Defense Tech Podcast

Hosted by National Security Technology Accelerator (NSTXL)

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Dec 2025

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About the show

Join Host Civilian Sydney as explores the inner workings of government innovation through conversations with key industry players, subject matter experts and government officials. Despite lacking government expertise, Civilian Sydney aims to demystify the complexities of defense tech by engaging insiders and experts in the industry. Listen in as she goes behind the scenes of government to explore the latest in microelectronics, space defense, contracting, startup funding and more. Powered by NSTXL.

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22 recent

December 31, 202519 min

Behind the Scenes of Innovation with Mike Brockly

Join Host Civilian Sydney for Episode 4 of the Defense Tech Podcast for the final episode of the Behind the Scenes of Innovation series, as she sits down with Mike Brockly, Director of Program Management at NTSXL, to take a look at security measures in the United States, security implications of the Chips Crisis and project success and evaluation for Microelectronics Commons. Using his holistic security background, Mike breaks down the status of security in the U.S. and what he looks forward to seeing come to life with the Commons project. Stay tuned for future episodes, and be sure to watch last week's episode with Mike Dodd, VP of Strategic Partnerships at NSTXL. Follow NSTXL on LinkedIn: linkedin.com / national-security-technology-accelerator

August 4, 202525 min

How Rad-Hard Testing Works with Trusted Strategic Solutions

How does rad-hard testing work? What does “rad-hard” mean? Join in this episode with special guest Dan Marrujo from Trusted Strategic Solutions, who gives us a behind-the-scenes look into the criticality of testing for radiation-hardened technologies and what’s being done to improve these capabilities for the DoD. Stay tuned until the end of the episode for insights on growing trends in the defense tech industry. Dan is the President of Trusted Strategic Solutions, a consulting firm that provides expertise to industry and government leaders in many technical areas including microelectronics and space technology. Dan is a former Chief Strategy Officer and former Director of the Office of Research and Technology Applications (ORTA) at the Defense Microelectronics Activity (DMEA). He holds a master’s degree in Materials Engineering, a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, and a minor in physics from the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA. Get connected with Dan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-marrujo/ Check out the Micro Journey’s podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/micro-journeys-the-pulse-of-whats-next/id1807413458 Learn more about NSTXL at https://nstxl.org/ Catch up on past episodes here. Chapters (00:00:00) - Radiation Protection in the Future(00:00:45) - Top Engineer Richard Savage on His Passion(00:03:31) - Post-Bacc MS in Microelectronics at the Pentagon(00:07:09) - Radical Hard Technologies(00:12:12) - What does Trusted Strategic Solutions do for the Defense Department?(00:18:42) - What is the most valuable thing that you provide to your government clients(00:21:09) - Microelectronics: An Enabling Technology for(00:23:20) - NST XL

July 2, 202528 min

Gamechanger or Guideline? The Real Impact of Trump’s Acquisition Order

In the wake of President Trump's executive order prioritizing speed and agility in DoW critical technology procurement, OTAs are in the spotlight. Guest Doug Crowe joins to explain how we navigate acquiring critical and emerging technology in the modern age. Doug Crowe is the Senior Vice President of Program Management at NSTXL. Doug comes in with 40 years of expertise in the industry – he is a Navy veteran and is so intelligent in many different DoW systems. He brings great insight into the acquisition environment today – we explore what the executive order really means, how it could reshape defense contracting, and what the future holds for innovation across the defense industrial base. Get connected with Doug on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doug-crowe-b8548a2a/ Learn more about NSTXL at https://nstxl.org/ Chapters (00:00:00) - Defense Tech Podcast: Overtime Authorities reshaping the DoD(00:01:53) - Interviews with Doug Crow(00:03:29) - OTA Smarts(00:04:24) - Defense Acquisition Priorities Under the President's Executive Order(00:07:04) - Will OTAS Play a More Centricity in Defense Acquisitions(00:08:04) - ODM Technology Projects(00:13:46) - OTA Proposals(00:19:39) - OTAS: Dual Use Technologies(00:22:22) - President Trump on China's Developing New Weapons(00:25:09) - President Trump on Threats to Defense Tech(00:27:14) - Top Executives: On-Technology Agendas

June 12, 202526 min

How Marketing for the Government Works

What is it like to market for the Government? Join in this episode with special guest Civilian Jillian who shares what she’s learned from transitioning from civilian roles to marketing for high-impact Government projects. Jillian Honeycutt is the Program Marketing Lead for the Space Enterprise Consortium (SpEC) at the National Security Technology Accelerator (NSTXL). From selling cheese to running marketing campaigns for Invisalign, she has garnered a diverse set of experiences in the marketing industry. Now in her role at NSTXL, she has taken on a new mission and purpose, working alongside of Space Systems Command to help them acquire new technologies. Learn more about the SpEC program at https://space-enterprise.org/ Get connected with Jillian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillian-honeycutt/ Chapters (00:00:00) - Civilian Jillian(00:01:41) - In the Elevator With NSTXcel's Jillian Honey(00:02:36) - Invisalign and the Transition from Cheese to Defense(00:04:02) - Transition from Civilian Job to Military Job(00:05:47) - What is Marketing for the Government(00:07:39) - Who is the target of your communications?(00:09:32) - Spacespace Force Tech(00:10:48) - What is the Value of Project Events?(00:16:52) - OTA Teaming Events(00:18:53) - What's something that you personally would like to see more of in(00:22:07) - What's Your Favorite Part of Working For Space Systems Command?

