IDB | Institute for Defense & Business

In partnership with the IDB | Institute for Defense & Business, we are thrilled to congratulate our first class of Emerging Leadership Development Program graduates from #VNation! ?? A group of our talented future leaders spent an intensive week offsite, learning from world-class faculty on how to think strategically and enhance their creative problem-solving skills. They tackled a challenging problem statement from our CEO and presented their innovative solutions and recommendations. We are incredibly proud of the dedication and growth demonstrated by all participants! #ProfessionalDevelopment? #EmergingLeaders? #Leadership #Victra

The March LOGTECH ADV Program has now come to a close, providing a valuable opportunity to reflect on the progress made throughout the week. Teams worked diligently to tackle complex, forward-looking challenges, developing plans and strategies to address them. The culmination of this effort was a series of presentations on Friday, covering critical topics such as the US Defense Industrial Base, Contested Logistics, Integrating AI into Military Logistics, Turning Data into Action for Effective Decision-Making in Combat Commands, and Building a Resilient Defense Industrial Ecosystem. These solutions were presented to a distinguished panel, including LtGen. Mark Faulkner, USMC, and Mr. Channing Irvin, Senior VP and Head of Vendor Risk at Fidelity Investments. The week was filled with learning, collaboration, and growth. A heartfelt thank you to all the speakers, participants, and panelists for making this experience so impactful and enriching!

Days 3 and 4 of our LOGTECH Advanced program have been an incredible success! Our outstanding faculty continues to empower the leaders of tomorrow with cutting-edge tools and insights, cultivating an atmosphere of critical thinking and collaboration. On Wednesday morning, Dr. Ronald Ti, who recently earned his PhD in Defense Studies from King's College London and brings over 30 years of experience in the Australian Army, specializing in NATO military logistics and health logistics, joined us from Poland. He delivered a highly informative session on regional sustainment and strategies for enabling logistics at contested distances. Later that day, Dr. Navin Bapat, Chair of Peace, War, and Defense at UNC-Chapel Hill, explored the economic instrument of National Power, examining its intersection with political science and geography—and its critical relevance to logisticians. This morning, Dr. Al Segars, UNC Chapel Hill Kenan-Flagler Business School led an engaging session on Leading Innovation, encouraging leaders to ask the right questions and fostering collaboration through community-building. He also guided participants through hands-on small group exercises, introducing the ‘Seven Principles of Innovation’ and the ‘Investment Triage’ framework. We are incredibly grateful and proud of our exceptional leaders for their invaluable contributions and insights throughout the week! The week-long program will conclude on Friday with small group report-outs where the participants will demonstrate practical application of the concepts and lessons from the various academic sessions.

What an exciting start! On Sunday, we launched our LOGTECH Advanced program with an incredible group of participants! We have 31 exceptional leaders joining us in person and 4 dedicated leaders participating virtually. These individuals are committed to enhancing their leadership skills, regardless of the circumstances. Representing the Department of Defense, the US Air Force, US Navy, US Army and the US Marine Corps, these leaders gathered in Chapel Hill, NC to kick off this invaluable educational experience. ? On Monday morning, LTC Robin Johnson, USA (Ret), Hoover Institution Fellow at Stanford University, took the stage to discuss the benefits of improvisation for psychological performance. Her dynamic session highlighted the significance of adaptability and quick decision-making in fast-paced, high-pressure situations. ? In the afternoon, Dr. Jon Kirchoff from East Carolina University led a session on Supply Chain Risk Management and Building Resilience. One participant shared that Dr. Kirchoff’s session provided valuable insights on "working through a complex real-world challenge with a team of people we didn’t know, from different backgrounds." We’re excited to continue learning and growing together throughout the week! #LogTechAdv #LeadershipDevelopment #InnovationInLogistics

We Develop Leaders!! Now that the February LOGTECH ADV Program has concluded, it’s a great time to reflect on the progress made throughout the week, and our group projects and problem statements. This past Thursday, we had the privilege of learning from two incredible experts— Dr. John Kros and Dr. Jon Kirchoff from East Carolina University School of Business. They led a thought-provoking discussion on supply chain risk and resilience, diving into contemporary case studies that challenged us to think critically and collaboratively. Later in the day, Dr. Seyed Emadi from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School took us through the importance of data fluency. He shared how proper data collection and interpretation can help streamline plans, provide valuable insights, and ultimately serve as a roadmap for the future. Throughout the week, teams worked diligently to solve complex problems that might be faced in the future. Together, they crafted plans and strategies to confront these challenges, culminating in report-outs on Friday. The teams presented their solutions to an esteemed panel, including LtGen. Mark Faulkner, USMC, Gen. (ret.) Mark "Grace" Kelley, USAF and Mr. Joe Brooks, OASD-S—who offered invaluable insights and feedback. It’s been a week of learning, collaboration, and growth. A huge thank you to all of the speakers, participants, and panelists for making this experience so enriching!

