The Merge

E59 – Business Breakdown: Anduril Jun 4, 2026 00:42:44 Anduril Industries raised $5 billion at a reported $61billion valuation—putting a nine-year-old defense tech company in the same conversation as legacy primes that have been building weapons for generations.How did they do it, what is their strategy, and does the math make sense?In this episode, Mike and Matthew take a deep dive inside Anduril’s products, revenue, contracts, and business strategy.

E58 – Dcode the Pentagon Buying Machine Apr 26, 2026 00:51:22 What does it actually take to get new technology into thehands of warfighters—and why is it still so hard?In this episode, Mike sits down with the co-founders ofDcode, Meagan Metzger and Meg Vorland, to unpack the reality behind defense innovation, acquisition reform, and the flow of capital into the sector. Dcode operates at a unique intersection—working withstartups, investors, and the Pentagon—

E57 – The War on Bad Software (Defense Unicorns) Mar 28, 2026 00:42:21 All modern hardware depends on good software, but in theU.S. military, most software sucks.Rob Slaughter, co-founder and CEO of Defense Unicorns, joins the show to unpack why this is happening and what they are doing to fix it.We dive into the rise of “software as a weapon system,” therole of open-source software in national security, and how Defense Unicorns is building an air-gapped, platform-ag

E56 – The Fury Origin Story Feb 1, 2026 00:53:59 This is the untold origin story of the Fury CollaborativeCombat Aircraft (CCA), as told by those who lived it.Scott Bledsoe and Joe Murray join Mike to talk about Fury’s very beginning—way back to 2016.Now known as Anduril’s YFQ-44, Fury originated as an SBIR project from Blue Force Technologies and may go on to become a poster child of SBIR success stories. But it’s not all good news.The experien

E55 – Christine Fox: the REAL Charlie Jan 18, 2026 00:41:33 There is a strange set of organizations that live betweenindustry and government called Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) and University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs).They play an important—but largely misunderstood role—in national security.What better way to understand it all than with a guest who’sone of the most famous pop-culture examples: Christine Fox.She was

E54 – Pryzm: AI to understand the Pentagon Dec 14, 2025 00:55:57 Mike sits down with Matt Hawkins and Nick LaRovere,co-founders of Pryzm.Pryzm is building an Operating System for defense innovation—software that uses AI to generate capture intel to make sense of Pentagon budgets, Congressional legislation, program offices, and much more. It’s AI to understand the Pentagon.They help connect the dots between missions, markets, andpeople to power the future of nat

E53 – The Fighter Pilot Spirit Dec 10, 2025 00:58:27 Chris "Snooze" Kurek, Rob “Trip” Raymond, and Erik“EZ” Brine chat with Mike “Pako” Benitez on all things fighter pilot culture—toast, roast, and lore.Better known as Dos Gringos, Snooze, and Trip put out 4albums of fighter pilot songs that are famous (and infamous) in squadrons around the world. EZ joined the duo to form Operation Encore in 2012, a non-profit that helps veterans get thei

E53 – The Fighter Pilot Spirit Nov 25, 2025 00:56:43 Chris "Snooze" Kurek, Rob “Trip” Raymond, and Erik“EZ” Brine chat with Mike “Pako” Benitez on all things fighter pilot culture—toast, roast, and lore.Better known as Dos Gringos, Snooze and Trip put out 4 albums of fighter pilot songs that are famous (and infamous) in squadrons around the world. EZ joined the duo to form Operation Encore in 2012, a non-profit that helps veterans get thei

E52 – Top Secret Offices Oct 25, 2025 00:51:53 Nooks co-founder and CEO Sean Blackman spills all thesecrets about what it takes to do classified business with the Pentagon. Nooks is a venture-backed startup founded in 2021 to solve amassive pain point: access to classified offices and networks to perform sensitive national security work.Nooks is attacking the problem in an innovative way called Classified-Infrastructure-as-a-Service (CIaaS), w

E51 – Red 6 and the Military Metaverse Oct 5, 2025 00:58:01 Red 6 CEO and co-founder Dan Robinson discusses augmented reality for pilots, the military metaverse, and the future of high-end training and tactics development.Red 6 was founded in 2018 around a revolutionary approach to military flight training called ATARS—the Advanced Tactical Augmented Reality System—that creates virtual outdoor worlds to deliver threat-relevant,near-peer-level training scen

