Drone Wars

• Breaking Free from GPS - Shaun Moore & Brett Harrison | Part II

  In the second half of this Drone Wars conversation, Dan Magy continues with Brett Harrison and Shaun Moore to dig into what sets Turn AI apart from defense incumbents and Silicon Valley hopefuls alike. This episode shifts focus from tech specs to team dynamics, culture, and strategic edge—how a fast, focused startup can outmaneuver giants.They explore what it takes to build critical infrastructure from scratch, what it means when Big Tech starts referencing your patents, and why passion, speed, and real-world experience can’t be bought. If Part I showed the problem, Part II shows the path forward.Whether you're scaling a defense startup or trying to understand what makes disruption in this space real, this one delivers hard-earned insight with operator clarity.Timestamps:00:00 – GPS Dependency and Over-Reliance00:58 – Real-World Experience vs. Big Companies03:25 – Company Culture and Decision-Making06:12 – Customer Response and Passion06:41 – Global Market and Security Concerns11:53 – Impact on Logistics and Society14:12 – Lessons Learned and Future Plans15:02 – Critical Infrastructure and Public Education18:55 – Final Thoughts and Contact Information#DroneWarsPodcast #TernAI #GPSAlternative #MilitaryTech #AutonomousVehicles #AIInnovation #DefenseTech #SignalResilience #StartupCulture #CriticalInfrastructureAbout Drone Wars Firestorm Studios brings you The Drone Wars Podcast, a show that explores all facets of autonomous systems - ground, air, and sea - and their transformative impact on various aspects of human life, from agriculture to warfare. We feature interviews with CEOs, founders, and C-suite executives from the world's leading autonomy and robotics companies.

  --------  

  19:35

  --------

  19:35
• Breaking Free from GPS - Shaun Moore & Brett Harrison | Part I

  In this episode of Drone Wars, Dan Magy is joined by Brett Harrison and Shaun Moore, co-founders of Tern AI, for a deep dive into one of the biggest hidden vulnerabilities in modern life—our overdependence on GPS. Drawing from elite military operations and hard-earned lessons in AI innovation, they lay out why signal-based navigation is no longer reliable—and what it means for warfighters, civilians, and the future of autonomy.They unpack how GPS failures are already affecting real-world operations, from lost Uber drivers to compromised military missions, and explain why most "solutions" are just different flavors of the same fragile system. If you're working in autonomy, logistics, or national security, this episode is a critical look at the next battlefield: positioning.Whether you're a founder, policymaker, or defense insider, this one is full of real-world urgency and sharp technical insight.Timestamps:00:00 – Introduction and Background of Participants01:50 – GPS in Modern Tech and Why It’s Failing04:30 – Brett’s Journey: From Special Ops to Real Estate to Defense Tech07:30 – Sean’s Start in Facial Recognition and Startup Lessons13:20 – The Shot That Started Tern AI17:59 – Why GPS Dependency is a National Risk18:15 – Building Positioning Without Signal18:31 – Military and Commercial Applications20:38 – Future Plans: Scaling Across Vehicles, Terrain, and Use Cases#DroneWarsPodcast #TernAI #GPSAlternative #MilitaryTech #AutonomousVehicles #AIInnovation #DefenseTech #SignalResilience #StartupCulture #CriticalInfrastructureAbout Drone Wars Firestorm Studios brings you The Drone Wars Podcast, a show that explores all facets of autonomous systems - ground, air, and sea - and their transformative impact on various aspects of human life, from agriculture to warfare. We feature interviews with CEOs, founders, and C-suite executives from the world's leading autonomy and robotics companies.

  --------  

  24:18

  --------

  24:18
• Inside the Machine: How Venture and Defense Collide - Chris Donaghey & James Cross | Part II

  In Part II of this candid Drone Wars conversation, Dan Magy is joined once again by James Cross and Chris Donaghey to dig into one of the most pressing problems in modern warfare: how to scale effective defense technologies fast enough to matter.From next-gen laser systems to why small companies rarely survive the primes, this episode explores the gritty realities behind mission kills, demo culture, and why venture-backed defense tech often loses despite superior capabilities. The discussion also unpacks the economics of defense investing, the limitations of VC, and how to build a layered counter-drone strategy that works.A must-listen for anyone at the intersection of autonomy, emerging tech, and national security.Timestamps:0:00 – Intro Recap: Cockroaches, Lasers, and Global Threats1:22 – There’s No Silver Bullet2:30 – Mission Kill vs. System Kill4:05 – From Garage Opener to Battlefield Laser6:15 – Are Our Adversaries Building This Too?7:45 – Scaling Up: From Demos to Deployment9:00 – Why the Primes Wait to Buy10:30 – Defense Tech’s Generational Divide12:19 – The Most Exclusive Club on Wall Street15:35 – The Primes’ VC Playbook19:20 – Why Strategic Capital Matters23:46 – What’s Next? Robots, Autonomy, and Moore’s Law on the Battlefield25:06 – Lessons from the MRAP Era#DroneWars #DefenseTech #MilitaryInnovation #UnmannedSystems #EmergingTech #Firestorm #Autonomy #CounterDrone #LaserWeapons #SiliconValleyDefenseAbout Drone Wars Firestorm Studios brings you The Drone Wars Podcast, a show that explores all facets of autonomous systems - ground, air, and sea - and their transformative impact on various aspects of human life, from agriculture to warfare. We feature interviews with CEOs, founders, and C-suite executives from the world's leading autonomy and robotics companies.

