John Langford

"JIATF 401 [Joint Interagency Task Force 401] will be able to direct procurement decisions, allocate up to $50 million per initiative and hire outside the normal federal process to pull in technical experts." https://lnkd.in/esJ_rNhU

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Most people misunderstand the role of a field-grade officer. At the tactical level, leaders focus on execution. At the strategic level, leaders focus on vision. But field-grade officers live in the uncomfortable space between the two. We are expected to move fast. But also think deeply. Translate broad guidance into concrete action. While managing the friction that naturally exists inside large institutions. Done poorly, two things happen: Velocity without vision creates chaos. Vision without velocity creates irrelevance. The job of a field-grade officer is to ensure neither happens. It means absorbing uncertainty so junior leaders can focus on execution. It means translating intent into plans that units can actually execute. And it means protecting momentum while still asking the hard questions that prevent organizations from drifting. Over time, I’ve come to believe that this space, where vision meets velocity, is where field-grade officers provide the most value to the profession of arms. Grateful to have these thoughts published in the Field Artillery Professional Bulletin. “Where Vision Meets Velocity: Rules for Field-Grade Officers.” 🔗 Article: https://lnkd.in/ec7cwST2 For those currently serving as field-grade officers What lessons have shaped how you operate in this space between vision and execution? #Leadership #MissionCommand #FieldArtillery #USArmy #ProfessionOfArms

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More research…more homework, and more prep work for my transition from the Army, I am learning how to translate my skills to potential future jobs and roles. Some of those roles are Senior Operations Manager, Senior Project/Program Manager, and Director of Operations 💡 What if I told you that some of the best Directors of Operations in America aren’t in corporate boardrooms yet, they’re wearing uniforms? Senior Enlisted Leaders (CSMs/SGMs) have been doing the work of a Director of Operations their entire careers: 🔹 Turning strategy into execution, taking a commander’s vision and making it actionable. 🔹 Running complex operations, synchronizing logistics, people, and resources under pressure. 🔹 Leading leaders, mentoring senior NCOs, and building high-performance teams. 🔹 Managing risk & resources, achieving results with limited time, people, and equipment. Sound familiar? That’s precisely what companies need in a Director of Operations. The titles are different, but the skills are the same: ➡️ Strategic planning ➡️ Operational oversight ➡️ Performance management ➡️ Leadership & culture building Corporate America has a considerable opportunity: CSMs/SGMs bring decades of proven operational leadership in the most challenging environments imaginable. 👉 If you’re hiring for operations leadership, don’t overlook them. They’ve already been preparing for this role their entire careers. #Leadership #Operations #Veterans #MilitaryTransition #DirectorOfOperations #Talent

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JIATF-401 hosted over 1000 people from industry, the interagency, and across the War Department today. Over 250 companies were represented. The CSO below is our newly established mechanism for communicating with industry on how best to deliver state-of-the-art c-UAS capability to our warfighters at home and abroad.

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The U.S. Coast Guard Robotics and Autonomous Systems PEO has released a new RFI and is actively looking for cutting-edge partners to deliver airborne ISR using Group 2 & 3 UAS under Contractor-Owned, Contractor-Operated (COCO) models. We’re talking real-world operations—from Coast Guard cutters to shore sites—where autonomy, endurance, and innovation matter. If you’re pushing the edge in unmanned aircraft systems, we want to hear from you. Take a look at the RFI and help shape the future of Coast Guard operations. https://lnkd.in/eqdNq2r5 #CoastGuard #UAS #ISR #Autonomy #DefenseInnovation #Robotics

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Program management must be a verb.  I am optimistic about the current round of military acquisitions reform.  Giving portfolio executives the authorities to influence cost, schedule, and performance is the key step.  Practical influence, personal accountability to match, and a bias for speed should bound complexity and clarify choices to deliver combat capability when needed.