May 29, 20257 min

Who is NSTXL? An Intro to the Defense Tech Podcast

Let us reintroduce ourselves! Join Civilian Sydney hosts for this special episode about the origins of the Defense Tech Podcast, who NSTXL is, and why Other Transaction Authorities (OTAs) are now at the forefront of innovation in the U.S. NSTXL is focused on building a network of innovators and creators across the most sought-after emerging technology fields. As an open-source platform, our approach was designed to encourage network growth and collaboration without stifling change. We support our network by providing commercial-term contracting, open-source technology discovery, modern-day marketing outreach, a strongly interconnected network for easy teaming and cybersecurity compliance support. Learn more about OTAs: https://nstxl.org/what-is-an-ota/ Interested in coming on the podcast? Fill out the interest form Connect with NSTXL on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-security-technology-accelerator/

April 3, 202518 min

Tech TALX: How Neptune Transitioned into DoW Offices with Epiq Solutions

Join Civilian Sydney in the newest Tech TALX episode, where she sits with Wyatt Taylor from Epiq Solutions to discuss successful prototype integrations. The "Neptune" project was initially awarded in 2021 under the S2MARTS OTA to 3 performers to provide a radio frequency payload for implementation into unmanned maritime systems. The project was then down-selected to Epiq solutions. Their payload solution gained attention from many other DoW offices who have since integrated Neptune’s test assets into their own systems. In this episode, we’re going to discover the factors that led to this project’s success. This week's guest, Mr. Wyatt Taylor, is the VP of Products and Technology at Epiq Solutions. Wyatt received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering at Virginia Tech. Learn more about Epiq Solutions Follow NSTXL on LinkedIn

February 13, 202546 min

DoD-Critical: Developing a Clear Vision for Microelectronics with the MMEC Hub

Civilian Sydney sat down with Jackie Janning-Lask and Dr. Matt Casto, who lead the Midwest Microelectronics Consortium, to discuss the origins of MMEC and how to define a vision for clearer mission goals. The group also did a deep dive into a few technologies, including Secure Edge and the Internet of Things. Jackie and Matt helped me better understand the criticality of collaboration to achieve common goals. Jackie Janning-Lask serves as the Chief Executive Officer of MMEC. She retired from the Air Force in July of 2023, bringing 35 years of DoD service to the table, including time at the U.S. Air Force and the Air Force Research Laboratory. Dr. Matt Casto currently serves as the Chief Technology Officer for MMEC. Dr. Casto has 20 years of experience in numerous DoD technical leadership positions, including roles at the Pentagon in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force. Learn More About the MMEC Hub: https://mmeconsortium.org/ Connect with NSTXL on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-security-technology-accelerator/

January 23, 202528 min

DoD-Critical: Capitalizing on Collaboration with the California DREAMS Superhub

In this week's episode Civilian Sydney sits with Stephen Crago and Mike Haney, who help lead the California Defense Ready Electronics and Microdevices, or California DREAMS, Superhub. Stephen is the Director and Principal Investigator of CA DREAMS at the University of Southern California, and Mike is the Deputy Director of CA DREAMS and the Director of the MOSIS 2.0 initiative. In this episode, we cover electromagnetic warfare, 5G/6G technologies, the CA DREAMS MOSIS 2.0 initiative, cross-hub collaboration, and more. Please leave a review if you love the podcast! If you have a suggestion for a topic or a guest you’d like to hear from on the show, you can reach out to me at sydney@nstxl.org. Learn more about CA DREAMS: https://ca-dreams.org/ Connect with NSTXL on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-security-technology-accelerator/

January 16, 202525 min

DoD-Critical: Why We Need Trusted Systems with the SWAP Hub

Tune in to this episode as Civilian Sydney sits down with the SWAP Hub's CTO, Krishnendu Chakrabarty. Krishnendu is the Fulton Professor of Microelectronics in the school of Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering at Arizona State University. He also acts as the Chief Technology Officer for the SWAP Hub. In this episode, we discuss some of the projects that the SWAP Hub is currently focused on, as well as what the Hub's workforce development initiatives are accomplishing - further cementing our understanding of why building a pipeline of qualified microelectronics workers is so crucial for U.S. manufacturing independence. Connect with the SWAP Hub: https://microelectronics.asu.edu/southwest-advanced-prototyping-hub/ Learn More About NSTXL: https://nstxl.org/

December 19, 202435 min

DoD-Critical: Lab-to-Fab for Wide-Bandgap Semiconductors with the CLAWS Hub

Join Civilian Sydney as she chats with Fred Kish and John Muth from the CLAWS Hub as they discuss commercial leap-ahead technologies, wide-bandgap semiconductors, access to cleanrooms, building a robust workforce pipeline and more. Fred Kish is a renowned engineer who has made significant contributions to the field of optoelectronics, particularly in the development of high-performance LEDs and integrated photonic circuits. He is currently a distinguished professor and NNF Director at North Carolina State University. John Muth is also a distinguished professor at North Carolina State University, and he specializes in wide bandgap semiconductors and their applications in various technologies, including LEDs, lasers, and power electronics. To learn more about the CLAWS Hub, visit: https://claws.ncsu.edu/ Learn more about the Defense Tech Podcast: https://nstxl.org/the-defense-tech-podcast/