELITE product

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00:00 start

01:11 intro

03:08 Snappy

04:49 F-35 magnifies a growing problem

07:21 the 3-solution problem

10:31 good-enough solution space

12:12 ELITE

13:51 size and power

15:35 as a target

17:45 customers

20:27 remote controlled

22:00 how to keep it low cost

23:34 creative training

25:09 how the training looks

26:47 RAF Lakenheath

31:19 SBIR experience

38:02 valley of death

38:34 end of year money

40:27 squadron innovation funds

42:14 expendable concept validated

42:50 Marine Corps weapons school example

44:40 expendable allocation

46:14 tools for innovative training

49:30 memory lane

49:45 callsign story

51:40 outro

#military #nationaldefense #warfare #nationalsecurity#defense #nationaldefense #tech #technology #defensetech #army #navy #airforce #usmc#innovation #war #strategy #aerospace #china #airpower #f35 #training #readiness #electronicwarfare

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In this episode, Mike interviews retired Air Force Colonel John Warden.

John is an Air Force pioneer who shaped how the modern world thinks about warfare—specifically the concepts of the operational level of war, parallel attack, and centers of gravity. He is most noted as the creator of Warden’s Five Rings and the architect of the Gulf War air campaign—but there’s much more than that.

We talked about how his thoughts were shaped in Vietnam and the 1980s, how he ended up in the Pentagon, and what series of events led to his framework being used to create Operation Desert Storm.

We applied the real lessons from Desert Storm to discuss China, why it’s a strategic threat, and the blind spot in US national security.

If you’re into history, strategy, warfare, military tactics, and national security—this episode is for you.

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• Mike Benitez (LinkedIn)

• Winning Peer Wars

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Show Notes

01:31 intro

03:31 Vietnam experience

05:56 Vietnam reshaped the Air Force

10:36 post-Vietnam thinking about the Middle East

13:56 command structure in the 1980s

16:14 Bitburg to Georgia to Italy

17:38 the 5 Rings - War College origins

18:13 missing the operational level of war

26:17 Warden's 5 rings

29:36 the other usefulness of the 5 rings

32:13 Checkmate

34:25 Checkmate, 5 Rings, and the Soviet Union

35:20 Fuel and the Fulda Gap

39:37 context for Desert Storm

42:44 Checkmate and Desert Storm

45:34 Checkmate gets into Desert Storm

48:26 the original 3-week plan

54:01 Not learning from Desert Storm?

57:24 today's challenges

58:29 China revelation #1

1:00:44 The Gulf War...on US soil

1:02:41 The US cyber vulnerability

1:06:52 China 2027 2035 2049

1:08:36 homeland defense blindspot

1:09:49 coastal defense

1:11:38 self-deterrence?

1:14:42 global reach global power

1:17:48 commitment to defense

1:18:51 outro

#military #nationaldefense #warfare #nationalsecurity #defense #nationaldefense #tech #technology #defensetech #army #navy #airforce #usmc #innovation #war #strategy #aerospace #china #desertstorm #gulfwar #airpower #militaryhistory #militarypower #iraq #middleeast #desertstorm #gulfwar

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In this episode, Mike interviews Chip Yates, founder of Yates Electrospace Corporation.

With a background in racing, Chip has made a name for himself by setting numerous world records as a pioneer in electric-powered motorcycles and airplanes. His journey took a strategic turn when he encountered a complex military challenge, leading to the inception of his company.

Chip pivoted to defense, launching Silent Arrow—disposable cargo drones deployed from planes like the C-130. These drones must fly dozens—even hundreds—of miles yet be cost-effective enough to be discarded after just a single use.

Chip shares his decade-long journey in defense tech, offering insights into affordable, executable innovation in an industry full of giant companies and complex technology.

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• Mike Benitez (LinkedIn)

• Silent Arrow

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Show Notes

00:50 intro

01:47 Chip's racing background

03:03 company origins

03:41 getting involved in defense tech

04:11 the idea and 1st concept vehicle

06:53 the Smithsonian

08:34 2,000 glider drone

08:48 how Silent Arrow works

10:14 the need for more standoff

12:10 operational evals of prototypes

13:50 crawl walk run

15:03 the Pacific Pivot?

15:52 Airbus partnership

17:26 powered cargo drones

19:29 interesting payloads

20:42 the C-130 of drones

20:59 design and looks

23:10 raising money in defense tech

24:27 more requirement creep

25:37 using a Tesla?!

28:34 timeline for Tesla-launch

29:28 advertising in defense

30:46 2025 expectations

31:26 a super size version

33:50 adaption vs invention

35:36 keeping the cargo intact

38:46 powered version

39:50 advice

40:37 raising money

42:21 outro

For those interested in #military #nationaldefense #warfare #nationalsecurity #defense #nationaldefense #tech #technology #defensetech #army #navy #airforce #innovation #aviation #airplanes #aerospace #c130 #cargo #mobility #logistics #supply #resupply #drones #unmanned #drone