Impact Point

In this episode of Impact Point, host Neelima Grover and co-host Calin Brierley (CTO at Elessar Technology) are joined by former Secretary of the Interior and current Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke. Together, they discuss the evolving threat landscape of counter-drone warfare, the legislative push to streamline defense technology exports to allies, and why overcoming acquisition bureaucracy and accepting operational risk are critical to maintaining U.S. national security.MAIN TAKEAWAYS00:00 – Host Neelima Grover introduces co-host Calin Brierley and guest Congressman Ryan Zinke.01:27 – Rep. Zinke explains the LEED Act, the Allied Defense Sales Act, and rapid battlefield technological changes.03:52 – Addressing the bureaucratic friction between the State Department, Pentagon, and Congress.06:06 – The essential role of human training and readiness across active duty and National Guard units.08:17 – Balancing equipment, leadership, interagency coordination (JSOC), and NGO insights.11:36 – Maximizing unit-level training and addressing top-down vs. bottom-up technology acquisitions.15:18 – Drone swarms, AI integration, cheap mass production, and lessons from global conflicts.20:04 – Moving away from rigid 5-year acquisition plans to field non-program-of-record technologies.25:23 – Removing contracting middle-man barriers to allow direct operator-vendor dialogue.29:24 – Pushing the FAA on Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) rules for agriculture and infrastructure.38:02 – Debunking drone disinformation and establishing constitutional safeguards on data collection.42:54 – Homeland defense, Fourth Amendment protections, and preparing for asymmetric threats.46:25 – Moving legislation through the Senate and focusing on capability over hardware acquisition.48:25 – Final thoughts on leadership, training, and American innovation.Resources & Links MentionedLearn more about Elessar Technology and Impact Point: (https://elessar.us) (https://q2impact.com)Relevant Legislation: LEED Act, Allied Defense Sales Act, Safer Skies Act#NationalSecurity #DefenseTech #CounterUAS #Drones #DefenseAcquisitions #Leadership #ImpactPoint #PublicPolicy #Innovation

Counter-drone defense has rapidly shifted from a niche concern to an urgent national security priority across military bases, airports, federal prisons, and major public venues. But while detection and takeover technology are advancing rapidly, is human preparedness and policy keeping pace with the threat?In this episode of Impact Point, co-hosts Neelima Grover (CEO and Founder of Q2 Impact) and Marsha Slocum sit down with Brett Feddersen, Vice President of Strategy and Government Affairs at D-fend Solutions and Chair of the Security Industry Association’s Counter-UAS Working Group. Drawing on his extensive background spanning the FAA, National Security Council, Joint Chiefs, and Defense Intelligence Agency, Brett breaks down how modern RF cyber takeover technology works, the realities of interagency coordination during major events like the World Cup, and why training pipelines must expand to empower local law enforcement and critical infrastructure operators.Key takeaways:00:00 Introduction01:36 Brett traces his C-UAS path to 2014 White House drone incidents and explains D-Fend's RF cyber technology, which safely takes over and lands rogue drones (e.g., 2,000+ detected at the World Cup)04:28 Explores D-Fend’s EnforceAir 2 system for swarm/single threat tracking, alongside operator training models via the FBI's Huntsville center and D-Fend's support academies.11:50 Highlights the massive training backlog across ~18,000 U.S. police departments and stresses that drone tech and threats are evolving faster than government policies.16:21 Emphasizes that no single device stops every threat—requiring a layered approach (radar, cameras, RF) and better interagency communication to prevent operational silos.24:41 Discusses using wargaming, tabletop exercises, and simulation tools (like Q2 Holodeck) to build hands-on operator muscle memory for real-world incidents.31:18 Addresses how agency rivalries and culture can hinder response efforts, pointing to Incident Command System (ICS) frameworks and continuous training as the solution.40:07 Looks ahead to integrating C-UAS into Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) and urges Congress to grant drone mitigation authorities to private critical infrastructure (power plants, transport hubs).Thanks for listening to the Impact Point podcast. If you enjoyed the show, please leave us a 5-star review and subscribe to our channel so you don’t miss any future episodes.The Impact Point podcast is brought to you by Q2IMPACT.#LeadershipDevelopment #ChangeManagement #DigitalTransformation

