There’s increasing concern that as scary as this period feels—between Russia’s two-year war in Ukraine and Hamas’s ongoing war with Israel—that all of this will come to be seen as the calm before the storm. Should China decide to move against Taiwan in some way, then we’ll have war in three regions, and U.S. involvement in all three. Or perhaps by then it will not seem like separate wars, but a single global one.
Please report on government financial bullying & its threat to us all. Trudeau froze truckers’ bank accounts. Biden just froze 4 Israelis’ accounts for fighting a Palestinian--why is that Biden’s/USA’s matter? It’s a terrifying new reality. If the government doesn’t like you, they’ll freeze your money. That’s tyranny.
There was a lot of good nuggets shared in this discussion. Notably, recognition that a strong industrial base and leading edge equipment serves as deterrent to conflict. Teddy Roosevelt had it right, to paraphrase, walk softly and carry a big stick. I also was glad to hear someone acknowledge that border security and immigration policy are two different things, a large swath of the people today are completely missing that critical distinction as we endure the largest unabated (maybe assisted) influx of people across our borders. No wonder many immigrants who followed the rules and are here legally are furious with this administration.
Lastly, wrt why the Govt/DoD lacks the ability to hire top notch talent. The best and brightest college students don't want to take (and probably can't afford to take) a GS-7 or GS-9 ($50-60k) salary, and countless attempts at "pay for performance" have been disasters. Also the retirement system (FERs vs CSRS) has made Govt less attractive for the last 40 years (with further retirement eroding changes in last 10 years). As one of the podcast guests noted, once everyone within the system, especially the hiring managers, are 3rd and 4th tier talent, it is near impossible to recognize anything but the same. Again, a worthwhile listen and glad to hear young and talented individuals calling out important problems and hopefully starting a groundswell to turn things around.
The real shame was the immediate (in Jan 2021) reversal of border security policies that were starting to work. Meanwhile, CBP and ICE (and the prior administration) are the "villains". Then we use our active duty personnel (and government civilian volunteers that were still paid by their agencies/departments), to try to manage the border. Border security should be a top priority for every administration.
This is such an excellent conversation. America's dominance depends on our technology edge.
We need to have the best and brightest working with our government to keep us safe.
One thing not mentioned is how public unions interfere with government efficiency. We need accountability in government for things to run efficiently . That's not happening.
And yes it does effect the military as well (my wife used to be head of real property at a large military base).
I suggest the excellent "Not Accountable" book on the topic of public unions more broadly and how they MUST go
This was a great conversation and the problems they outline explain why we accidentally let a drone follow ours without destroying it. This is a flaw that should have been worked out if the big weapons companies were actually as competent as they used to be.
Have no fear, Big Tech, Bari Weiss and the Democratic Party Rehabilitation Project (aka The Free Press) are here to save the day!
But let's make sure that we NEVER review the record of the people who got us into this mess in the first place... there's no time for looking back... we can only look forward... never look back on what the Democrats have done to America... no. Not now. Not while Obama still lives... we can all still have "hope" that a small, but extremely enlightened group of technocrats can "save America"!
I feel so fucking safe now! Thanks to everyone at the Democratic Party Rehabilitation Project!
Important aspect that is lost in many discussions on the 'military industrial complex', is that contractors (as a role) extend far beyond the delivery of material capabilities. Contractors do far more than build machines and write code, they have been integrated into the Federal workforce as a corrective measure for the nearly unremovable civilian workforce. Speaking as a contractor (and former military and civilian employee) that neither designs material components nor designs software, I have worked as a contractor for more than a decade filling the competency gaps in the Federal workforce. A substantial number of contractors in DoD, LE, and the IC do the same. We do everything short of obligating funds (and sometimes we are authorized to do that, but those are very specific contracts).
Another aspect that was neglected within the discussion was Federal Cyber-Pay. Individuals within Federal civilian employment who occupy a role that warrants 'higher expertise' (ex. Cybersecurity) are authorized their pay-grade, plus 25%.
Both of these practices (purchasing surge capacity competency and enticing better candidates through increased pay) are an attempt to address the deficits that were outlined in the earlier portion of the podcast. Unfortunately, both practices deliver results that are often enervated by process, policy, and the failures of the American education system. But hey, it's good enough for government work.
I can't tell you how thirsty I was for this type of information and interview. These expert guests are my new HEROS. Thank you Bari for opening our eyes that there is some really good stuff going on in these companies/by these leaders/VCs and it has brought a small bit of relief to my daily worry about the global situation. I love the confidence and optimism of these guests and I applaud what they are doing.
