An Airman Goes To Stanford

The Good Lieutenant  (Whitney Terrell). Mr. Terrell embedded with ground units in Iraq and wrote a fictional book about life in a combat support company of an INF BN. His work centers around a Lt and how the officer led her unit and the changes she underwent during that time. We discussed the book with the author in my War and Fiction class at Stanford. His perspective of deployment experiences varied differently than the other veterans in the class. https://www.amazon.com/The- Good-Lieutenant/dp/B01GOYX5X4/ ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid= 1520533883&sr=8-1&keywords= the+good+lieutenant+by+ whitney+terrell The Square and the Tower  (Dr. Niall Ferguson). Dr. Ferguson's latest work analyzes the role of personal networks and how they were more powerful than hierarchical structures. For example, is the connectivity to Dr. Kissinger more powerful than political parties. Will facebook and social networking supplant current nation states? Interesting piece would be to look...

Events 1) Senior US mentor for Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. Over sixty students from MIIS, Berkeley and DLI formed teams around the 6 party talks over denuclearizing DPRK. 2) Attended discussion on "Is Demographic Change Inevitable" by Dr, David Leal.  --Analyzed shifts in demography and how it is affecting the national political process 3) Discussion on "Russian threats to the US Judicial System" by Suzanne Spaulding (CSIS) --Centered around parallels in election meddling and attacks on judicial processes 4) Met with USCG PACAREA Command (VADM Midgette) and his senior staff --3x Admirals, 15 CAPTs and CDRs --Topics were arctic, climate change and cybersecurity in the maritime domain, Pacific maritime security --I moderated the cybersecurity discussion b/w myself, Dr. Herb Lin and Dr. Jason Jaskolka --Meeting with PACAREA/C5I Director and her staff this month 5) Attended roundtable on "Human Rights ...

Events 1) Attended talk led by Dr. Herb Lin and Dr. Jackie Kerr on Cyber-enabled information warfare and the end of the enlightenment.  --Both speakers are fellows at CISAC discussed the concerns about living in a world that relies on information, but that information is easily modified from reality. 2) Meeting with Hacking 4 Defense leaders on the class next term --I will serve as a mentor for a team working on a DoD concern. Teams are cross-function. Department of Navy provides seed money for the Stanford version of H4D. -- http://hacking4defense. stanford.edu/ 3) Discussion with Dr. Joe Nye on "Will the Liberal International World Order survive?" --His concerns center around changes to international relations theory, economic trends, tech trends and globalization/deglobalization. 4) Gave a talk at the Stanford Applied Cybersecurity Working Group --My talk centered around the vulnerabilities of the Internet of Things and Applications --The Freem...

Zero Day  (Mark Russinovich). Fictions account of the perils of nefarious actors using a series of zero day exploits to meet their strategic gains.  https://www.amazon.com/ Zero-Day-Jeff-Aiken-Novel/dp/ 1250007305 Countdown to Zero Day  (Kim Zetter). Zetter analyzes how computer security specialists diagnosed the cyberspace attack referred to as "Stuxnet."  https://www.amazon. com/Countdown-Zero-Day- Stuxnet-Digital/dp/B00P89SN0C/ ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8& qid=1514524597&sr=1-1& keywords=countdown+to+zero+ day+by+kim+zetter Playing to the Edge  (Gen (ret) Mike Hayden). Gen (ret) Hayden provides his insight during his over thirty years of work in the IC. His insight during his time as DIRNSA and DCIA. My favorite read this month.  https://www.amazon.com/ Playing-Edge-American- Intelligence-Terror/dp/ B01AAYINBS/ref=sr_1_1?s=books& ie=UTF8&qid=1514524898&sr=1-1& keywords=michael+hayden Ghost in the Wires: My Adve...

Events 1) Telecon with AFSPC/CD, AFSPC/CIO and DIUx in order to discuss possible DIUx support to AFSPC's approach to enterprise IT as a service. DIUx and AFSPC will continue coordination efforts. 2) Meeting with AMB Karl Eikenberry --Will support his Spring Quarter class at Stanford entitled Technology and National Security. Worked on curriculum development and have agreement for COMACC to come as a guest lecturer towards the end of the term. 3) Seminar with Dr. Elliot Cohen (former DoS Counselor) on civ-mil relationships. Large group session focused around jargon, training, and methods ---Followed by a small group with Dr. Cohen and the NSAF cohort. 4) Attended SecState discussion on Syria moderated by Dr. C. Rice. --Video can be found here:  https://www.hoover.org/ events/tillerson_11718 5) Private lunch with Ted Koppel and military members/veterans --Topic centered around cybersecurity of critical infrastructure and his book Lights Out 6) Attende...

Events 1) Guest lecture in the Stanford seminar on 3D printing of aerospace systems.  --The class was about the benefits of 3D printing in austere environments. Format was 15 minutes lecture on terrestrial environments. Dr.Senesky lectured for 15 minutes on space environments. Students then were assigned 5 environments: space, arid environment, underwater, city, arctic and provided pros and cons to the rest of the class. 2) Meeting with Army Chief of Staff --Talked about his concerns over the next 10-15 years 3) Attended two day Quantum Computing conference. https://www.q2b.us.  --Hosted by QCWare and supported by NASA and Google. Linked an Austin-based QC start-up with the Austin DIUx office. 3) Meeting with Mr. Mike Sellitto (https://www.cnas.org/people/michael-sellitto) --Works for DoS on the NSC on cyber policy --Discussed next steps in national cyber policy 4) One-on-One with Mr. Andy Grotto (https://cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/people/andrew-j...

Behind, so here is two months at once. Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides's Trap?  Graham Allison. Allison walks the reader through historical conflicts dealing with the rise of national powers. This often led to the larger power waging war to limit the expansion of a rising power.  https://www.amazon.com/ Destined-War-America-Escape- Thucydidess/dp/B06ZZPQNT5/ref= sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1509402211& sr=8-1&keywords=destined+for+ war Kissinger: Volume I: 1923-1968: The Idealist , Niall Ferguson. The most thorough biography I have ever read. Ferguson was asked by Dr. Kissinger to do his biography and it does not disappoint. The book follows Dr. Kissinger through his formative years in Europe to his immigration to the US, back to Europe for WWII as an Army enlisted Counterintelligence agent and up to his selection by President Nixon as the NSA. Well worth the time.  https://www.amazon.com/ Kissinger-I-1923-1968- Idealist/dp/B0149GRQQ6/re...