E50 – JDAM: the GPS-Guided Bomb Sep 14, 2025 00:47:09 Mike sits down with Steve “Wingie” Wingfield to discuss the Joint Direct Attack Munition, aka the JDAM—the world’s first operational GPS-aided bomb.Wingie played a big role in the Air Force, doing weaponsflight testing and requirements writing, then went on to have another career at Boeing working on JDAM and other weapons. He’s one of the few people who got to see the entire storyarc, from the pa

E49 – Ursa Major Solid Rocket Motors Aug 31, 2025 00:31:01 In this episode, Mike sits down with Dan Jablonsky, CEO ofUrsa Major, to discuss solid rocket motors and how Ursa Major is doing it differently.Once dominated by just two suppliers, America’s SRM propulsion base has been stretched thin—leaving gaps exposed by today’s conflicts. Dan explains how Ursa Major is tackling that challenge withmodular production, 3D printing, Highly Loaded Grain propellan

The Future of Air Warfare: Offensive Electronic Attack (Sponsored) Jul 13, 2025 00:25:50 Electronic warfare is a crucial element of armed conflict involving controlling and protecting the electromagnetic spectrum, which is vital for communication, navigation, and target identification. EW also permits the disruption and denial of adversaries' use of the spectrum, hindering their ability to operate effectively.Benjamin “Chuck” Angus, Director of Business Development in Naval Power

E48 – Golden Dome, DIU, and the Innovation Reckoning Jun 22, 2025 00:54:04 In this episode, Mike and Jake catch up on defense techhappenings. Links• Sign up for the newsletter⁠! • Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠!• ⁠⁠Website⁠⁠ ---- Follow us on... • LinkedIn• Instagram⁠• ⁠X⁠• ⁠Facebook⁠---- 00:36 intro03:31 defense tech investing17:25 Anduril & Golden Dome18:13 Golden Dome25:51 frequency auctioning28:12 Ukraine forcing a US reckoning34:27 DIU criticism42:24 the 4th offset?46:

The Future of Air Warfare: Modeling & Simulation (Sponsored) Jun 5, 2025 00:30:07 Tomorrow’s fight will be fast, complex, and contested. Victory won’t come from a single platform, weapon, or payload—it will depend on how well everything works together. That’s where modeling and simulation (M&S) matters.This week, Raytheon (an RTX company) joins us to discuss how they are leading the way with Rapid Campaign Analysis and Demonstration Environment (RCADE), a campaign-level M&a

E47 – Cumming's Hellhound Apr 27, 2025 00:38:16 Don’t miss our newsletter!That's where we drop weekly knowledge bombs to help you make sense of defense!In this episode, Mike sits down with Sheila Cummings,founder, president, and CEO of Cummings Aerospace. Cummings Aero started in 2009 supporting the Huntsville,Alabama missile market, but recently decided to launch their own product—the Hellhound.The Hellhound S3 is a man-portable, 3D-printe

The Future of Air Warfare: Radars (Sponsored) Mar 3, 2025 00:38:09 Joe “Grip” Beissner, Director of Requirements and Capabilities for Radio Frequency Solutions at Raytheon, a business of RTX, joins us to discuss the cutting-edge AESA radars Raytheon delivers for our warfighters.

The Future of Air Warfare: Weapons (Sponsored) Feb 23, 2025 00:22:04 Jon "Stormin" Norman, Vice President of Requirements & Capabilities at Raytheon, a business of RTX, joins us to discuss the cutting-edge air-to-air and -surface weapons and effectors Raytheon delivers for our warfighters.

E46 – Expendable Tech for F-35 Threat Training Feb 16, 2025 00:53:00 Don’t miss our newsletter! That's where we drop weekly knowledge bombs to help you make sense of defense!In this episode, Mike sits down with Brett “Snappy”Abbamonte, a former Marine Corps F-35 pilot now at Advanced Strategic Insight (ASI) Inc. Snappy is the program manager for ELITE (ExpendableLower-cost Integrated Training Emitter), a compact, cost-effective system designed to mimic high-end sur

E45 – Operational War w/ John Warden Jan 17, 2025 01:20:19 Don’t miss our newsletter! That's where we drop weekly knowledge bombs to help you make sense of defense! In this episode, Mike interviews retired Air Force Colonel John Warden. John is an Air Force pioneer who shaped how the modern world thinks about warfare—specifically the concepts of the operational level of war, parallel attack, and centers of gravity. He is most noted as the creator of Ward

