Industry to Government: Help Us Walk a Mile in Your Shoes

The emergence of modern technology is highlighting the importance of continued collaboration between industry and the federal government. Speaking at the annual TechNet Indo-Pacific conference in Honolulu, industry experts stressed the value of open and honest communication. 

“We want to shorten that acquisition kill chain as much as possible,” said Capt. Mel Yokoyama, USN (Ret.). Following his 28 years of active-duty service, Yokoyama is now the founder and chairman of Malama Ka’u Foundation, a native Hawaiian organization that connects cultural resilience with national security. 

"If I was king for the day, what I would say is put a contracting officer or a contracting authority side by side with the [combatant commanders], change the culture of acquisition,” he said. The authorities, Yokoyama suggested, should exist as close to the fight as possible, listing Guam and Okinawa as examples. 

David Herbst, director of solutions at Mattermost, also spoke on the acquisition process. 

“I think one of the things that the Department of War could help us with is faster acquisition authorities,” he said. “We have hackathons . . . I don’t think they’re fast enough. We need to be able to fail fast, iterate, fail fast, iterate, keep going.” 

The building phase at the end of that process will better help meet mission needs, Herbst stated, emphasizing industry’s role in supporting the effort. 

Early coordination is a win-win for all, panelists agreed.  

Amy Serpliss, national security team lead at Schneider Electric Federal, called for federal agencies to leverage industry expertise. “Have a good idea of what your vision is and what your intent is, and then allow us in a little earlier to help you really develop what that should look like,” she said.

“Access, open, honest and frequent conversations with your industry partners . . . well in front of by the time you drop your [request for proposals],” would help all parties succeed, said Jeffrey Baker, chief enterprise architect at SAIC. Previously, Baker served in the U.S. Army for 29 years. 

Transparency is key in closing gaps and mitigating misunderstandings. “Help them walk a mile in your shoes to understand the problem,” he said, addressing federal agencies.

Echoing Baker’s comments, Lt. Gen. John W. Morgan, USA (Ret.) said he is cautiously optimistic about forums like TechNet Indo-Pacific creating room for such dialogues.  

Currently, Morgan serves as a senior executive at IBM Consulting, where he leads the company’s strategy and growth across the defense and intelligence portfolio.  

Senior leaders have been clear in communicating their need for emerging capabilities for a future fight, he said. “You see it with the number of military units that are aggressively going forward and asking to bring in technical solutions into their formations so that they can work with it, train with it, break it if required, in order for them to learn,” Morgan stated.  

In his closing comments, Baker highlighted the value of government-industry partnerships. “When I was still in uniform, I didn’t understand the value of those conversations with industry,” he said. “Make sure that you are dedicating that time, talk to your industry partners so you can actually have a better solution for your need, for your problem.” 

Before wrapping up the session, President and CEO of AFCEA International Lt. Gen. Susan S. Lawrence, USA (Ret.), who moderated the discussion, added her own point of view. 

“What I learned in industry, I wish I knew when I was in uniform, because I would have made different decisions,” she stated. “Keep that partnership going,” she said to her fellow retired servicemen, “because now you’re on the other side and can bring those solutions.” 

TechNet Indo-Pacific is organized by AFCEA International and AFCEA Hawaii. SIGNAL Media is the official media of AFCEA International.