In this episode Brock speaks with Mark Holden. Mark is a former Navy Corpsman and today is the founder and CEO of Holden, a consultancy business that assists with prototyping, productizing pricing and advising in the defense technology space. Expect to hear about the current and desired future states of defense tech. We talk about what's missing in our defense tech portfolio as a country and the weapons he's excited about. We get into the state of hybrid warfare, why counterinsurgency is over the looming threat of China's invasion of Taiwan, and the evolving battlefield as activity begins to play out in the South China Sea. Mark gives us a masterclass on the most important elements of product management as well. Lastly, we get into his personal mission, serving after service, why vets need to actively define who they are, and how to answer the question, who am I when I'm no longer myself.

Episode Resources:

Mark on LinkedIn

Defense by Holden

Show Notes:

Creating content and Tik Tok's weaponization 6:58

Brand versus affinity 10:33

Monetizing content - where does the money come from?. 13:34

Mark's background 17:13

Mark's personal mission and implementation throughout career 19:16

The problem with the defense industry 26:07

Robots on the front line. 30:12

What are the biggest threats to the US? 33:14

Hypersonic missiles, surface and undersea warfare, and China's threat to Taiwan35:22

The breakdown of the Naval carrier strike group 43:07

Why hypersonic missiles are so critical and how to defend against them 47:37

Growing Defense budget and what's new in defense technology 54:09

GPS systems and why the move to laser guided 1:00:29

Specific companies that are leading the defense tech space 1:03:44

Reusable flashbangs and modernizing firearms for today's force 1:06:47

What is missing from defense tech today? 1:10:01

Lacking cold weather innovation leaders 1:16:35

What is product management and how does it work? 1:19:00

The opportunity to sell to the government. 1:23:44

How do you measure value in product management? 1:26:55

Sheild AI product example in close quarters combat. 1:32:43

Vets as product managers 1:37:36

Serving your country in defense tech is an extension of service 1:39:07

Understanding the place of the VA 1:44:21

"Who am I when I am no longer myself?" 1:50:28

Mark’s approach to building Holden 1:56:03

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The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.

The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.

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• Episode & transcript: https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/

• Brock: https://www.brockbriggs.com/