E44 – Silent Arrow Dec 22, 2024 00:42:53 Check out our ⁠newsletter, where we drop weekly knowledge bombs to help you make sense of defense! In this episode, Mike interviews Chip Yates, founder of Yates Electrospace Corporation. With a background in racing, Chip has made a name for himself by setting numerous world records as a pioneer in electric-powered motorcycles and airplanes. His journey took a strategic turn when he encountered a c

E43 – The Laser-Guided Bomb Nov 26, 2024 00:38:14 Sign up for our ⁠newsletter, where we drop weekly knowledge bombs to help you make sense of defense! Speaking of knowledge bombs, Mike hosts Ed Cobleigh to talk about Paveway: the laser-guided bomb. Ed flew 375 combat missions during the Vietnam War in the F-4 Phantom and was one of the first people to drop the Paveway laser-guided bomb in combat. He earned two Distinguished Flying Crosses and w

E42 – B-52 BUFF modernization Oct 20, 2024 00:53:45 Don’t miss our newsletter! That's where we drop weekly knowledge bombs to help you make sense of defense! Mike hosts Col. Joseph Little, callsign “Little Joe,” to discuss how the US Air Force is modernizing the legendary B-52 BUFF to keep it flying into the 2050s—100 years after its first flight. Col Little is a B-52 Weapons Systems Officer, a US Air Force Weapons School graduate, a former test

E41 – Firestorm Sep 15, 2024 00:42:08 Don’t miss our newsletter! That's where we drop weekly knowledge bombs to help you make sense of defense! Mike and Jake host Dan Magy, co-founder and CEO of Firestorm. Firestorm’s mission is to democratize the air by re-imaging the way drones are built. They developed a method to 3D-print modular drones at the point of need, using a combination of shipping-container-based factories and loca

E40 – Air Force Weapons Czar Aug 25, 2024 00:42:00 Don’t miss our newsletter! That's where we drop weekly knowledge bombs to help you make sense of defense! Mike and Jake host Andrew Hunter, the US Air Force’s chief weapons buyer. As the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (ATL), he oversees Air Force research, development and acquisition activities totaling an annual budget in excess of $60 billion

E39 – Anduril & General Atomics CCAs Jun 29, 2024 00:43:18 Don’t miss our newsletter! That's where we drop weekly knowledge bombs to help you make sense of defense! Mike hosts an exclusive episode to discuss the Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program with the 2 companies selected to build the first platforms: Anduril and General Atomics. We discuss what the companies have in common and how they both view that as one of their superpo

E38 – Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar: REAL defense innovation Jun 16, 2024 00:54:15 Don’t miss our newsletter! That's where we drop weekly knowledge bombs to help you make sense of defense! Mike and Jake host Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar to talk about software-defined warfare, defense modernization, and all the things we’d change to drive innovation to help the warfighter. Shyam started as employee #13 at 23 and slowly climbed the ranks of the largest and fastest-growing US d

E37 – High Power Microwave Weapons Jun 2, 2024 01:09:43 Don’t miss our ⁠newsletter! Mike hosts Andy Lowery to dig deep into directed energy weapons—specifically high-power microwave (HPM) systems. Andy is the CEO of Epirus, a venture-backed defense tech startup inverting the cost equation of drone defense and swarm protection. We talk about the tech, how it affects electronics, and how Epirus’ flagship product—Leonidas—is designed with adaptability

E36 – Revolutionizing Ukraine's Defense Tech Industry May 26, 2024 00:44:03 Don’t miss our newsletter! Mike hosts Perry Boyle to dive into Ukraine’s rapidly developing defense industry. Perry co-founded MITS Capital (Military Innovation Technology Solutions), a US venture that just established the first defense tech accelerator in Ukraine. MITS’ vision is to revolutionize Ukraine’s defense industry by investing in Ukrainian defense tech startups, nurturing and developing

E35 – US Merchant Marine May 19, 2024 00:42:59 Don’t miss our newsletter! Mike and Jake host Captain John Konrad to talk all things Merchant Marine. We talked about the Merchant Marine Academy, being a merchant mariner, and how they fit into national security. What is the Military Sealift Command thing, and why does it keep confusing the counting of Navy ships? What is the Jones Act, and why is it so political? The US has a ghost fleet of sh

E34 – Drones in Ukraine Apr 28, 2024 00:46:31 Don’t miss our newsletter! Mike hosts Dr. Stacie Pettyjohn to discuss her new report: Evolution Not Revolution, Drone Warfare in Russia’s 2022 Invasion of Ukraine Stacie is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). Her expertise includes defense strategy, posture, force planning, the defense budget, airpower, and wargaming. Her curren

