Episode 3 - Col (Ret.) Peter Newell, Managing Director at BMNT
GovCIO Media & Research Podcasts
Release Date: 09/12/2018
GovCast: NWS Turns to HPC, AI to Power Next-Gen Forecasting
GovCIO Media & Research Podcasts
The critical watches and warnings issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) inform everything from a firefighter’s deployment to wildfires to the public’s beach plans. This information is powered by some of the most advanced computational infrastructure in the world. According to David Michaud, director of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction’s Central Operations at the NWS, high-performance computing (HPC) is the indispensable foundation that turns raw atmospheric data into actionable public safety information. Michaud joined GovCast to discuss HPC and the IT systems...
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CyberCast: EPA Evolves Cyber Defense Amid Rising Threats
GovCIO Media & Research Podcasts
The U.S. is facing a surge in advanced threats from nation-state actors like China and Russia, who are increasingly probing critical infrastructure vulnerabilities. David Travers, director of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Water Emergency Response and Cybersecurity, noted how escalating risks to the nation’s water sector has shifted over his 30-year career, how adversaries are leveraging emerging technologies like AI to improve attacks and how the agency is adapting. He also detailed how partnerships with Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and...
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GovCast: Marne Innovation Center Empowers Soldiers to Solve Battlefield Challenges
GovCIO Media & Research Podcasts
The Army needs innovative and efficient solutions to problems. At the Association of the United States Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, D.C., Innovation Officer at the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division’s Marne Innovation Center (MIC) Capt. Brendan Shutt explained how the Army’s grassroots innovation model is transforming problem-solving. The center embeds innovation directly into training environments, sourcing problems from soldiers in real time and involves warfighters firsthand in innovation. He said its soldier-driven, agile approach offers a compelling blueprint for...
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HealthCast: IHS Modernizes Native Health Care with PATH EHR
GovCIO Media & Research Podcasts
Mitchell Thornbrugh, CIO and director of the Office of Information Technology at the Indian Health Service (IHS), is leading a transformative effort to modernize health care delivery for Native American and Alaska Native communities. Patients at the Heart Electronic Health Record (PATH EHR) is an enterprise-wide initiative uniting more than 200 staff from federal, tribal and urban health facilities. At the core of Thornbrugh’s vision is an understanding that rural and underserved areas face distinct health care challenges, including limited resources and workforce shortages. By approaching...
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HealthCast: CDC Turns to AI, APIs for Next-Gen Public Health Data Exchange
GovCIO Media & Research Podcasts
Kyle Cobb, acting deputy director for technology and product at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance and Technology (OPHDST), shared how emerging technologies are transforming the way health care data is shared and managed. Cobb outlined how APIs are replacing outdated data connections with a hub-and-spoke model, creating more efficient and centralized data utilities. Tools such as FHIR-based APIs and core Data Use Agreements (DUAs) are not only reducing administrative burdens but also helping providers and public health agencies...
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HealthCast: VA Eyes 2026 Restart for EHR Rollout
GovCIO Media & Research Podcasts
Dr. Neil Evans, Acting Program Executive Officer for the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Electronic Health Record Modernization Integration Office, provided an update on the rollout of the common electronic health record (EHR). The VA paused the rollout in 2023 following optimization and reliability issues. Evans outlined plans to restart deployment in April 2026 at select sites in Michigan, with a target of full, enterprise-wide implementation by 2031. He described the VA’s wave-based deployment schedule, which leverages user feedback and lessons learned from the National Oceanic and...
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Marine Pacific CIO Eyes Scalability in Defense Systems | 2025 AFCEA TechNet Indo-Pacific
GovCIO Media & Research Podcasts
Robert Sholtis, CIO at Marine Corps Forces Pacific, discussed at AFCEA TechNet Indo-Pacific his modernization efforts for the service across the Indo-Pacific region. MARFORPAC operates one of the largest services across some of the most challenging environments in the world, facilitating the need to quickly adopt, acquire and scale emerging technologies as they develop. Sholtis said that industry, warfighters and acquisition must work in concert to properly supply the force with the most up-to-date, scalable technology like AI to prepare against adversarial threats. He called on industry to...
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Inside Marine’s AI Digital Transformation Pilot in the Pacific
GovCIO Media & Research Podcasts
Marine Corps Forces Pacific is standing up a Digital Transformation Team (DXT) as part of the Marine Corps' AI Implementation Plan's Digital Transformation Pilot. C5ISRT Systems Integration Officer and Agentic Warfare Lead Capt. Mason Millsap joined us at AFCEA TechNet Indo-Pacific to explain how the pilot helps personnel digitize processes, expand secure data pipelines and accelerate AI adoption for real-world operations. He discussed how DXT is advancing the service’s Digital Transformation Pilot and optimizing digital data flows across tactical and operational systems to strengthen...
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Naval Academy Tests Emerging Tech in Training Scenarios to Build the Next Generation of Leaders
GovCIO Media & Research Podcasts
Naval officers explain how the Adaptive Rapid Engagement Squadron (ARES), a Midshipmen-led research and development team at the U.S. Naval Academy, has participated in competitions like the Squad with Autonomous Teammates – Challenge to test and prove new techniques, tactics and procedures relating to the adoption of emerging technology like drones, AI and electronic warfare in simulated modern combat situations.
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CyberCast: DHS Advances Biometric Security to Counter AI-Driven Threats
GovCIO Media & Research Podcasts
With generative AI introducing new challenges for digital security, Arun Vemury, director at the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate, explains how biometric technologies are enabling the agency to stay ahead of AI-driven identity fraud. The conversation explores how DHS verifies identities across complex environments — from border crossings to remote digital interactions. Vemury details the agency’s collaborative approach, using cooperative research agreements and competitive evaluations to test and deploy cutting-edge biometric tools quickly. He also...
info_outlineSept 12, 2018 | This third episode features Peter Newell, managing director at BMNT, a Silicon Valley company focused on solving national security challenges. He spent nearly 30 years in the military and when time came to transition out of the service, he knew what he didn’t want to do next: work for somebody else. So he uprooted his life to the West Coast, fought through a start-fail process and lived without a paycheck for a year, risking it all to launch his own company — and new passion.