Defense Transformation: Spending & Strategy

I had the opportunity to attend Bloomberg's BGOV Defense Summit at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center. We spent the day with DoD officials and industry experts (partial list at bottom of post).

I must add that Peter Cook, Bloomberg TV's chief Washington correspondent, did an excellent job interviewing some of the senior defense officials. He's a native Washingtonian and seems passionate and knowledgeable about what's going on in government. Kudos to Bloomberg Government and its staff for putting on an fantastic event.

For me, the most exciting aspect is meeting new people and hearing their amazing stories. During the summit, I was fortunate to meet some super smart people including: 

• Nate Tibbits of Blackwood Advisory LLC
• Nathan Wilson, human trafficking expert, Founder of Project Meridian Foundation and CEO of Gallant Knights, LLC 
• Angela Harpalani, CEO, Dimensional Concepts, a Reston-based government contractor specializing in business intelligence (BI) solutions
  
• Also reconnected with Rear Admiral, USN (Ret.) Julius Caesar, Addx Corporation

At the post-event reception, I was in awe at the stores told to me by Lynda S. Roades of Roades Advisory. Lynda is a global public sector finance and government operations expert. She has assisted foreign governments including Afghanistan, Iraq and Zambia to establish and streamline their financial systems.

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Listen to Peter Cook's Audio Interview with Admiral Winnefeld, Vice Chairman of Joint Cheifs of Staff

Bloomberg Government Video Highlights

Partial List of Participants

Michele Flournoy, Senior Advisor, The Boston Consulting Group, Fmr. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy
Jim Talent, Distinguished Fellow, The Heritage Institute
Admiral James “Sandy” Winnefeld, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Heidi Shyu, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics & Technology)
Elliot Branch, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Acquisition (Navy)
LT. General Charles Davis, Military Deputy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition
Jeremy Bash, Founder and Managing Director, Beacon Global Strategies, Fmr. Chief of Staff, Defense Department and Central Intelligence Agency
John Dowdy, McKinsey & Company, Aerospace and Defense
Byron Callan, Director, Capital Alpha Partners
Rep Adam Smith (D-WA), Ranking Member, House Armed Services Committee
Rep Randy Forbes (R-VA), Chairman of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, House Armed Services Committee
Rear Admiral Matthew Klunder, Chief of Naval Research, Office of Naval Research
Nancy Harned, Executive Director for Strategic Planning and Program Planning with the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Research and Technology 
Ricky Peters, Executive Director, Air Force Research Laboratory
Deborah Lee James, Secretary of the Air Force
Robert Hale, Under Secretary for Defense (Comptroller) and Chief Financial Officer

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