Networking In Military

With the current impact of cell network outages across almost all carriers in the US, it's a good time to talk about the future; actually, it's not even about the future, it's the present. Several years ago I started talking about having mobile robotics (air, ground and maritime robotics, like drones, rovers and submergible devices) be part of a mobile adhoc network or MANET. One example is a private mesh network, like Silvus Technologies provides. These communications solutions for high bandwidth video, C2, health and telemetry data are absolutely needed in today's environment and allow for a very flexible set-up and coverage; from a local incident scene, to a much larger area coverage, to entire cities or counties being covered. Why the need? While we in the drone industry originally focused on getting drones connected to a cell network, we quickly realized the single point of failure; the cell network infrastructure. Natural disasters, as well as manmade disasters, can impact these networks dramatically. An earthquake, hurricane, a solar storm, or a cyberattack, can take down these public networks for hours to days. And that includes public safety dedicated solutions like FirstNet or Frontline, during times when coms and data push is absolutely needed. Over the past couple of years we have seen the rise of mobile robotics deployments within private networks. While the defense side has done this approach for years, the public safety sector is still new to this concept. Some solutions integrate with a variety of antennas, amplifiers and ground stations, offer low latency, high data rates (up to 100+Mpbs), 256-bit AES encryptions and allow for a very flexible and scalable mobile ad-hoc mesh network solution. And most importantly - independence from a public network system. And now imagine you have multiple devices operating; a helicopter, a drone, a ground robotic, together with individuals on the ground, all connected and all tied into a geospatial information platform, like ATAK/TAK. Each connected device can become a node and extend the range. This is what I am calling building the Tech/Tac Bubble. This is not just the future, this is already happening with a handful of agencies across the US It's time to start thinking about alternative communication solutions and mobile robotics are an important part of leading the way. #UAV #UAS #UGV #Drones #network #MANET #Meshnetwork #publicsafety

Someone said "You should teach a transition class at events like these" while at the Air & Space Forces Association annual event in DC yesterday I explained that I have done that before...but attendance at these major events typically fell into 2x buckets: 1 - many of the senior leaders attending weren't even thinking about their transition, so they focused on talking with friends, attending events & industry engagement 2 - the ones in their transition window were hell-bent focused on "finding a job" by going to pitch themselves to every major defense contractor in attendance #quinnsights Going to these booths and saying "I'm the ...." doesn't tell them anything about what you want or can do Companies don't come to these major events to hire (they come to sell and form partnerships) And that events like these (AFA & AUSA) don't typically "get you a job" They give you an entry point (someone to speak to & maybe build a relationship) #militarytransition But the key to every event is FOLLOW UP What should you do? 1 - connect with them on LinkedIn every time Show them your QR code right there and wait for their connection request to come through (sneaky way to ensure they do) 2 - Go into My Network each night and look at your newest connections They are organized chronologically, so they will all be people from the event 3 - Send them a quick note on LinkedIn saying how great it was to meet them at (insert event name) and that you would love to stay in touch for advice This locks in that you met face-to-face in their Inbox...always leaving a reminder there in case either side reaches out (not a cold pitch) 4 - Make a networking spreadsheet that tracks the people you met AND who responded For the ones that responded, asked some simple questions or for a short advice phone call, if appropriate For the ones that didn't - send an additional follow up message one week later to thank them again and add a short easy question (they'll be back from the event & likely have more time) #militarytransition Once you get to the calls, ask questions to learn and listen more than talk to find your success Questions? Is there anything you would add? And will I see you at the AUSA Fireside Chat/Transition Panel on Tuesday Oct 15 from 1300-1500 in Rm 147A/B in the Washington Convention Center?

