JPME Phase I: Module 4 - Joint Capabilities

Module 4 looks like a catalog of joint capabilities until you realize it is really a lesson in integration under constraint. This post takes you past the buffet-style myth of pick a Service and the re...

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SAFe is Not Safe: A Better Playbook

SAFe promises alignment and agility at scale, but too often delivers a polished bureaucracy that optimizes for plan compliance over learning and outcomes. This post explains why that happens, then lay...

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2025 Wrapped

2025 was a year of hard pivots and harder realities. Mandated return-to-office, long commutes, and a rapidly shifting federal work environment tested work-life balance and forced a candid reassessment...

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JPME Phase I: Module 3 - Operational Art

A practical tour of Operational Art from JPME Phase I: start with the objective, balance time, space, and force, and design campaigns you can actually run. Leyte and the Falklands do the heavy lifting...

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JPME Phase I: Module 2 - The Security Environment

From the global chessboard to the gritty realities of leadership, Module 2 of JPME Phase I was a relentless deep dive into how national strategy is made, shaped, and executed. Structured around three ...

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AI, ML & GenAI Demystified Series: Cloud-Native Foundations

Cloud providers love to say they're AI-ready—but what does that actually mean? In this final post of the AI, ML & GenAI Demystified series, I took the exams, read the docs, and compared the tech so yo...

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AI, ML & GenAI Demystified Series: Skynet activation

In Part 6 of the AI, ML & GenAI Demystified series, we go from theory to reality—where your model is no longer just a lab experiment, but a living system running at scale. Titled 'Skynet Activation,' ...

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AI, ML & GenAI Demystified Series: Judgement Day

Before you can trust a model, you need to test it — not just in theory, but under real-world pressure. In this post, we unpack how to evaluate AI systems across task types and use cases. From precisio...

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AI, ML & GenAI Demystified Series: Training Day

What really happens when an AI learns? In this hands-on guide to machine learning training, we peel back the curtain on what it means to teach a model—from supervised and self-supervised learning to t...

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AI, ML & GenAI Demystified Series: Good Data Beats Clever Models

Great AI starts with great ingredients — and bad ones spoil everything. This post dives into the real work behind modern machine learning: collecting, cleaning, shaping, and storing data that models c...

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AI, ML & GenAI Demystified Series: Should AI Solve This?

This second post in the AI, ML & GenAI Demystified Series confronts the one question most teams skip: Should AI even solve this problem? With real talk on where AI shines—and where it absolutely doesn...

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AI, ML & GenAI Demystified Series: Foundations of Modern AI

This first post in the AI, ML & GenAI Demystified Series traces the evolution of artificial intelligence—from early rule-based systems to today's generative models—laying the foundation for everything...

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JPME Phase I: Module 1 - Fundamentals of Strategy

What does it really mean to think strategically in war? In this second post of my JPME Phase I series, I dive into Module 1: Fundamentals of Strategy, where timeless theories from Clausewitz to Wylie ...

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Staff Assist Visit: NORAD, NORTHCOM, SPACECOM, and the MMC

What does homeland defense really look like behind the acronym walls and PowerPoint decks? This post takes you inside a weeklong journey to NORAD/NORTHCOM, SPACECOM, and the Mission Management Center—...

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JPME Phase I: Foundational Knowledge Course (FKC)

Curious what it's like to step into the Naval War College's JPME program as a federal civilian? This post kicks off my journey through the Naval Command and Staff Online course, starting with the six-...

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CompTIA Security+ Renewal

Renewing a certification might not be the most thrilling task, but if you're in the federal cybersecurity world, keeping your CompTIA Security+ active is a must. In this post, I break down how I renew...

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Staff Assist Visit: USINDOPACOM

Embark on a journey to Hawaii, where the mission meets paradise. From the critical intelligence and operations hubs of USINDOPACOM to the breathtaking temples, iconic filming locations, and unforgetta...

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2024 Wrapped

2024 was a year of charting new waters—literally and figuratively. From deploying aboard a U.S. Navy warship for the first time to visiting four combatant commands, earning two AWS certifications, and...

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