Day 3 of the LOGTECH ADV Program has been an incredible learning experience, and we are absorbing invaluable insights that will shape the leaders of tomorrow. Our distinguished faculty members continue to equip us with a wide range of relevant, results-driven strategies designed to tackle the complex challenges of modern logistics. On Tuesday, Dr. Albert Segars led a session on Leading Innovation, opening doors to effective problem-solving solutions and fostering creative thinking among participants. Wednesday kicked off with Dr. Ronald Ti, who recently completed his PhD in Defense Studies at King's College London and has over 30 years of experience in the Australian Army, specializing in NATO military logistics and health logistics, called in from Poland. He provided an insightful session on regional sustainment and how to enable logistics at contested distances. The day concluded with Dr. Navin Bapat, who guided us through the critical connections between the global economy and international security. These dynamic sessions are enabling participants to refine their leadership skills and gain the knowledge to address pressing global challenges. #LogTechAdv #LeadershipDevelopment #InnovationInLogistics

We Develop Leaders!! We are excited to announce our February 2025 LOGTECH Advanced Program has officially kicked off with a dynamic and diverse cohort of leaders from various organizations. These professionals are collaborating to tackle complex challenges and drive innovation in their fields. Our distinguished faculty delivered invaluable insights and cutting-edge tools, empowering participants with the skills necessary for effective leadership while fostering an environment of collaboration and creative problem-solving. The day began with LTC (Ret.) Robin Johnson, Certified Humor Professional and Hoover Institution Fellow at Stanford University. She infused the session with humor and facilitated interactive exercises to enhance participants' improvisational skills. These activities demonstrated how humor can be a powerful tool in navigating difficult conversations and addressing workplace challenges. Johnson’s expertise in situational intelligence and interpersonal skills provided key takeaways for managing high-stakes interactions. Following this, Dan Kunze of Business Executives for National Security presented a value-based problem-solving framework, drawing on his extensive experience within the Department of Defense, other federal and state agencies, and organizations that support transition and workforce development for veterans. His session focused on effectively isolating issues, balancing personal and organizational values, and applying strategies that drive sound decision-making in complex environments. We concluded Day 1 with Dr. Paul Stanfield, who introduced participants to the concept of Next Generation Systems Thinking through the lens of organizational culture and skill-building. Dr. Stanfield's session provided practical strategies for enhancing problem-solving capabilities within organizations, equipping leaders with the tools to drive systemic change. We are thrilled to witness this cohort of leaders embark on their journey to advance their skills and make a lasting impact in their respective fields. #LOGTECHAdvanced #LeadershipDevelopment #Innovation #Collaboration #Leadership #ProfessionalGrowth #Logistics #Technology

Day 3 of IDB’s inaugural Victra Emerging Leaders Program (VELP) is underway! Rain, snow or shine, our amazing faculty continue to provide these telecommunications leaders with the tools they will need to thrive in the competitive business environment of the future.? ? Monday morning started off with Robin Johnson, who took participants on a comedic journey through the various ways in which humor, improv and quick-thinking can be used to fuel positive mind-sets, explore new perspectives and help embrace new methods of problem-solving.? ? Dr. Kenny Herbst led participants in a discussion about Victra’s strengths and weakness and opportunities for growth, as well as recent strategies that have emerged in the constantly evolving field of marketing. Dr. Herbst then used the rest of the day to continue engaging participants in conversations about industry best practices, marketing models and how to create the ideal customer experience.? ? Dr. Steve Walton had Tuesday for himself, and provided our VELP cohort with both a marco- and micro- overview of how businesses stay productive, creative and healthy! Dr. Walton also helped introduce participants to their problem statements, so stay tuned until Friday’s group report-outs to see what they come up with! ? See you at graduation! #VELP #Growth #InnovativeMindsets #Change #Industry

Advancing OIB Modernization LtGen Faulkner, USMC (Ret.), President of the Institute for Defense and Business (IDB), and Mr. Mike Bogdahn, Vice President of Strategy, currently engaging with the NDIA OIB Modernization Panel led by SES Pat Kelleher, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Materiel Readiness, OASD. A great discussion on the challenges and opportunities in modernizing the Organic Industrial Base (OIB) to enhance defense readiness. IDB remains committed to driving impactful conversations and solutions in this critical space. #OIBModernization #DefenseReadiness #Leadership #NationalSecurity

Kicking off NDIA’s 39th Annual Logistics Forum with a day to remember! Day 1 was a huge success for the IDB at #NDIALOG25. We had the honor of presenting the 2025 GEN William G.T. Tuttle, Jr. Award to Dr. Theresa A. Smith and the JPEO AA team—congratulations on their outstanding contributions to defense logistics! Adding to the excitement, our president, LtGen (Ret) William "Mark" Faulkner was surprised with his selection to receive the "Logistician Emeritus Award", recognizing his decades of leadership and impact in the logistics field. He then took the stage to lead the Service 4 Panel, driving critical discussions on the future of military logistics. A fantastic start to the forum—we’re looking forward to more collaboration and innovation in the days ahead! #defenselogistics #militaryinnovation #leadership #logistics #DefenseInnovation #nationaldefense #servicepanel #DefenseCommunity