One way to consider attracting more of the best and brightest into the gov't is to offer tuition/loan reimbursement in the same way the military pays back tuition once you 'do your time'. Since the gov't doesn't seem to want to address the uber-inflated cost of college, perhaps this is the way.
Bravo to Palantir and Anduril and your brilliant ideas to make this country safe!
I'm sure that would help, but really we need to have competitive pay scales. But you need to combine that with getting rid of the government unions and bring back employee accountability
Respectfully, please see me response above. Federal employees do not belong to government unions. There are collective actions taken on their behalf, but not through the common understanding of unions. Wages are established through OMB and congressional action.
Programs for student loan repayment exist within the Govt for civilian employees. But, like many govt functions, it is a needlessly cumbersome process and many don't stay the course.
Plain and simple. These are the young people that should be in charge of defending our country. I will contact both my Senators and my Congressman to demand that they support these types of companies. A special thanks to Katherine for her closing statement reminding us that we can be the greatest country in the world,
Wow. The utter lack of a sense of 'what could possibly go wrong'? in these people is disconcerting. Hearing words like 'impossible' used to describe the likelihood of future 10/7 events, once we go all in on these guys and their ideas, is not reassuring. But! As always, it appears nobody in silicon valley lacks self-confidence. Aside - Bari should have been much more skeptical.
This woman didn't think her political "allies" were actually wolves in sheep's clothing until a bunch of Israeli's were murdered in October of last year.
Bari Weiss can probably read more than one language but she and her ilk have been completely unable to read the writing that has been on the goddamned wall for decades.
sounds like you aren't familiar with this group at all, these are not fly by night companies, they already have contracts.
Also the focus of this podcast was on the defense industry NOT the military. And often times you need young new companies that are focused to shake things up (look at how Space X is putting up payloads for a fraction of the cost and doing things other companies swore were impossible,
For the record, I am former military, my sister used to work for a large defense contractor and both my parents for different contractors.
Please report on government financial bullying & its threat to us all. Trudeau froze truckers’ bank accounts. Biden just froze 4 Israelis’ accounts for fighting a Palestinian--why is that Biden’s/USA’s matter? It’s a terrifying new reality. If the government doesn’t like you, they’ll freeze your money. That’s tyranny.
Excellent discussion. Dismayed that it has become so terrible. But encouraged that young people like these three have their heads on straight.
There was a lot of good nuggets shared in this discussion. Notably, recognition that a strong industrial base and leading edge equipment serves as deterrent to conflict. Teddy Roosevelt had it right, to paraphrase, walk softly and carry a big stick. I also was glad to hear someone acknowledge that border security and immigration policy are two different things, a large swath of the people today are completely missing that critical distinction as we endure the largest unabated (maybe assisted) influx of people across our borders. No wonder many immigrants who followed the rules and are here legally are furious with this administration.
Lastly, wrt why the Govt/DoD lacks the ability to hire top notch talent. The best and brightest college students don't want to take (and probably can't afford to take) a GS-7 or GS-9 ($50-60k) salary, and countless attempts at "pay for performance" have been disasters. Also the retirement system (FERs vs CSRS) has made Govt less attractive for the last 40 years (with further retirement eroding changes in last 10 years). As one of the podcast guests noted, once everyone within the system, especially the hiring managers, are 3rd and 4th tier talent, it is near impossible to recognize anything but the same. Again, a worthwhile listen and glad to hear young and talented individuals calling out important problems and hopefully starting a groundswell to turn things around.
yeah I thought the point about immigration policy and border security being different things was excellent.
Of course the problem is the Dems have been WAY to willing to sacrifice border security because they can't get the immigration policy they want
The real shame was the immediate (in Jan 2021) reversal of border security policies that were starting to work. Meanwhile, CBP and ICE (and the prior administration) are the "villains". Then we use our active duty personnel (and government civilian volunteers that were still paid by their agencies/departments), to try to manage the border. Border security should be a top priority for every administration.
Yeah Biden messed up
This is such an excellent conversation. America's dominance depends on our technology edge.
We need to have the best and brightest working with our government to keep us safe.
One thing not mentioned is how public unions interfere with government efficiency. We need accountability in government for things to run efficiently . That's not happening.
And yes it does effect the military as well (my wife used to be head of real property at a large military base).
I suggest the excellent "Not Accountable" book on the topic of public unions more broadly and how they MUST go
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BVNRW51W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_d_asin_title_o05aud_?ie=UTF8&psc=1
This was a great conversation and the problems they outline explain why we accidentally let a drone follow ours without destroying it. This is a flaw that should have been worked out if the big weapons companies were actually as competent as they used to be.
