Stanford Seminar - Silicon Valley & The U.S. Government: U.S. Navy’s CTO Justin Fanelli

The podcast explores modernizing the Department of Defense (DoD) through technological innovation and public-private partnerships. Justin Fanelli, acting CTO of the Navy and tech director of Digital PEO, emphasizes the need for the DoD to operate more like a business by quantifying value and outcomes of investments. He highlights the importance of dual-use technology, external funding, and adopting new business approaches, citing examples like the CHIPS Act and IRA. Fanelli identifies quantum computing, digital acquisition, and transport (comms) as key areas for startup innovation, advocating for a shift from lengthy requirements documents to agile adoption models. He also stresses the necessity of divesting from outdated technologies to facilitate the integration of new capabilities.