Memo to the President: A Conversation with Bob Work
I’m Ylli Bajraktari, CEO of the Special Competitive Studies Project, back with another edition of Memos to the President. I had the privilege of interviewing SCSP Board Member, Robert O. Work—former Deputy Secretary of Defense, where he was responsible for overseeing the day-to-day business of the Pentagon and developing the Department’s $600 billion defense program. Secretary Work is widely credited for his work with leaders in the Department and the Intelligence Community on the “Third Offset Strategy,” which aimed to restore U.S. conventional overmatch over its strategic rivals and adversaries.
My career, like that of many others, has been profoundly shaped by the invaluable experience of working under Secretary Work’s leadership. Whether at the Pentagon, or later at the National Security Commission on AI, his strategic vision and dedication to national security have been truly inspiring. There are few leaders who possess his depth of knowledge and commitment, and I consider it an immense honor to have contributed to his efforts. Our wide-ranging discussion covered AI and the future of warfare, the Third Offset Strategy, and strategic guidance for the Secretary of Defense in a new administration.
I hope you enjoy the conversation.
SCSP Hosts Second Hackathon on March 29th!
SCSP is partnering with AGI House for another exciting hackathon. We are bringing together top tech talent to tackle critical challenges with agentic AI.
Teams will deliver novel solutions for government applications and compete for $50,000 in prizes provided by George Mason University!
Launched Monday: Strait Forward, a New SCSP Podcast
Hosted by SCSP’s Channing Lee and Libby Lange and filmed in the SCSP studio, the podcast will feature some of the people discussed in this newsletter, as well as others in Taiwan and around the world. The next episode will come out next Monday, March 24, and future episodes will be released every other Monday.