I was recently asked what I would do today if I were in the military and made the decision—or had the decision made for me—to transition out before retirement. Whether you’re in the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, or Coast Guard, my advice is the same. Here’s what I’d focus on to set myself up for success: 1️⃣ Eliminate Debt: I’d make getting out of debt a priority—everything except a mortgage. If possible, I’d pay that off too. Debt limits your options and can force you to compromise on critical decisions. Freedom from financial burdens creates flexibility. 2️⃣ Max Out My TSP Contributions: I’m a fan of Roth, but whether you choose Traditional, Roth, or a combination, the key is to save aggressively. Your future self will thank you. 3️⃣ Leverage Tuition Assistance (TA): If you don’t have a degree, get one. If you have a bachelor’s, pursue a master’s, and focus on something value-added to your goals. For those in tech, chase certifications with the same determination. TA covered 100% of my BA and MS when I was in the Marine Corps—take full advantage of it! 4️⃣ Network Relentlessly: Create a strong LinkedIn profile. Post 3+ times weekly about the field you want to enter—cybersecurity, business, defense contracting, etc. Attend seminars, trade shows, and any networking opportunities available. Respond when people reach out, and always follow up with a thank-you note. Networking isn’t just online; it’s face-to-face too. Build a large, strong network to maximize opportunities. 5️⃣ Document Everything: Complete and document your medical, dental, vision, and hearing appointments. Keep a copy too. 6️⃣ Protect Your Reputation: Finish strong. Nothing is more important than your last name and professional reputation. Stay 100% committed to your assignment. Dropping your pack in uniform will hurt your endorsements and recommendations. Excellence until the end sends a message: you’re someone worth investing in. 7️⃣ Weigh SkillBridge Thoughtfully: This is personal. I wouldn’t choose SkillBridge because I’m not interested in working for free. Instead, I’d save my leave and use those 60+ days to focus on my transition. PTAD/PTDY can also provide valuable time to reset. 8️⃣ Learn from Fellow Veterans: Reach out to those who’ve transitioned successfully. Ask questions, seek advice on resumes, interviews, starting a business, consulting, contracting, or government roles. Follow up and implement what you learn. 9️⃣ Plan Time Off: Whether you served 4 years or 20+, you’ve earned a break. Take time to decompress, reflect, and think clearly about your future. Be proud of your service—it’s a foundation for what comes next. What Did I Miss? This list reflects what I’d do, but I’d love to hear your thoughts. What would you add? Where do you disagree? To all of you who have served: thank you for your service and sacrifice.

“Everything breaks at -40 degrees.” It’s hard to understand until you’ve felt it. I got to spend some time with the 11th Airborne Division, U.S. Army JPMRC in Alaska. It was unseasonably warm the night I left at -16F. Soldier innovation is alive and well. I got to see soldiers 3D printing tooling for their crew-served weapons to help them fight from their OPs, keep their electronics warm, and keep their powder dry. C2 ➜ Finding ways to make sure network and mission command architecture hum. Building a culture of streamlining processes and ensuring they can fire and maneuver effectively. Cross domain with partners is still a major challenge. Make sure your interfaces are well documented and you can play as part of a broader architecture. If you solution requires it’s own stack or vertical the technical debt and switch costs are upside down. Drones ➜ a few minutes before the batteries are drained. U.S. Army DEVCOM is working on extreme cold weather batteries, but we still have a gap in the 0 – 20F area. Just like I saw with 3/10 at JMRC. The balance is finding the limited amount of special kit we will need for this environment – not trying to make everything we have work across -60F-120F. EW ➜ The continuous snowfall didn’t impact EW as much as I anticipated, but it’s difficult to operate EW kit when you’re in Level 7 kit. Ease of configuration is still a demand. Low-cost threat emitters for training is still a demand. We need to be able to saturate a training area with low-cost representative emitters so our soldiers can train across environments. Signature Management ➜ Thermal signatures, noise management, all of it counts when you’re surviving and fighting. Every ambient heat signature is a target. The CPs we saw were tiny for the BDE and highly mobile. The BN TAC didn’t have thousands of pounds of server stacks and the multiple communications vehicles that they did 12-18 months ago. Think about the packaging you could provide to general purpose or dual-use kit – make the elegant simple solution. Power Management ➜ Batteries cold soak. It’s not like just throwing more generators, batteries, and cables at the problem. The right packaging with thermal insulation, warm up, and power cell preservation needs attention. Radios ➜ We’ve gotten so much better with our network thanks to C2Fix and NGC2. Pulling radios from the lockers and fielding them leads to drained batteries. The 11th ABN team has done impressive work stripping comms down and building from the ground up around their mission. Simple storage containers would be interesting (my rec was pizza delivery bags). Calorie Management ➜ Not my area of expertise – but the Army G4 and AMC are making sure the cold weather MREs are meeting demand. I was just salty about not getting peanut M&Ms. U.S. Army Contracting Command amazing work leveraging bailment agreements, and DEVCOM’s work with CRADAs is helping us identify what works and what doesn’t. #army #arctic #11ABN #arcticwolves