  --------  

  28:15

  --------

  28:15
• Inside the Machine: How Venture and Defense Collide - Chris Donaghey & James Cross | Part I

  In this episode of Drone Wars, Dan Magy is joined by defense investors and Silicon Valley Defense Group founders James Cross and Chris Donaghey for a high-octane discussion on the present and future of military innovation. From production bottlenecks to geopolitical realignments, the trio explores what it will take to actually deliver at scale—and at speed.They talk about why hardware is hard, the myth of acquisition reform, and how Europe and Asia are carving out their own defense ecosystems. They also break down the real reasons VCs suddenly care about defense tech, and why manufacturing—not code—might be the ultimate moat.Whether you're a founder, policymaker, or defense insider, this one is full of brutal truths and sharp insights.Timestamps:0:00 – Kicking Off with Cockroaches in D.C.1:15 – Being Early in Defense Entrepreneurship2:40 – Can the DoD Pick Winners?4:30 – MRAPs, Bureaucracy, and Budget Cuts6:20 – The ‘Cockroach’ Class and the Illusion of Reform8:00 – Defense VCs: From SaaS to Strategic Capital10:15 – Europe Builds for Europe13:20 – Asia’s Next Move15:40 – Fiction as Strategy: The Rise of 'White Sun War'17:15 – Who Runs Out of Robots First?19:10 – Cost-Plus Contracts and the Scaling Trap21:00 – Final Thoughts: No Silver Bullet for Small Drones#DroneWars #DefenseTech #MilitaryInnovation #UnmannedSystems #EmergingTech #Firestorm #Autonomy #CounterDrone #LaserWeapons #SiliconValleyDefenseAbout Drone Wars Firestorm Studios brings you The Drone Wars Podcast, a show that explores all facets of autonomous systems - ground, air, and sea - and their transformative impact on various aspects of human life, from agriculture to warfare. We feature interviews with CEOs, founders, and C-suite executives from the world's leading autonomy and robotics companies.

  --------  

  21:32

  --------

  21:32
• Manufacturing the Future: Defense Innovation and Autonomous Infrastructure - Travis Demeester

  In this episode of Drone Wars, host Dan Magy sits down with a leading voice in the defense innovation space to unpack the future of military manufacturing. From flying CH-53 helicopters in the Marine Corps to pioneering advanced industrial capabilities at the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), our guest shares a compelling journey through aerospace, entrepreneurship, and public service.Together, they explore the intersection of autonomy and manufacturing, the fragility of U.S. supply chains, and how we can build a surge-ready domestic ecosystem that rivals our global adversaries. From vertical integration to modularity and infrastructure strategy, this conversation highlights what it will take for the United States to not only compete—but lead—in the next era of unmanned systems.Travis on Linkedin: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/travisdemeester/)Timestamps:0:00 – A career in defense: aviation, entrepreneurship, and DIU5:20 – Advanced manufacturing and autonomy: the emerging overlap10:00 – Policy, risk, and the missing middle in defense innovation15:00 – Challenges in U.S. supply chains and scaling production21:40 – Vertical integration, modularity, and surge readiness25:00 – Lessons from software and the future of infrastructure#DroneWars #DIU #DefenseTech #AdvancedManufacturing #AutonomousDrones #USvsChina #SupplyChain #ModularManufacturing #FirestormDrones #MilitaryInnovation #RobotsBuildingRobots #DefensePodcastAbout Drone Wars Firestorm Studios brings you The Drone Wars Podcast, a show that explores all facets of autonomous systems - ground, air, and sea - and their transformative impact on various aspects of human life, from agriculture to warfare. We feature interviews with CEOs, founders, and C-suite executives from the world's leading autonomy and robotics companies.

  --------  

  30:35

  --------

  30:35

More Business podcasts

Trending Business podcasts

About Drone Wars