Nicolas Chaillan is the past Chief Software Officer for the US Space Force and Air Force. He lead a number of software initiatives in the US Department of Defense (DoD) and has demonstrated an impressive ability with project and change management. Host Jason Kanigan asks Nic:

For those who haven’t heard of you yet, please give us the highlights of your DoD involvement and CSO experience

How did you make the move to becoming a US citizen and becoming employed by the state in important roles?

Can you explain DevSecOps for those outside the tech field? Why is it important and how have you contributed to US national security and administrative effectiveness with it?

You’ve made no secret of the cultural and change management issues inside DoD that frustrated your work. This was what really caught my attention, as such issues are found in nearly all large organizations and are the kinds of problems I’ve seen up close for over 20 years as a change agent and OpEx guy. Can you share with us some stories exemplifying these problems, and what you recommend to improve the situation?

The Waterfall vs Agile development methodology argument has been going on for some time. But according to yourself and other DoD officials I’ve spoken with, one has clearly outperformed the other and “actually works”. What has your experience been and why do you so strongly promote the methodology?

You’ve repeatedly sounded the alarm about TikTok: what’s the problem with this app and why is it a danger to Americans?

The tech we’re talking about--logistical and operational, decision making, infrastructure security--has a huge impact and yet is operating at a level out of sight of the general public. In a perfect world according to Nicolas, how do you see the strategic direction of US effort being applied to reach the operational state you envision? Let’s paint that picture.  

USEFUL LINKS:  

Link for Platform One, Iron Bank, Big Bang and more: https://software.af.mil/dsop/services/ 

OpEx Society: https://www.opexsociety.org 

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