Episodes
Ghost Fleet at 10: Fiction as a Strategic Tool with author August Cole
In this episode of Building the Base, Hondo Geurts and Lauren Bedula sit down with August Cole, strategist, author, and futurist who has spent his career exploring fiction's role in national security strategy. Drawing from his journey from Wall Street Journal journalist covering defense and technolo...
Academia's Role in National Security with Jamie Jones Miller of Northeastern University Arlington
In this episode of Building the Base, Hondo Geurts and Lauren Bedula sit down with Jamie Jones Miller, CEO of Northeastern University's Arlington campus and Interim Director of the Kostas Research Institute. Drawing from her journey from Capitol Hill legislative work on the House Armed Services Comm...
Innovation at the Speed of Battle with Zach Beecher of Scout Ventures
In this episode of Building the Base, Hondo Geurts and Lauren Bedula sit down with Zach Beecher, Partner at Scout Ventures, who brings a unique perspective from serving as a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division in Iraq to now leading dual-use technology investments on the front lines of defen...
No Substitute for Victory: A Green Beret's Defense Mission with Rep. Pat Harrigan
In this episode of Building the Base, Hondo Geurts and Lauren Bedula sit down with Congressman Pat Harrigan (NC-10), who brings a rare combination of Special Forces experience, defense entrepreneurship, and fresh congressional perspective to America's national security challenges. Drawing from his s...
Innovation through Incrementalism: Rep. Jim Himes, Ranking Member, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
In this episode of Building the Base, Hondo Geurts and Lauren Bedula sit down with Ranking Member Jim Himes (D-CT), who serves on both the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Financial Services Committee. Drawing from his unique background spanning Wall Street and public s...
From Submariner to CEO: Cameron McCord's Journey Building Nominal
In this episode of Building the Base, Hondo Geurts and Lauren Bedula reconnect with Cameron McCord, Co-Founder and CEO of Nominal, two years after his first appearance on the show (linked here ). Drawing from his unique journey from submarine officer (484 days underwater) to defense tech entrepreneu...
Financing the Fight with Chris Lay and James Parker of Leonid Capital Partners
In this episode of Building the Base, Hondo Geurts and Lauren Bedula are joined by James Parker and Chris Lay, co-founding partners of Leonid Capital Partners , a private credit fund supporting the US national security ecosystem. Drawing from their unique backgrounds in astrophysics and neuroscience...
"From Production Lines to Front Lines," with Becca Wasser and Philip Sheers of CNAS
In this episode of Building the Base, Hondo Geurts and Lauren Bedula are joined by Becca Wasser and Philip Sheers from the Center for New American Security (CNAS) to discuss their recent report, "From Production Lines to Front Lines." Drawing from extensive industry research and stakeholder intervie...
"Supply Chains Win Wars": Rare Earth Magnets with John Maslin, CEO Vulcan Elements
In this episode of Building the Base, Hondo Geurts and Lauren Bedula sit down with John Maslin, Co-founder and CEO of Vulcan Elements , for an insightful conversation about the critical importance of rare earth magnets to U.S. national security. Drawing from his background as a Navy Supply Corps off...