On this episode of The Defense Unicorns Podcast, host and CEO of Defense Unicorns, Rob Slaughter, sits down with Lauren Knausenberger, Chief Innovation Officer, and Bob Ritchie, CGO/CTO, at SAIC, to unpack the evolving intersection of defense, technology, and innovation. From their roots in the Department of Defense to leadership roles at a Fortune 500 integrator, Lauren and Bob bring a front-row view into how mission-driven tech is reshaping the national security landscape.

They share what it means to partner across startups, integrators, and government, and why solving the toughest defense challenges requires an open, collaborative ecosystem. Lauren reflects on the cultural and structural shifts sparked by efforts like AFWERX and DIU, while Bob breaks down how cloud platforms and open source models are changing the game, especially at scale.

Together, they dig into the growing momentum behind outcome-based acquisition, the importance of credible venture investment in national security startups, and why the real question isn’t “who owns the tech,” but “who’s focused on the mission.” From acquisition reform to continuous ATOs and lessons from Ukraine, this episode is a grounded, insider perspective on what it takes to modernize defense in both mindset and execution.

Key Quotes:
"We do bias towards companies that are dedicated to open source and towards the ability to help support those companies succeed, which is one of the most amazing things about what you've done with Defense Unicorns – just the one of the top Kubernetes contributors in the world, then the largest, open source contributor in the industrial base. So, those sorts of principles and values of dedication to mission, and the high standard of craftsmanship around software delivery that it takes to do your software development in open source, is something that really attracts us and how we go and think about partnerships.” - Bob

"Our core competency is solving really gnarly problems and bringing all of the tribe and all of the pieces together, and solving the problem. We're not going to be a hyperscaler and an individual enterprise services provider – we can't possibly do all of those things better than everyone else. The warfighter and the operators, they deserve the best capabilities for the mission. So, we do take it very seriously to constantly survey the environment and see who has amazing capabilities that we can bring in now and who has capabilities that we think we need in two years that maybe we should seed through our Ventures program." - Lauren

Time Stamps:
(00:44) The Mission and Vision of SAIC
(08:04) The Impact of Defense Innovation Programs
(12:23) SAIC's Approach to Partnerships
(21:31) Changes in Defense Policy and Funding
(39:32) Today’s Modern Warfare and Information Dominance
(45:30) Recommendations for Innovators for Today’s Defense

Links:
Connect with Bob Ritchie
Connect with Lauren Knausenberger
Connect with Rob Slaughter
Learn More About Defense Unicorns

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On this episode of The Defense Unicorns Podcast, host Rebecca Lively sits down with Brandt Keller, software engineer and CNCF ambassador, to explore what happens when a former Marine brings his frontline mindset to DevSecOps. Brandt’s story is one of relentless problem-solving, especially in disconnected, air-gapped environments where “cloud-native” has to mean something entirely different.

Brandt unpacks how open source can be both a lifeline and a liability in government systems, and why just consuming it isn’t enough—real security means showing up, contributing, and understanding what’s under the hood. He shares his perspective on trust, transparency, and why the U.S. government’s lack of contribution to critical tools like Kubernetes might be the real risk. The conversation also explores the cultural shift required to embrace open ecosystems in highly regulated spaces.

From debates over supply chain security and SBOMs to the practical challenges of deploying software in classified settings, this episode offers a grounded, behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to build tools that truly work at the tactical edge.

Key Quote:

“ When you try to take something that is not airgap friendly and make it airgap friendly, you quickly find out that you made a lot of assumptions about how this thing would be used and where, and kind of the underlying infrastructure and when you try to work back for them that it's, it, it's difficult. It's not something you can't overcome. It's not insurmountable, but it is difficult. But you also find out that there's just a lot of areas for. Resiliency that you didn't also plan for, that applied to connected environments. And so this is where I've kind of been diving into this more and more lately to try and to describe, and build some knowledge to around why this is important for kind of building any application today. It may be a little niche to go to the extreme of air gap, but I believe like there's still some of these underlying cloud native fundamentals that is like, if you start with the ability for knowing how your architecture adapts to varying levels of connectivity, then you're probably building a stronger, more resilient system overall.”

• Brandt Keller

Time Stamps:

(03:19) The Defense Sector and Career Path

(06:15) Becoming a Cloud Native Computing Foundation Ambassador

(09:48) Open Source Contributions and the Challenges

(14:14) Government and the lack of Open Source

(32:53) Kubernetes and Foreign Contributions

(37:24) The Importance of Air Gap in Cloud Native Tools

(53:16) Lightning Round

Links:

Connect with Brandt Keller

Connect with Rebecca Lively

Learn More About Defense Unicorns

On this episode of The Defense Unicorns Podcast, host Rebecca Lively chats with Case Wylie, Software Engineering Lead, about building security-minded software that keeps up with developer velocity. From his early days at Red Hat to architecting open-source tools at Defense Unicorns, Case shares how Pepr—a TypeScript-based operator framework—is redefining how Kubernetes clusters are secured and managed in airgapped environments. It’s not just about enforcing policy; it’s about enabling developers to move faster, safer, and smarter.

Through real-world metaphors (ever been to a nightclub with strict bouncers?), Case breaks down the roles of admission controllers, operator frameworks, and how Pepr works seamlessly with GitOps without adding friction. He explains why Pepr isn’t just a tool, but part of a broader movement to standardize security postures, reduce configuration drift, and empower app teams to focus on delivering real value. With a human-first API and open-source DNA, Pepr is built to be accessible to all, not just Kubernetes power users.

If you’re curious about what it takes to scale secure software in complex, mission-critical environments—or just want a fresh, practical take on DevSecOps—this episode delivers. Case also shares his philosophy on open-source collaboration and what it means to build tools that truly stand the test of scale and scrutiny.

Key Quote:

“Pepr will always be open source and the reason why it's open source is because frankly, open source software, when your software is open source, you expose the application or the software or the platform, whatever it is to exponentially more eyes and more eyes over time and then more people start adopting it and using it and saying like, ‘Hey, you know what? I do have this simple thing I always have to do in my cluster. Maybe I try Pepr for that.’ Right? And then they do it with a simple task, and then they say, ‘Hey, you know what? It would be great if Pepr could do this thing. And they put in a feature request. Then we develop that feature request, or they develop it, and they submit a PR to Pepr. And now Pepr as a whole is better because now you're using it. I'm using it. They're using it. The more people that use it, the better.”

• Case Wylie

Time Stamps:

(02:44) Introduction to UDS and Pepr

(05:59) The Importance of Air-Gapped Environments

(11:40) Understanding Kubernetes Admission Control

(16:05) Comparing Pepr with Other Tools

(22:00) Why Pepr Uses TypeScript

(34:03) The Benefits of Open Source for Pepr

(43:31) Lightning Round

Links:

Connect with Casey Wylie

Connect with Rebecca Lively

Learn More About Defense Unicorns