This Success After Service (SAS) episode features Daniel Gomez, Founder & CEO of First Person Xperience and 23-year Army veteran, returning to GovCon Unscripted for a high-level discussion on modern warfare, doctrine, AI disruption, and the power of simulation-based training.

From EFP innovation in Iraq to drone warfare in Ukraine and generative AI shaping perception in real time, Danny breaks down why technology alone doesn’t win wars, humans do.

This conversation explores:

• Why military planning is fundamentally storytelling

• How simulation and “fictitious play” prepare leaders for chaos

• Why doctrine must evolve, but carefully

• The psychological impact of information warfare

• What GovCon leaders can learn from battlefield adaptability

If you operate in federal contracting, national defense, or emerging tech—this episode reframes how you think about risk, innovation, and strategic decision-making.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction to Success After Service series

02:00 – Iran strike discussion & strategic reactions

08:30 – Why technology alone doesn’t win wars

10:45 – The Rhino Mount innovation story

16:00 – Drones, doctrine, and adaptation

19:00 – AI, psyop anime, and perception warfare

25:00 – Storytelling as military planning

31:00 – “The Closest Thing to War” training philosophy

36:00 – Lessons from Ukraine drone footage

39:00 – Building the LAB: Simulation for modern leaders

Resources:

First Person Xperience Website

Daniel's LinkedIn Profile

Chelsea's LinkedIn Profile

🎧 Listen now on:

🔹 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482

🔹 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy

Like and follow us:

🔹 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS

🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpodcast/

🔹 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/

Join our #govcon #community:

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/

New to GovCon? Here’s a guide:

https://share.hsforms.com/288nO18bsRCCmdJZL66pClwbzmvx

21 AI Prompts to Supercharge Your GovCon BD Engine::

https://collaborativecompositions.com/21-ai-prompts-to-supercharge-your-govcon-bd-engine/

AI Prompt Guide for Federal Contractor Marketing:

https://collaborativecompositions.com/ai-prompt-guide-for-federal-contractor-marketing/

18 AI Prompts to Build Your GovCon Growth Strategy::

https://collaborativecompositions.com/18-ai-prompts-for-govcon-growth-strategy/

In this episode of GovCon Unscripted, Chelsea Roberts sits down with Dr. David Bray to discuss why modern threats are moving faster than government acquisition cycles and what that means for contractors, policy makers, and the defense industrial base.

They explore the growing gap between policy and implementation, the risks of long procurement timelines, why agility matters more than ever, and how leadership, joint ventures, and new funding models may shape the future of government contracting.

Timestamps:

01:00 Policy vs implementation

03:20 Governance vs government

06:30 Acquisition speed problems

08:10 Agile vs traditional systems

10:30 Lessons from Ukraine and drones

14:00 Policy changes and execution gaps

18:00 Operational accountability

21:05 Obsolescence risk in procurement

26:20 Responsible heretics and leadership

33:40 Policy changes ahead

37:30 Future of primes and joint ventures

Resources:

Dr. David Bray's LinkedIn Profile

Stimson Center

Chelsea Roberts's LinkedIn Profile

🎧 Listen now on:

🔹 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482

🔹 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy

Like and follow us:

🔹 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS

🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpodcast/

🔹 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/

Join our #govcon #community:

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/

New to GovCon? Here’s a guide for you:

https://share.hsforms.com/288nO18bsRCCmdJZL66pClwbzmvx

21 AI Prompts to Supercharge Your GovCon BD Engine:

https://collaborativecompositions.com/21-ai-prompts-to-supercharge-your-govcon-bd-engine/

AI Prompt Guide for Federal Contractor Marketing

https://collaborativecompositions.com/ai-prompt-guide-for-federal-contractor-marketing/