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Oregon Senate Passes Omnibus Gun Control Bill: Breakdown and Analysis. We discuss the recent passage of Senate Bill 243, an Omnibus Gun Control Package, in the Oregon Senate. The bill includes measures like criminalizing the transport, manufacture, or transfer of rapid-fire activators, and expanding gun-free zones. We also explain the process of how a bill becomes law in Oregon, from drafting to the governor's desk. National Rifle Association

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DEFENDING THE INDO-PAC - DISPERSION - To support the US Air Force’s ability to conduct dispersed operations, the US has increased the number of locations it can operate from in the Indo-Pacific, adding to the network of US bases and sites it has access to. Read @R_Schulenburg's latest analysis to find out more: go.iiss.org/4rDOb2u

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A great read for field grade leaders and others framing the shift from individual to organizational leadership - from Kevin Brensinger

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#PersonalIdea One of biggest issues I see is the clog in getting contracts awarded and funded. I propose DoD moves to competitive grants that don’t require a contracting officer to award. A contracting officer certifies the call for proposals and the proposals to ensure no laws are broken. A 3 person review panel with no OCI issues selects the winners. Funds are then transferred to the selected teams via a Govt version of Venmo that just has contains approved companies. Why Grants? Grants have less requirements and you just expect a product. By using competitive grants to multiple companies then the government uses competition to get expected product. At the end of the grant, the government inputs a Amazon-like review of the company and the product. Any companies that have 3 or less stars becomes ineligible for future grants. Feel free to comment and tell me what you think. #DoD #MDA #federalfunding

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Amos Fox, Ph.D. wrote a great critique of the Army’s transition to Mobile Brigade Combat Teams (MBCT). I enjoy how he identifies how “FOMO” (Fear of Missing Out) propelling transformation rather than a clear operating concept or vision how we will fight. The Army seems to feeling FOMO in jealousy of the Marines’ littoral combat regiments. My best understanding is that the Army wants to mimic the Marines by pursuing light forces to conduct some sort of island-hopping campaign in the Pacific. Let the Marines worry about that unlikely scenario. The Army should focus on contributing to deterrence by denial (in accordance with the NSS and NDS) by demonstrating that it can fight and win the decisive battle in Taiwan. The MBCT does not do that. Worryingly, while the Army has stripped recon, security, fires, and engineering assets from brigades, the People’s Liberation Army has expanded those capabilities in their brigades. We risk a “missing middle” in our Army, in which divisions hoard assets and companies receive new capabilities, but brigades and battalions are unable to shape the fight for those companies or develop the situation for them. I am unclear of the operational framework how how we would employ these units in a future fight.

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This is an extremely informed and granular analysis of what postsecondary institutions need to do to properly support veteran and active-duty learners in translating their military experience to the postsecondary setting. It would be interesting to review institution websites around the country to see what information they already provide, and how useful that information is to the intended audience.

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The U.S. Coast Guard is getting twice the funding it asked for in FY26. This surge supports Force Design 2028: – New civilian leadership – Agile force reorg – Investment in people – Modern tech + logistics – Streamlined acquisition Big shifts = big GovCon opportunities. Thanks to Neil McDonnell for the insight.

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https://lnkd.in/e9V55kGN This is another article I highly recommend for those serving on HQs Staff especially at Corps, Theater Army, and Combatant Command levels. A question worth exploring in a contested environment is how will staff perform running estimates when HQs need to be dispersed to survive and who will new tools such as AI mitigate some of the challenges.

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Rob Long— The U.S. Army just issued an RFI under its new Strategic Capital Initiative that colleagues in the space, infrastructure, and industrial base communities should be aware of. The Army's premise is straightforward: annual appropriations alone cannot solve decades of deferred infrastructure modernization. The Army is inviting private capital to the table through Enhanced Use Leases, dual-use facility partnerships, anchor customer arrangements, and co-investment models designed to be commercially viable and self-sustaining without relying on appropriated funds as the sole return on investment. This should resonate with anyone who has worked the infrastructure problem at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Critical range infrastructure is aging and capacity-constrained, caught between a historically deliberate government investment cycle and the pace of the commercial space industry that now depends on it. Space Florida and SLD 45 have made meaningful progress through existing partnership tools, but the scale of what is coming in launch tempo, on-orbit logistics, and space domain awareness may outpace what traditional models can address. The Army's SCI framework raises a question worth exploring: could CCSFS serve as an anchor partner in a structured public-private capital arrangement that modernizes shared range infrastructure, attracts private investment, and creates a self-sustaining dual-use ecosystem? The legal authorities already exist. Enhanced Use Leases, OTAs, and other flexible mechanisms are available to the Space Force. What may be missing is a deliberate enterprise-level framework that brings capital markets into the conversation the way the Army is now attempting. The RFI response deadline is April 2. Happy to discuss with colleagues who are working this space. Link to the Army RFI: https://lnkd.in/ekBTxJG5 #SpaceForce #SLD45 #SpaceFlorida #CCSFS #PublicPrivatePartnership #DefenseAcquisition #CommercialSpace

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