Join host Dr. Arun Seraphin for a conversation with Kate Käufer, President & Founder of KMK Global Strategies, LLC, to break down how the DoD, Congress, and industry are navigating the FY26 Appropriations Act. The discussion highlights key budget timelines, the evolving role of the Defense Industrial Base, and emerging priorities including munitions production and the Golden Dome. Kate shares insights on interpreting appropriations signals, understanding DoD priorities, and how companies can stay proactive through stronger communication and collaboration across the defense ecosystem.

KMK Strategies: https://kmm-strategies.com/

Explore the 2026 DoD Appropriations Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4016

SAVE THE DATE: 2026 NDIA Emerging Technologies for Defense Conference and Exhibition September 9-10, 2026, at the Walter E. Washington DC Convention Center: ndiatechexpo.org/

Be sure to follow us on social media for updates, early access to upcoming events, inside scoops, & more:

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4htROo0

Twitter: https://bit.ly/48LHAx3

Facebook: https://bit.ly/47vlht8

And for more podcasts, articles, & publications all things emerging tech, check out our website at: https://bit.ly/47oA5K1

#EmergingTechETI #DoD #DefenseIndustrialBase #Munitions #GoldDome

The U.S. military has spent decades optimizing platforms while largely underinvesting in the system that actually operates them: the warfighter. As body-worn technologies mature, that imbalance is becoming harder to justify.

In this episode, Sonya Rahmani, Warfighter Performance Lead at Booz Allen, joins Dr. Arun Seraphin to argue that the future of military advantage lies in treating the warfighter as an integrated system—one that spans cognitive, physiological, and tactical domains. The challenge is no longer collecting data but transforming it into actionable insights using Defense AI Technology.

The conversation explores why the real bottlenecks are not just in AI or sensing, but in power management, system integration, and cybersecurity. Warfighters cannot manage fragmented devices, incompatible batteries, or constant data streams. The burden must shift from the individual to the system—through automation, edge computing, and intelligent filtering powered by Defense AI Technology.

Rahmani also explains why commercial wearable technologies, while essential, are insufficient on their own. Devices built for connected, civilian environments must be fundamentally reengineered for disconnected operations, cybersecurity risks, and mission-specific demands in modern defense environments. Learn more about Booz Allen’s Defense Technology: https://www.boozallen.com/defense

SAVE THE DATE: 2026 NDIA Emerging Technologies for Defense Conference and Exhibition September 9-10, 2026, at the Walter E. Washington DC Convention Center: ndiatechexpo.org/

Be sure to follow us on social media for updates, early access to upcoming events, inside scoops, & more: LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4htROo0 Twitter: https://bit.ly/48LHAx3 Facebook: https://bit.ly/47vlht8

And for more podcasts, articles, & publications all things emerging tech, check out our website at: ndiaeti.org

Over 3,000 troops and contractors experienced some form of casualty moving fuel to U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. That history explains why military energy thinking has defaulted to fuel logistics for two decades — and why a more serious vulnerability has gone largely unexamined. Today, the U.S. power grid is emerging as a critical infrastructure risk with direct implications for national security. Will Rogers, Principal at Converge Strategies and co-author of Powering the Fight: Lessons from the Grid at War, joins Dr. Arun Seraphin to discuss the military’s growing dependence on the power grid.

The conversation highlights the historical evolution of this dependency, noting that modern military operations rely heavily on a globally networked defense footprint tied to critical infrastructure systems. Rogers advocates for public-private cooperation to strengthen the power grid and address national security vulnerabilities under increasing stress.

Read Converge Strategies’ article here: https://convergestrategies.com/powering-the-fight-lessons-from-the-grid-at-war-converge-strategies/

Get in contact with Will Rogers and the team at Converge Strategies:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-rogers-66360414/

Email: wrogers@convergestrategies.com

Website: https://convergestrategies.com/

#EmergingTech #PowerGrid #CriticalInfrastracture #NationalSecurity Keywords: - Power grid - Critical Infrastructure - National Security

Be sure to follow us on social media for updates, inside scoops, & more:

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4htROo0

Twitter: https://bit.ly/48LHAx3

Facebook: https://bit.ly/47vlht8

And for more podcasts, articles, & publications all things emerging tech, check out our website at: https://bit.ly/47oA5K1