Most veterans are switching careers arse about face. They're polishing CVs and firing them into the void. Then wondering why nobody calls back. Here's the reality: your CV is the last thing that matters. The most successful career switchers I know didn't get their breakthrough job from a job board. They got it because someone vouched for them. The game-changing approach: Research first. Really bloody research. Know the industry, the role, the company. Know what problems they're solving and how you can help solve them. Then find people who work there. LinkedIn, industry events, mutual connections. Have conversations. Not pitches. Ask questions. Show genuine interest. Learn. Most people are happy to help if you're not trying to sell them something. Only then do you think about applications. By this point, you're not a random CV in a pile. You're the person Sarah from the leadership team met at that event who asked smart questions about their digital transformation. You're the one who followed up with a thoughtful message about that article they shared. You're not a stranger anymore. And when that role comes up, guess whose name gets mentioned? Stop spraying and praying. Start building relationships. #veterans #careers #military

“So what do you guys do?” I heard this question at least 20 times while walking the floor at the Hiring Our Heroes career summit today. Each time, I watched the recruiter’s enthusiasm deflate just a little. Here’s the reality about career fairs and networking events… Most attendees show up completely unprepared. They wander from table to table, avoid eye contact, grab swag, and ask generic questions that scream “I have no idea who you are or what you do.” But the prepared candidates? They stand out immediately. After speaking at today’s summit and connecting with dozens of warriors and military spouses, here’s what separates the memorable from the forgettable… 🔸 Research the employer list before you arrive. Almost every event publishes attendees ahead of time 🔸 Apply to specific roles beforehand. Show up knowing exactly which positions interest you 🔸 Map your target tables strategically. Don’t follow the crowd, create your own focused route 🔸 Lead with knowledge, not questions. “I love the new initiative you launched…” beats “What do you guys do?” 🔸 Reference specific roles by title and location. “I saw your Business Development Manager position in Dallas…” The difference was striking today. One military spouse walked up to a recruiter and said, “I’ve been following your company’s expansion into renewable energy. I actually applied for your Project Coordinator role in San Antonio yesterday.” That recruiter immediately pulled out their phone, took notes, and scheduled a follow-up call. Meanwhile, the unprepared candidates got polite smiles and business cards that will never get used. Your mission prep for the next career event… 🔸 Download the employer list 2 weeks out 🔸 Research 10-15 target companies thoroughly 🔸 Apply to 3-5 roles that genuinely interest you 🔸 Prepare company-specific talking points 🔸 Bring copies of your resume tailored to top choices Career fairs aren’t networking events. They’re job interviews in disguise. Treat them like the mission-critical operations they are. What’s the best career fair preparation tip you’ve discovered?

If you're a veteran transitioning to a civilian career, tapping into the power of mentorship within your industry can be a game-changer. It's not just about getting advice; it's about getting the right advice—directly from those who know the ropes of your chosen field. These mentors understand the ins and outs of your industry and can help translate your military skills into something employers are eager to snatch up. Mentors from within your industry can open doors you might not even know existed. They offer insights into what skills are in demand, the latest industry trends, and who's in the professional network. The real magic happens when these mentors help you see how your military experiences align with civilian roles, which can boost confidence. Your professional network is your net worth! Attend industry events, join relevant groups on LinkedIn, and reach out to potential mentors. Remember, most people are willing to share advice and experiences, especially with veterans. Make connections, keep in touch, and let these relationships help guide your career path. Mentors can be something other than industry veterans or high-ranking professionals. Often, your peers or those who work for you can be mentors, too. Everyone has unique experiences and "lessons from their scars" that can provide valuable insights. Don't underestimate the power of learning from the diverse stories within your network. Research shows that veterans who engage with industry-specific mentors often find greater job satisfaction. A sense of belonging comes from being understood and valued as a former service member and a budding industry professional. Recommendations for Making the Most Out of Mentorships: Connect on LinkedIn: This platform is gold for making professional connections. Follow industry leaders and engage with content relevant to your field. Attend Industry Conferences: Nothing beats face-to-face networking. Conferences are a fantastic way to meet mentors and peers who can introduce you to new opportunities and ideas. Join Veteran Groups with a Professional Twist: Look for veteran groups focusing on professional development within your industry. These can be great for connecting with peers who have walked the path before you. Focusing on these strategies will bridge the gap between the military and civilian worlds and set you up for a successful second career. So go ahead, reach out to those in the know, and start building those bridges today! Any questions? #veterans #veteransupport #veteranshelpingveterans

