Supply Chain from Fuel to Forces with Scott Hume

Logistics of supply chain could be the difference in a successful mission for on the ground forces or the cyber warfighter. Scott Hume, managing director of operations in contested environments at MITRE, speaks to the importance of tactical planning and innovation to assist our troops. Carolyn and Mark discover the best ways industry can assist the warfighter.Episode Table of Contents[00:47] Globally Contested Logistics Strategy[07:17] Supply Chain Challenges[13:47] Constant Intellectual Property[21:28] Globally Contested Supply Chain[30:27] Robot DogsEpisode Links and ResourcesScott HumeMITREGlobally Contested Logistics StrategyCarolyn: Today's guest, Scott Hume, is the managing director of operations in contested environments at MITRE. Scott has been with MITRE for more than 20 years. He’s responsible for shaping the company's globally contested logistics strategy, particularly for one of its sponsors, the US Air Force.Today we're going to talk to Scott about how our government and our military enhance their capabilities in contested environments through partnerships with industry and academia. We’ll also discuss how the industry can best connect with the DOD to help safeguard our nation and support our military.Let's start out Scott with how MITRE does a lot of work with the Department of Defense. Can you tell us what areas and with which military branches you do work with?Scott: Let me first start out because some of the audience may not be aware of MITRE. In fact, when I came to MITRE over 20 years ago, I was disappointed that we weren't the company that made soccer balls and soccer cleats. I quickly learned that MITRE operates R&D centers for the government. One in particular is the Department of Defense, which is our National Security Engineering Center.Particularly of the 20 years, I spent the majority working with the Air Force. But MITRE works across all branches of the Department of Defense as well as the combatant command and the joint Chief of Staff. Throughout the Air Force, I always say that I've had seven different careers. At MITRE, I've been able to work in IT, cyber, command and control, programs, as well as counter improvised explosive devices. So counter IEDs during the war on terrorism.Remembering Pearl HarborCarolyn: What area of the military and the branches are you working with?Scott: Primarily I'm working with the Air Force, leading an opportunity to develop MITRE's globally contested logistics. Let me break that apart for you. When we talk about logistics, it's really anything from fuel, water, ammunition to food. It’s getting equipment as well as our forces to the locations that they're going to have to fight in.The contested pieces, I'll pause for a second and remember the day of December 7th, 80 years ago. So on this day today, an adversary decided to bomb Pearl Harbor and our forces there. That was the last time that we actually were in a contested environment across the globe. Where we didn't have freedom of maneuver, freedom of navigation and we're in that environment today with our pure adversaries.We no longer have the full freedom to move our forces or supplies, like some would call the greatest generation. Perhaps we can meet that same call as we look at how to, first of all, develop the capabilities our DoD needs to deter that fight with a pure adversary. But if that pure adversary chooses to fight, we have the capabilities to win and execute that fight. If you look at the logistics piece of it, it goes all the...