E33 – Keeping up Foreign Relations Apr 7, 2024 01:01:00 Don’t miss our newsletter! Former Australian diplomat John Fowler joins Mike Benitez to discuss what’s happening around the world through the lens of international relations. John is a repeat guest—check out episode 16 to get caught up. In this episode, we discuss China, the South China Sea, the Taiwan elections, Russia in Ukraine, and even cautiously venture a bit into how US domestic politics i

E32 – Lowdown 3.26.24 Mar 26, 2024 00:12:02 Our lowdown of the week's military tech happenings. We release these in between our more in-depth discussions to keep our audience up to speed. Don’t miss our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠newsletter!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! ---- Follow us on... • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

E31 – The plan to fix the US military's industrial base Mar 3, 2024 01:01:06 Don’t miss our newsletter! Mike and Jake host Dr. Christine (Chris) Michienzi, supply chain expert and former senior Pentagon executive, on the US government’s recently released National Defense Industrial Strategy—plan to revive its fragile defense industrial base. With 30 years of experience in this sector, she was recently the Chief Technology Officer for the Assistant Secretary of Defense for

E30 – Lowdown 2.20.24 Feb 20, 2024 00:11:37 Our lowdown of the week's military tech happenings. Don’t miss our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠newsletter!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! mandatoryfunday IG post we refer to at the end ---- Follow us on... • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

E29 – Inside Look on Selling Tech to the Pentagon Feb 11, 2024 01:01:49 Don’t miss our newsletter! Mike and Jake host John Ferry to discuss the ins & outs and the highs & lows of trying to sell tech to the Pentagon, and the US government—how it really works. Warning: We had a ton of fun—maybe a bit too much. This episode is full of spicy takes and unvarnished thoughts and opinions based on 15+ years of experience and scar tissue. Hang on for a ride deep down

E28 – Lowdown 2.8.24 Feb 8, 2024 00:11:56 Our lowdown of the week's military tech happenings. Don’t miss our ⁠⁠⁠⁠newsletter!⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! ---- Follow us on... • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

E27 – Lowdown 1.30.24 Jan 30, 2024 00:13:27 Our lowdown of the week's military tech happenings. Don’t miss our ⁠⁠⁠newsletter!⁠⁠⁠ Support us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠! ---- Follow us on... • ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠

E26 – Lowdown 1.23.24 Jan 23, 2024 00:11:31 Our lowdown of the week's military tech happenings. Don’t miss our ⁠⁠newsletter!⁠⁠ Support us on ⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠! ---- Follow us on... • ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠

E25 – Ground-Launched AIM-120s! Jan 22, 2024 01:12:03 In the latest episode of The Merge Podcast, Mike sat down with Joe DeAntona, Raytheon vice president, Requirements & Capabilities, Land & Air Defense Systems, to discuss the NASAMS (National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System) a product that re-purposes AIM-120 and AIM-9X missiles for air defense. They cover various topics, including the system's capabilities, its deployment in d

E24 – Lowdown 1.16.24 Jan 16, 2024 00:06:36 Our lowdown of the week's military tech happenings. Don’t miss our ⁠newsletter!⁠ Support us on ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠! ---- Follow us on... • ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠Website⁠⁠

E23 – Lowdown 1.9.24 Jan 9, 2024 00:10:10 Our lowdown of the week's military tech happenings. Don’t miss our newsletter! Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠! ---- Follow us on... • ⁠Instagram⁠ • ⁠Facebook⁠ • ⁠X (Twitter)⁠ • ⁠LinkedIn⁠ • ⁠Website⁠

E22 – The legend that reshaped the 1990s military tech industry Jan 7, 2024 01:38:20 Don’t miss our newsletter! Mike and Jake host defense industry legend Norm Augustine in a rare interview! He started as an aeronautical engineer in the 1950s and rose to become the first CEO of Lockheed Martin, before leaving it all. He lived through the 1980s defense industry heyday, wrote a hilarious book called ‘Augustine’s Laws ’ and led the industry through a massive consolidation in the earl

E21 – Leading the Blue Angels & Thunderbirds (replay) Dec 17, 2023 01:16:01 Sign up for our ⁠⁠amazing newsletter⁠⁠! As the year comes to a close, enjoy (or re-enjoy) one of our favorite episodes of 2023. Mike "Pako" Benitez joins forces with John “Rain” Waters to co-host a first-of-its-kind interview with the Commander of the Air Force Thunderbirds AND the Executive Officer of the Navy Blue Angels. We go behind the scenes with both teams to learn about leaders

