The Future of GovCon

Plan Colombia helped save a democracy in South America. Could the same approach work in Venezuela?Ambassador (Ret.) Jimmy Story spent 27 years at the State Department, including five years leading US engagement on Venezuela as chargé d'affaires and then ambassador. He joins Jake Frazer to explain why the Western Hemisphere is back at the center of US policy, and what that means for government contractors.They cover lessons from Plan Colombia, why policy needs to outlast any one administration, how to enter the Latin American market, critical minerals, competing with China, and where the biggest opportunities are now.Recorded before Brazil's October 25 runoff, which Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won.New episodes every week.Timestamps00:00 Intro00:58 Welcome01:42 Home in the Lowcountry03:10 27 years at the State Department04:51 How a birthday card led to the Foreign Service07:00 From environmental policy to Afghanistan08:55 Plan Colombia and the FARC09:37 How INL relies on industry11:50 A Plan Colombia for Venezuela14:05 The Western Hemisphere back in focus16:38 Why policy needs to outlast administrations18:05 How to enter the Latin American market21:05 Critical minerals and foreign policy23:56 Who is America's strongest ally in the region?26:48 Competing with China30:10 Toward a Western Hemisphere alliance?31:52 Opportunities for industry34:15 The biggest change coming36:20 Closing thoughtsLinksConnect with Jimmy Story: [LinkedIn link]Global Frontier Advisors: https://globalfrontieradvisors.comJimmy's Atlantic Council piece on Venezuela: https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/dispatches/washington-needs-a-plan-venezuela-before-its-too-late/ Connect with Jake Frazer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakefrazer/Precision Talent Solutions: https://pts.careersAll episodes: https://pts.careers/en/podcastRead the transcript: Listen and subscribeApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1838189132Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0aMgbnT4lLK1BVPqqYG32A

Everyone in GovCon is talking about AI. Rohit Gupta wants to talk about everything else.Rohit, CEO of Aretum and a technologist to the core, joins Jake Frazer to walk through the technology quietly reshaping federal IT: platform engineering, software supply chain security, cloud native operations, observability, and the race to post-quantum cryptography.They also cover Rohit's path from Mumbai to founding Artemis Consulting, why Aretum built its own R&D lab years before the government asked for prototypes, the CMMC pause, whether a 9/11-scale cyber attack is coming, and why the government now wants solutions, not bodies.New episodes every week.Timestamps00:00 Solutions, not bodies01:09 Welcome03:07 Growing up in Mumbai05:32 Federal tech in the early 90s07:31 From PwC to government contracting09:55 Joining Aretum and becoming CEO11:04 Aretum's four capability pillars13:19 Life as a mid-size GovCon company14:38 Aretum Labs and prototyping18:31 Beyond AI: platform engineering20:25 Software supply chain security21:55 Cloud native operations and observability23:30 Quantum and post-quantum cryptography25:09 The CMMC pause26:37 Is a 9/11-scale cyber attack coming?28:55 How Aretum is adapting30:55 The Feinberg memo and lower barriers to entry32:02 Where Aretum is headed33:46 The biggest change coming34:51 The magic wand37:00 How it all fits togetherLinksConnect with Rohit Gupta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guptarohit/ Aretum: https://aretum.comConnect with Jake Frazer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakefrazer/Precision Talent Solutions: https://pts.careersAll episodes: https://pts.careers/en/podcastListen and subscribeApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1838189132Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0aMgbnT4lLK1BVPqqYG32A#GovCon #FederalIT #Cybersecurity #QuantumComputing #DevSecOps

About 80% of NATO's space capability comes from the United States, and the Alliance doesn't fly its own satellites anymore. So who fills the gap?Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Devin Pepper, the first US Space Force general officer assigned to NATO and former Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and Policy at NATO Allied Command Transformation, joins Jake Frazer to explain where NATO stands in space, and where industry fits in.Devin went from enlisted airman to two-star general over 37 years, with stops in ICBM operations, cyber, and space. He covers what a day without space looks like, why deterrence needs a sword as well as a shield, whether an attack in space could trigger Article 5, and how commercial companies can get in front of NATO buyers.New episodes every week.Timestamps00:00 You can't deter with just a shield01:02 Welcome02:45 Colorado Springs, the home of US space05:11 First Space Force general officer at NATO06:28 From enlisted airman to two-star general10:57 A space officer on the ground in Fallujah12:34 Missile warning and the Al Asad attack15:47 Where NATO stands in space19:20 Why NATO relies on nations and commercial space21:29 How industry can support NATO in space24:57 Ukraine, Starlink, and attacks in every domain27:57 Why deterrence needs a sword30:04 Could an attack in space trigger Article 5?32:18 How the US stacks up against Russia and China36:03 NATO's commercial front door39:06 Assigning space targets to nations40:51 The biggest change coming: AI42:41 The magic wand: faster acquisition46:18 How Devin can help industry47:52 Closing thoughtsLinksConnect with Devin Pepper: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maj-gen-ret-devin-pepper-9b390238/ Connect with Jake Frazer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakefrazer/Precision Talent Solutions: https://pts.careersAll episodes: https://pts.careers/en/podcastRead the transcript: Listen and subscribeApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1838189132Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0aMgbnT4lLK1BVPqqYG32A#NATO #SpaceForce #SpaceDefense #GovCon #NationalSecurity