As counter-UAS threats grow more sophisticated, the biggest failure point facing modern defense isn't the technology—it’s the human cognitive burden.In this episode of Impact Point, co-hosts Marsha Slocum and Neelima Grover (Founder & CEO of Q2 Impact) sit down with Ben Rohrbaugh, co-founder of Lantern UAS and former Director for Enforcement and Border Security at the National Security Council. Drawing from his extensive background inside the Department of Homeland Security and the White House, Ben cuts through the noise of national security acquisition.Discover why data fusion and human-centered design are critical for modern warfighters, how artificial intelligence must be leveraged to ease operator decision-making, and what it truly takes for government systems to adapt before defense windows close.KEY TAKEAWAYS00:00 – Introduction02:15 – Moving From Policy to Entrepreneurship08:30 – The Reality of the Modern Drone Threat15:45 – Why the "best technology" fails if operators are overwhelmed.24:10 – The messy, fragmented reality of software interoperability.33:20 – Government Procurement and why the acquisition window is closing on outdated hardware.42:05 – Humans in the Loop and designing interfaces for users operating under extreme pressure.51:15 – The Q2 Impact 28 years of human-centered design applied to national security.54:14 – OutroThanks for listening to the Impact Point podcast. If you enjoyed the show, please leave us a 5-star review and subscribe to our channel so you don't miss any future episodes.  The Impact Point podcast is brought to you by Q2IMPACT. #LeadershipDevelopment #ChangeManagement #AIGovernance

The federal contracting market is generating more signals than most contractors know how to read. Ross Wilkers, Senior Staff Reporter of “Washington Technology,” covers government contracting for GovExec. In this episode, he separates noise from signal, explains why the innovation pyramid has flipped, and maps where federal AI adoption is real versus aspirational. He unpacks the Anthropic-DoD guardrail dispute and closes with three priorities for contractors right now. KEY TAKEAWAYS 00:00 Introduction.03:00 Budget top-line drama is noise. Programmatic outlays are the signal.05:10 Agencies decide slowly but move fast once committed. Miss the window, miss the contract.07:30 OTA and iterative contracts are becoming mainstream, not alternative.15:15 The innovation pyramid has flipped. Commercial R&D leads; government is climbing toward it.18:30 Teaming is not optional for small businesses. Integrators are looking for partners.28:15 Show proof of outcomes, timeline, and a scaling pathway.30:15 No agency weights speed, proof, and scale equally. Know your customer first.46:30 Anthropic-DoD is a guardrail dispute with market consequences.57:45 Outcomes, customer knowledge, workforce investment. All three, all the time.Thanks for listening to the Impact Point podcast. If you enjoyed the show, please leave us a 5-star review and subscribe to our channel so you don't miss any future episodes. The Impact Point podcast is brought to you by Q2IMPACT. #LeadershipDevelopment #ChangeManagement #AIGovernance

How do we turn cutting-edge military technology into an actual capability on the battlefield? In this episode of Impact Point, hosts Neelima Grover and Marsha Grodnicki sit down with Chris Sargent and Henry Sullivan, the co-founders of Strongpoint Labs.From the pitfalls of "cookie-cutter" vendor training to the urgent realities of the Counter-UAS (C-UAS) threat, Chris and Henry explain why true readiness isn't about what gear you buy—it's about how you train the humans operating it. They dive deep into the Drone Dominance Program (DDP), the lessons we must carry over from the counter-IED fight, and why the military must learn to embrace failure in training before heading down range.Whether you are a tech vendor, defense acquisition professional, or military leader, this episode cuts through the noise to deliver actionable insights on modern drone warfare.00:00 – 01:42 | Intro & Guest Backgrounds02:12 – 08:00 | The Tech-to-Warfighter Gap & Basic Training Traps09:35 – 23:33 | Mission-Centered Training, Failure, & Real Readiness24:47 – 36:20 | Counter-UAS (C-UAS), Decision Latency, & Interagency Challenges42:35 – 50:54 | Future Tech Trends & IntegrationKey TakeawaysAcquisition and Operationalization: Buying gear doesn't make a unit ready. Real capability requires hands-on, realistic, and continuous home-station training.Avoid Single-Point Failure: Don't rely on individual "tech champions" who leave after 3–5 years. Institutionalize peer-to-peer knowledge transfer.Counter-UAS Requires a System-of-Systems: Much like C-IED efforts, defeating drone threats demands combined EW, kinetic solutions, dynamic doctrine, and streamlined institutional responses.Connect With UsStrongpoint Labs: Follow Chris Sargent & Henry Sullivan.Q2 Impact: Visit q2impact.com or connect on LinkedIn.