E20 – Canada’s Air Force Crisis Nov 26, 2023 00:58:37 Don’t miss our newsletter! Mike hosts Billy Flynn to discuss everything you need to hear about the Royal Canadian Air Force. All is not right in Canada; their Air Force has atrophied in several key areas. What happened? Why are the fighter pilots quitting? Can they still contribute to NATO? Is it too late to fix it? Tune in for answers! For those interested in #military #technology #strategy #ai

E19 – Seagliders: The Next Innovation in Mobility Nov 12, 2023 00:41:05 Don’t miss our newsletter! Mike and Jake host REGENT Co-founder & CEO Billy Thalheimer to discuss Wing-In-Ground-effect (WIG) vehicles. Why do they refer to them as seagliders? What is the science and technology that makes them work? Why is there no pilot? Why is the Marine Corps is interested? Tune in for answers! For those interested in #military #technology #strategy #innovation #business

E18 – NEWS: Israel, Congress, $1B defense tech bet, & more Oct 29, 2023 01:10:00 Sign up for our newsletter! Mike, Jake, and Tim reunite to discuss the latest defense-related news and happenings: Israel at war, Congress elects a Speaker, growing support for the $1B tech hedge against China, and how innovation really works. For those interested in #military #technology #strategy #china #israel #innovation ---- Links • Sign up for the Merge’s ⁠amazing newsletter⁠! • Support

E17 – HTX Labs Oct 1, 2023 00:45:20 Mike Benitez hosts Scott Schneider, CEO of HTX Labs, to discuss the future of learning. Hear about how a small startup pivoted into working with the Air Force and how they’ve used immersive learning in XR to change the way the Air Force trains aircraft maintainers and pilots. For those who like #military #technology #aviation #airforce #learning #training #XR #VR ---- Links • Sign up for the Merg

E16 – Foreign Relations & China Sep 3, 2023 00:54:23 Former Australian diplomat John Fowler joins Mike Benitez to unpack international relations. What is it? Why does it matter? Why is China being so ambitious? What are they doing in South America? How’s a Taiwan invasion looking? All that and more! For those who like #military #technology #strategy #diplomacy ---- Links • Sign up for the Merge’s ⁠amazing newsletter⁠! • Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠!

E15 – Space Drugs & Hypersonics Aug 13, 2023 00:51:38 Mike and Jake host Varda Delian Asparouhov, Founders Fund partner and co-founder of Varda Space Industries, to talk about venture capital investing, Varda’s efforts to make drugs in space, and why the Air Force is interested in using their orbiting pharmaceutical lab to help test hypersonic weapons. For those who like #military #technology #airforce #aviation #aerospace #space ---- Links • Sign

E14 – F-35 Fighter Jet Engine War Jul 23, 2023 00:59:08 Mike brings Matt back on the show to help unpack the raging debate about which engine should power the F-35 fighter jet into the future. This episode covers all the details about the technology at the center of the debate, as well as the politics, history, and strategy in play. Fence in for some education and entertainment! For those who like #military #technology #airforce #aviation #aerospace --

E13 – The Defense Budget: too much or too little? Jun 25, 2023 01:03:02 Mike, Jake, and Tim break down how the US military spends $850+ BILLION PER YEAR. Where does it all go? Who gets what? What are the trends to track? Is it too much money…or not enough? Tune in to find out. We'll make you smart on the defense budget—we guarantee it. ---- Links * SUBSCRIBE to our amazing newsletter * SUPPORT us on Patreon ---- Follow us on... * Instagram * Facebook * Twitter *

E12 – How the Military Predicts the Future Jun 4, 2023 01:21:01 Mike hosts Air Force Colonel Don “Stryker” Haley to talk about how the US military predicts the future. Learn about how future concepts are created and war-gamed, and how that determines which technology should be prioritized for development to solve the right problems. ----Links* Sign up for our amazing newsletter https://www.themerge.co * Support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/the_merge *

E11 – Lockheed Martin Ventures May 14, 2023 00:59:58 Mike and Jake chat with Chris Moran, VP and General Manager of Lockheed Martin Ventures, for an inside look into why the world’s largest defense company invests hundreds of millions of dollars into tech startup companies. ----Links* Sign up for our amazing newsletter https://www.themerge.co * Support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/the_merge * Lockheed Martin Ventures https://www.lockheedmar