Have no fear, Big Tech, Bari Weiss and the Democratic Party Rehabilitation Project (aka The Free Press) are here to save the day!
But let's make sure that we NEVER review the record of the people who got us into this mess in the first place... there's no time for looking back... we can only look forward... never look back on what the Democrats have done to America... no. Not now. Not while Obama still lives... we can all still have "hope" that a small, but extremely enlightened group of technocrats can "save America"!
I feel so fucking safe now! Thanks to everyone at the Democratic Party Rehabilitation Project!
Sounds like you've never read a free press article or listened to a podcast if that's your view of what The FP is all about
Someday, you should feel what it's like to have a positive outlook on life, just once. Give it a try.
That you for your leadership,Bari! There are many resources available, and you are helping us connect with others who see the threat...
Important aspect that is lost in many discussions on the 'military industrial complex', is that contractors (as a role) extend far beyond the delivery of material capabilities. Contractors do far more than build machines and write code, they have been integrated into the Federal workforce as a corrective measure for the nearly unremovable civilian workforce. Speaking as a contractor (and former military and civilian employee) that neither designs material components nor designs software, I have worked as a contractor for more than a decade filling the competency gaps in the Federal workforce. A substantial number of contractors in DoD, LE, and the IC do the same. We do everything short of obligating funds (and sometimes we are authorized to do that, but those are very specific contracts).
Another aspect that was neglected within the discussion was Federal Cyber-Pay. Individuals within Federal civilian employment who occupy a role that warrants 'higher expertise' (ex. Cybersecurity) are authorized their pay-grade, plus 25%.
Both of these practices (purchasing surge capacity competency and enticing better candidates through increased pay) are an attempt to address the deficits that were outlined in the earlier portion of the podcast. Unfortunately, both practices deliver results that are often enervated by process, policy, and the failures of the American education system. But hey, it's good enough for government work.
I can't tell you how thirsty I was for this type of information and interview. These expert guests are my new HEROS. Thank you Bari for opening our eyes that there is some really good stuff going on in these companies/by these leaders/VCs and it has brought a small bit of relief to my daily worry about the global situation. I love the confidence and optimism of these guests and I applaud what they are doing.
One way to consider attracting more of the best and brightest into the gov't is to offer tuition/loan reimbursement in the same way the military pays back tuition once you 'do your time'. Since the gov't doesn't seem to want to address the uber-inflated cost of college, perhaps this is the way.
Bravo to Palantir and Anduril and your brilliant ideas to make this country safe!
I'm sure that would help, but really we need to have competitive pay scales. But you need to combine that with getting rid of the government unions and bring back employee accountability
Respectfully, please see me response above. Federal employees do not belong to government unions. There are collective actions taken on their behalf, but not through the common understanding of unions. Wages are established through OMB and congressional action.
It's not the wages that are the problem.
It's the red tape and the lack of accountability.
Programs for student loan repayment exist within the Govt for civilian employees. But, like many govt functions, it is a needlessly cumbersome process and many don't stay the course.
Plain and simple. These are the young people that should be in charge of defending our country. I will contact both my Senators and my Congressman to demand that they support these types of companies. A special thanks to Katherine for her closing statement reminding us that we can be the greatest country in the world,
Excellent material! Once again The Free Press reports really important information that is being missed by other sources.
Thank you.
Wow. The utter lack of a sense of 'what could possibly go wrong'? in these people is disconcerting. Hearing words like 'impossible' used to describe the likelihood of future 10/7 events, once we go all in on these guys and their ideas, is not reassuring. But! As always, it appears nobody in silicon valley lacks self-confidence. Aside - Bari should have been much more skeptical.
Skepticism is not a strength of Bari Weiss.
This woman didn't think her political "allies" were actually wolves in sheep's clothing until a bunch of Israeli's were murdered in October of last year.
Bari Weiss can probably read more than one language but she and her ilk have been completely unable to read the writing that has been on the goddamned wall for decades.
sounds like you aren't familiar with this group at all, these are not fly by night companies, they already have contracts.
Also the focus of this podcast was on the defense industry NOT the military. And often times you need young new companies that are focused to shake things up (look at how Space X is putting up payloads for a fraction of the cost and doing things other companies swore were impossible,
For the record, I am former military, my sister used to work for a large defense contractor and both my parents for different contractors.
The space needs to be shaken up.