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TRANSFORM OUR ACQUISITION PROCESS
TO WIN THE SILENT WAR

WITH MAJOR GENERAL CAMERON HOLT, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE FOR ACQUISITION

02:37     Single largest threat to our nation? The ‘Silent War’ with China 
05:34     They know how to pull together the 4 instruments of natl. power
06:44     There doesn’t have to be explosions for China to win the war
07:25      War is not all about military-on-military force
08:06     We’re glossing over China’s plan to manipulate governments 
09:00     We need to put our acquisition on a wartime footing  
09:50     Moving at a wartime pace is the best deterrent   
11:25      An enormous bureaucracy fuels itself 
13:35     Our acquisition system is archaic—created by McNamara in 1961
14:52     An acquisition system that blocks good choices
17:12      Accountability with no measure of effectiveness
17:41      Continuing resolution process fuels fraud, waste, and abuse 
19:12      Authority delegation—instead of micromanaging—gets results
20:26     We have proven in the past that we can move faster 
22:57     A business model with barriers to entry that are enormously high
26:04     Incentives to lose money on the front-end, earn it on the backend
27:16     Government-sponsored IP vendor lock inhibits competition
28:09     IP vendor lock model should change to a speed-to-market model
29:11      System that continues to support vendor lock vs. speed 
30:59     Change the model so everyone is on a level playing field
32:57     Put profit in the right place to incentivize the right behaviors 
36:07     2 initiatives that produced results in the past 
36:55     Leaders who eliminate the recrimination culture succeed 
37:50     Our ‘why’ is not compliance, it’s to get the mission done
38:42     Eliminated 700 pages of bureaucracy 
40:49     Micromanagers waste enormous resources by not delegating 
42:58     Changing the culture changes everything 
43:55     Knowing the system greatly helps speed to contract & market 
48:37     My mission? Bold ideas that change everything in the system
02:37   Single largest threat to our nation? The ‘Silent War’ with China 
05:34   China knows how to pull together the 4 instruments of national power
06:44   There doesn’t have to be explosions for China to win the war
07:25   War is not all about military-on-military force
08:06   We’re glossing over China’s plan to manipulate governments 
09:00   We need to put our acquisition on a wartime footing  
09:50   Moving at a wartime pace is the best deterrent   
11:25    An enormous bureaucracy fuels itself 
13:35   Our acquisition system is archaic - created by Robert McNamara in 1961
14:52    An acquisition system that disallows management to make good choices
17:12    Accountability with no measure of effectiveness
17:41    Continuing resolution process fuels fraud, waste, and abuse 
19:12     Authority delegation—instead of micromanagement—produces results
20:26    We have proven in the past that we can move faster 
22:57     A business model with barriers to entry that are enormously high
26:04    Incentives to lose money on the front-end, earn it on the backend
27:16     Government-sponsored IP vendor lock inhibits competition
28:09    IP vendor lock model should change to a speed-to-market model
29:11     A system that continues to support IP vendor lock vs. speed to market 
30:59   Change the model so everyone is on a level playing field
32:57    Put profit in the right place to incentivize the right behaviors 
36:07    2 initiatives that produced results in the past 
36:55    Leaders who eliminate the recrimination culture succeed 
37:50    Our ‘why’ is not compliance, it’s to get the mission done
38:42    Eliminated 700 pages of bureaucracy 
40:49    Micromanaging leaders waste enormous resources by not delegating 
42:58    Changing the culture changes everything 
43:55    Knowing the system well will greatly help speed to contract and market 
48:37    My mission? Offer bold ideas that change everything in the system

Host Tim Templeton talks with Major General Cameron Holt (retired) about the single largest threat to our nation: the ‘Silent War’ with China. It’s not a war that’s entirely about military-on-military force. However, the need to quickly move the U.S. acquisition system into a consistent wartime mentality is greater now than ever before.

BIOGRAPHY

Major General Cameron Holt served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition. Currently, Mr. Holt is the president and founder of Holt Consulting Group. The focus of his work is to bring together the best of American industrialists, technologists, and capital investors with innovative problem solvers and government to tilt the scales in favor of America and our allies—and against the adversaries of freedom. 

Mr. Holt recently completed 32 years of military service, including his last four years as Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Air Force and Space Force. In that capacity, he oversaw a global contracting portfolio valued in excess of $825 billion, and over 8,000 contractors that executed the full range of operational enterprise sourcing in major weapons systems worldwide.

Mr. Holt serves on the board of directors of the National Contract Management Association and as a member of the P P B E Reform Task Force that's sponsored by the American Society of Military Controllers.

As a patriot, a husband, and a father of four great kids, he remains committed to leveraging his extensive leadership and national security experience to make positive, lasting improvements to our unnecessarily complex and antiquated Cold War-era national security resourcing and acquisition system. All with an end game to accelerate and optimize US combat capabilities and further secure our nation against adversaries. 

Biography

Major General Cameron Holt served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition. Currently, Mr. Holt is the president and founder of Holt Consulting Group. The focus of his work is to bring together the best of American industrialists, technologists, and capital investors with innovative problem solvers and government to tilt the scales in favor of America and our allies—and against the adversaries of freedom. 

Mr. Holt recently completed 32 years of military service, including his last four years as Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Air Force and Space Force. In that capacity, he oversaw a global contracting portfolio valued in excess of $825 billion, and over 8,000 contractors that executed the full range of operational enterprise sourcing in major weapons systems worldwide.

Mr. Holt serves on the board of directors of the National Contract Management Association and as a member of the P P B E Reform Task Force that's sponsored by the American Society of Military Controllers.

As a patriot, a husband, and a father of four great kids, he remains committed to leveraging his extensive leadership and national security experience to make positive, lasting improvements to our unnecessarily complex and antiquated Cold War-era national security resourcing and acquisition system. All with an end game to accelerate and optimize US combat capabilities and further secure our nation against adversaries.

ALL Episodes

Cameron Holt

Transform our Acquisition Process to Win the Silent War

A conversation with Major General Cameron Holt

Soraya Correa

Act with Urgency in Both Peacetime and Wartime

A conversation with Soraya Correa

David Drabkin

USE THE FAR AS A SWORD, NOT A SHIELD

A conversation with David Drabkin

ELLIOTT BRANCH

Make Value Analysis & Modular IP Systems a Reality

A conversation with Elliott Branch 

cover_will

Arm Warfighters Faster through Mid-Tier Acquisition Authority

A conversation with William Greenwalt

#6 DAVID CADE

GOVERNMENT CAN SAVE TIME & MONEY
USING COMMERCIAL APPROACHES

A conversation with David Cade

#7 STAN SOLOWAY

KNOW HOW TO FULLY LEVERAGE
OTAs & OTHER TOOLS & TECH

A conversation with Stan Soloway 

#8 SHAY ASSAD

FUSE DEFENSE & COMMERICAL BUSINESS MODELS TO BENEFIT THE WARFIGHTER

A conversation with Shay Assad  

#9 JAMES HONDO GUERTS v.1

FROM $75B TO $150B IN CONTRACTS PER YEAR, USING FEWER RESOURCES

A conversation with James 'Hondo' Geurts  

michael-williams-4

USE TECHNOLOGY TO CREATE MASSIVE CONTRACT MOMENTUM

A conversation with Michael Weaver

sum2

ACHIEVING PRICING EXCELLENCE DURING UNCERTAIN TIMES

Network and learn from the leaders in Government Contracting. Attend fascinating keynote sessions and live-panel discussions that include Speed to Contract. Speed to Market., at the Government Contract Pricing Summit, June 20 -22  2023, in San Diego CA.

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