E10 – Unmanned Fighter Drones Apr 30, 2023 00:54:19 Mike and Tim chat with Andrew “Scar” Van Timmeren from Blue Force Technologies to hear about their experience in the defense tech sector and how they are trying to punch above their weight class—by building an unmanned fighter jet drone.----Links* Sign up for our amazing newsletter https://www.themerge.co* Support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/the_merge* Blue Force Technologies https://blu

E9 – Tech Happenings Apr 9, 2023 00:58:42 Mike, Jake, and Tim reunite to catch up on three tech topics: the SVB bank run, national security concerns with TikTok, and the latest with generative AI.----Links* Sign up for our amazing newsletter https://www.themerge.co * Support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/the_merge * Ask Sage (GPT for US govt CUI data) https://www.asksage.ai * Creating a task-driven autonomous agent using GPT4 http

E8 - Leading the Blue Angels & Thunderbirds Mar 19, 2023 01:15:49 Mike joins forces with The Afterburn Podcast’s John “Rain” Waters to co-host an epic interview with the Commander of the Air Force Thunderbirds AND the Executive Officer of the Navy Blue Angels. We go behind the scenes with both teams to learn about leadership, flying, teamwork in a way you’ve never heard before.----Links* Sign up for our amazing newsletter https://www.themerge.co* Support us on P

E7 - Ukraine: 1 Year Later Feb 24, 2023 00:44:55 Mike “Starbaby” Pietrucha joins Mike and Jake to talk about Ukraine on the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion. Hear about how it all happened, where the war stands today, what matters now, and what the future looks like for peace.----Links* Sign up for our amazing newsletter https://www.themerge.co * Support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/the_merge * NAFO https://nafo-ofan.org/* Sain

E6 - Hypersonic Airplanes Feb 12, 2023 01:00:44 Hermeus CEO AJ Piplica joins us to talk about the hypersonic airplanes they’re building, breaking the SR-71 speed record, their go-to-market strategy, the parallels to Top Gun Maverick, and a ton of other stuff.----Links* Sign up for our amazing newsletter https://www.themerge.co * Support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/the_merge * AJ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajpiplica/* AJ Twit

E5 - Military Tech Spending is Broken Jan 29, 2023 01:16:49 Merge Podcast Episode 5: Mike, Jake, and Tim pick apart some op-eds about military spending for research and development spending, innovation, and why the military sucks at getting tech to the warfighter. They also catch up on the news about grounded airplanes with NOTAM crash, ponder the legalisms of having secrets in a garage, and end with a discussion on some AI tools—and a surprise.----Links*

E4 - How the Pentagon Buys Stuff Jan 15, 2023 01:25:52 Mike hosts defense acquisition experts Eric Lofgren and Matt MacGregor to better understand just how hard it is for the US military to buy stuff. We also discuss a shortcut called a Middle Tier Acquisition (MTA), along with some examples you’ve probably heard of: B-52 engines, F-15EX fighter jets, and hypersonic missiles.----Links* Sign up for our amazing newsletter https://www.themerge.co* Suppor

E3 - Nukes, Fusion, & ChatGPT Jan 1, 2023 00:55:10 Mike Benitez is back with Jake Chapman and Tim Nolan to discuss Russian nukes in the news, a breakthrough in fusion, TikTok, and all things ChatGPT. Tim cheats on a pop quiz in real time, Mike discovers Jake’s secret past, and Jake opines on the value of a future PutinGPT. ---- Links * Want more intel and insights? Sign up our amazing newsletter https://www.themerge.co/ * Support us on Patreon ht

E2 - Red Air Dec 17, 2022 01:16:59 Host Mike Benitez brings the spirit of the Merge in a full court press to discuss Adversary Air—aka Red Air—in a way you’ve never heard. It’s an entertaining journey through the history, policy, technology, strategy, industry, and business of Red Air.Today’s guests:* Kevin “Shaggy” Wilson* Ryan “Stinger” Fishel* Andrew “Scar” Van Timmeren* Jeff “Vader” Brandon----Links* Want more intel and insight

E1 - A Star is Born! Nov 23, 2022 00:51:58 Episode 1: A Star is Born! After too many excuses, the Merge newsletter’s Mike Benitez launches the inaugural Merge podcast! Co-hosting duties are shared with Jake Chapman (@VC) and Tim Nolan (@NatSecTim). In this episode, we talk about 3 things the newsletter has never covered in its 2-year existence: venture capital, TikTok, and American Dynamism.Show Notes:(00:30) – the world’s most okayist def

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