15 years since my DD214. 10 applications submitted. 13 companies interviewed me. The math doesn't work unless you understand the unlock. Every interview that wasn't tied to one of those 10 applications came from the same place. Someone in my network put my name in a room I wasn't standing in. That's the part TAP doesn't teach. Veterans spend a decade-plus building the highest-trust network most professionals will ever be part of. Shared hardship. Shared mission. Shared standards. Then we transition, and the first thing most of us do is pretend that network doesn't exist. We open Indeed. We have AI rewrite the resume for the eighth time. We submit into the void and wonder why nothing comes back. Meanwhile the job we actually want is being filled by someone who knew someone. Here's the reframe. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲. Three moves to start this week:  • List 10 people from your service who already work in the civilian world. Reach out to one a day. No ask. Just reconnect.  • Stop sending resumes to strangers. Start sending introductions to friends of friends.  • Build visibility before you need it. Post once a week about what you actually know. Make it easy for people to remember why you're worth recommending. I have not submitted an application in years. 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘮𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯. Not because I'm above it. Because the network works, and I trust it more than I trust an algorithm. If you're transitioning, the network you already have is bigger than you think. Use it. #VeteranHiring #MilitaryTransition #CareerTransition #NetworkingTips #VeteranEmployment #VeteranLeadership #JobSearchTips

Westminster scrutiny of the MoD’s three-year direct award to Palantir Technologies signals a broader shift: politics has woken up to the reality that access to, and control of, defence data will be decisive in future conflict. In the Lords, peers questioned the December 2025 single-source award, raising concerns over value for money, sovereign capability and long-term reliance on a US supplier for AI-enabled defence data systems. Ministers defended the move, citing a transparency notice and the operational case for continuity, stressing that UK defence data “resides in the United Kingdom” under MoD control. The enterprise agreement reportedly includes a £1.5 billion commitment to grow British business through SME support and skills investment, but the central issue in debate was not funding — it was who controls the architecture through which data is structured, accessed and exploited. As AI-driven targeting, logistics optimisation and operational planning become standard, the platform layer that organises defence data becomes as strategically significant as the weapons it supports. The political focus is shifting accordingly: data sovereignty, proprietary control and system dependency are no longer technical procurement details — they are core elements of national power in the 2030s battlespace. #defence #AI #datagovernance #procurement #nationalsecurity

🎖️ Why You Should Connect With Military Recruiting Teams Corporate military recruiting teams are purpose-built to support transitioning service members, veterans, and military spouses. They understand your experience, translate your skills, and serve as internal advocates to help you land the right opportunity. Here’s what they bring to the table: What They Offer: • 🎯 Targeted Job Access – Connect with military-aligned roles, SkillBridge, DoD fellowships, and rotational programs. • 💼 Skill Translation – Many are veterans who can decode your background into business value. • 🛠️ Application Support – Resume feedback, mock interviews, and coaching to align with corporate expectations. • 🧱 Internal Advocacy – They champion your story to hiring teams. • 👨👩👧 Spouse-Friendly Support – Including remote roles, flexibility, and relocation continuity. How to Engage Effectively: ✅ Do: ✔️ Be clear: Share your timeline, location, clearance, and role interest. ✔️ Do your homework: Review the company’s veteran site and job board. ✔️ Tailor your resume: Focus it on 1–2 role types with relevant keywords. ✔️ Follow up respectfully: A polite check-in is welcome. ✔️ Show initiative and flexibility. ❌ Don’t: ✖️ Send vague notes like “Any jobs for me?” ✖️ Ask questions answered on the company site. ✖️ Attach a generic resume. ✖️ Spam the recruiter’s inbox. ✖️ Assume they’ll “figure out” your fit without context. At Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, we proudly support military-connected talent through dedicated programs, partnerships, and career pathways. 🔗 Meet our team: https://lnkd.in/gpEru-jU 🔗 Explore our military community efforts: https://lnkd.in/g4vc2UfP #SkillBridge #VeteranHiring #MilitarySpouseEmployment #MilitaryTransition #LockheedMartin #MilitaryRecruiting #M2C #CareerSupport #Veterans