Season 2 kicks off with the guest who kicked off Season 1.Patrick Malcor, PTS Co-Founder and Founder & CEO of Ajax Defense, returns to talk defense manufacturing: the tier 2 and tier 3 suppliers who actually make the parts for Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and BAE Systems. With Tomahawk production set to go from about 60 missiles a year to more than 1,000, Patrick explains why the supply chain has almost no room to absorb that demand, and what it will take to rebuild it.Jake and Patrick cover why the defense industrial base has 40% fewer small suppliers than it did 20 years ago, why short-term private equity thinking won't meet the moment, how Ajax is investing in people, process, and technology, and why veterans are central to its hiring. Patrick also picks a new word for the future of GovCon, and nominates who should be next in the guest chair.New episodes every week.Timestamps00:00 Season 2 kickoff02:09 What Ajax Defense does03:57 Is defense manufacturing really booming?06:07 Why supplier relationships beat badge flips07:46 40% fewer suppliers in 20 years12:51 A year of shutdowns, budgets, and acquisition change16:25 Tomahawks and the coming demand wave18:09 How Ajax is scaling22:31 Long-term capital for the industrial base25:24 Talent: the number one constraint27:41 Veterans in defense manufacturing29:15 One word, and the rise of the neo primes31:51 The biggest change coming34:27 The magic wand36:03 Budget stability and shifting priorities42:01 Who should be next?45:06 Closing thoughtsLinksConnect with Patrick Malcor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickmalcor/ Ajax Defense: https://www.ajax-defense.com/ Connect with Jake Frazer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakefrazer/ Precision Talent Solutions: https://pts.careers All episodes: https://pts.careers/en/podcast Listen and subscribe Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1838189132 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0aMgbnT4lLK1BVPqqYG32A

Welcome to the Season 1 finale of The Future of GovCon, and we're closing out the season with something special: a Greatest Hits compilation featuring bold predictions from over 20 of the brightest minds in government contracting.From robotic battles in Ukraine to data wars in space, acquisition reform, workforce upskilling, European defense investment, and the rise of private equity in GovCon, our Season 1 guests didn't hold back.In this episode, you'll hear from leaders across defense tech, staffing, intelligence, logistics, cybersecurity, space, and more, all sharing where they see the industry heading and what you need to do to stay ahead.Season 2 launches next week. Subscribe so you don't miss it.Timestamps:00:00 Introduction00:28 NATO, Acquisition Structures, and the Pace of Change01:37 Speed, Partnerships, and Capability Delivery02:01 Selling Outcomes vs. Inputs: The New Business Model02:33 We Are on the Precipice of a Data War03:01 Teaching Allies to Fish: The U.S. Role in NATO03:19 Workforce Upskilling: Refreshing Talent at Every Level04:33 Following the Money: Financial Intelligence in Government04:59 Speed vs. Cost: Trade-offs in a Debt-Constrained Environment05:37 RFP Deluge Coming: Market Outlook for 2026 and 202706:35 Contested Logistics and the Future of Supply Chain07:25 DHS, Border Security, and Joint Contracting07:55 AI and Quantum: The Game Changers on the Horizon08:54 2028: Another Fork in the Road09:11 The Gulf Region: U.S. Force Presence and Energy Priorities10:34 For the First Time, Defense Is a Growth Business10:55 CMMC, Compliance, and the Cost of Getting It Wrong11:30 The Risk Gap and Private Industry's Opportunity11:56 Expendable Drones Reclassified as Ammunition12:33 Why Private Equity Is Winning in GovCon13:11 Adding More Tools Doesn't Solve the Problem14:10 Supply Chain Fragility and National Security14:48 European Capital Ready to Spend15:10 The Force of 2030: Professional Materialists, Not Pigeonholed Officers16:08 Cyber Is a Maneuver Area: Fight Your Network16:51 The Coast Guard's Unique Role in the Federal Government17:20 Ukraine's Acquisition Cycle vs. Ours: Weeks vs. Years18:18 ICE, Cyber, and Adapting to How Government Procures19:01 Generational Leadership Change in GovCon19:26 Four Adversaries Aligning: Watching a Global Conflict Take Shape20:12 Entrepreneurial Innovation Accelerating in Our Industry21:02 $1.5 Trillion: How Do You Spend It Smart?22:00 CMMC Through Three Lenses: Modernization, Intel, Insider Risk23:23 Culture, Talent, and Delivering for the Customer24:04 Teaching Allies to Lead: Shifting U.S. Role in Security24:57 The Robotic Battle in Ukraine: A Moment Unique in Human History25:21 Passing Data at the Speed of Warfare: The Alliance Challenge26:00 Mission-Oriented, Tip of the Spear: Who We Are and Why It Matters