Presenters

$ getent passwd
.
├── names:
│   ├────── Brandon Cea
│   └─ Gabriel Menchaca
├──── org: Cyber Training Battalion
└─ social:
   └─ linkedin: in/gabe-m-5b8154134/

Experience

2LT Brandon Cea. Cyber and Electronic Warfare Officer currently in BOLC. Commissioned from USMA in '21. Interned for the Asymmetric Warfare Group and has 2LT Brandon Cea. Cyber and Electronic Warfare Officer currently in BOLC. Commissioned from USMA in '21. Interned for the Asymmetric Warfare Group and has advised projects for the DARPA/GE Measuring Biological Aptitude Program, the Microsoft/PEO Integrated Visual Augmentation System/Squad Immersive Virtual Trainer, the ONR Squad With Autonomous Teammates Competition, and the DARPA Squad X Program. At USMA, he founded the Space Engineering and Applied Research Program. While there, he built and launched hypersonic rockets exceeding Mach 5.5 and altitudes of 90 km. Published findings in AIAA. He is currently working on an integrated high-altitude balloon and hypersonic missile mesh network.

2LT Gabriel Menchaca. Cyber and Electronic Warfare Officer currently in BOLC. Commissioned from Ole Miss '22. Graduate of the Chinese Language Flagship Capstone Program at the Defense Language Institute. Cumulative seven months spent living in China. 3/3/3 Mandarin. Published thesis on AI/ML and China. Presented paper to all DLIFIC faculty and students in Chinese on Chinese and Taiwanese views on facial recognition.

Abstract

This research seeks to identify emerging trends, pinpoint challenges, and gain data-driven insights into the forces shaping the technical talent pipeline of national defense in the United States. Our research focused on the United States Army, which has one of the country's largest concentrations of engineers and technicians. The rapid advance of Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning, Quantum Computing, and Hypersonic Weapons has disrupted traditional approaches to national defense and policy. It is dramatically reshaping the technical talent landscape. Simultaneously, generational transition and foreign entities are forcing significant cultural changes. Individuals and organizations must hone 21st-century skill sets to dominate the modern battlespace. The technical talent pipeline is failing to provide sufficient quantities of leaders and calls for a stepping up of technical reskilling. In terms of stepping up to meet the foreign and domestic challenges of the 21st century, four themes have emerged:

1. Individuals must comprehend the current state of global competition and understand their individual and group responsibilities within that space.

2. Teams must be specialized while retaining the flexibility to create 'good enough' outcomes in multiple domains.

3. Companies must be incentivized through a call to action to take calculated risks and be on the creative bleeding edge of building and training this '21st-century skillset'.

4. The need for accelerated education development reform must manifest itself in giving younger generations more opportunities to contribute to the United States. An empirical investigation focused on the United States Army was conducted with the support of national industry, educational institutions, and government agencies. Three critical segments of national defense were interviewed relative to the talent pipeline: 1) participants, 2) builders, and 3) influencers. Based on responses to a series of questions using the DOTMLPF-P framework, this research presents an overview of some proofs-of-concept that could contribute to building out the generational technical talent pipeline if adequately scaled. Our research also explored individual motives and behavioral styles. These findings provide valuable insights into what educators, industry, and policymakers should address to upgrade the technical talent pipeline in the age of disruptive technologies to protect and ensure the United States' global leadership position.