Pallas Advisors

?? One Week Until #GivingTuesday! This Giving Tuesday, join us in making a lasting impact on national security and innovation. Thanks to a generous donor, every dollar you give during our End-of-Year Matching Campaign will be matched 100%! ?? Together, we aim to raise $500,000 to fuel our mission, whether you choose to support a specific program or our overall operational efforts. ?? Mark your calendars for December 3rd and be a part of this incredible opportunity to double your impact. Donations can easily be made via our website (https://lnkd.in/eBMf-RZK). Let’s reach this goal together! #EndOfYearGiving #DoubleImpact

ICYMI: The Pallas Foundation hosted its second annual National Security Innovation Forum (NSIF) this week at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center in Washington, D.C. The event brought together leaders from government and industry to drive actionable solutions for the future of defense innovation.?Attendees heard from a bipartisan group of speakers, including?the Honorable Sue Gordon,?General Randy George,?General Tim Haugh,?Admiral Sam Paparo,?Senator Shaheen, Senator Sullivan,?Alex Karp of Palantir Technologies,?Brandon Tseng of Shield AI, and Thomas Tull?of TWG Global,?along with other decision makers from the private and public sectors. We want to thank Mike Bloomberg,?who chairs the Defense Innovation Board and?whose?commitment to defense and rebuilding America’s national security industrial base through events like NSIF is an inspiration. We are already looking forward to next year!

It was an honor to host Jocelyn Moore yesterday for a Leadership and Professional Development (LPD) session with the Pallas team. Jocelyn serves as a director on the boards of DraftKings Inc., OppFi, Omaze, and Pallas Advisors, and runs her own corporate affairs consultancy. She is also a former Executive Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs at the National Football League (NFL) and spent 15 years working in the U.S. Senate. During her session, Jocelyn emphasized that one of the most important traits of a good leader is the ability to actively listen. She shared her inspiring journey, demonstrating how a diverse and well-rounded background paired with steadfast values can shape impactful leadership. On the importance of mentorship and creating your own opportunities, Jocelyn said: “If people aren’t interested in hearing your perspective at the table, make your own table.”? Thank you, Jocelyn, for your wisdom and authenticity–you’ve truly inspired our team!?

Pallas Advisors is pleased to welcome Gen. (Ret.) Mike Minihan, Former Commander of Air Mobility Command, to the firm as a Senior Principal! "General Minihan's bold leadership and adoption of new technologies, like autonomy and unmanned systems, make him an exceptional addition to our team," said Sally Donnelly, Founding Partner at Pallas Advisors. "His deep understanding of the Indo-Pacific and his willingness to challenge slow-moving decision cycles will be instrumental in helping our clients navigate complex national security challenges." "I'm excited to join the Pallas team and leverage my experience to help accelerate the delivery of cutting-edge capabilities to our warfighters while strengthening our national security posture,” said Mike Minihan. Welcome General Minihan!

Pallas recently hosted a Leader Professional Development session with Thom Geiser, Armed Forces Special Advisor, and Maria Metcalf, Armed and Security Forces Delegate from the International Committee of the Red Cross - ICRC. Drawing from their personal experiences, they shared powerful insights into the ICRC’s mission to protect lives and dignity in the world’s most challenging environments. With its headquarters in Geneva, the ICRC serves as a global hub for humanitarian diplomacy, fostering critical dialogue with governments and international organizations to uphold the principles of international humanitarian law. For over 160 years, the ICRC has led efforts to provide aid to displaced communities, facilitate prisoner exchanges, and promote the protection of civilians in conflict zones. The Pallas Foundation is proud to partner with the ICRC to support the continued professional growth of our Fellows. This partnership places former Pallas Foundation Fellows in follow-on research roles at the ICRC, enabling them to deepen their expertise in the national security domain. We are especially excited to see our former Pallas Fellow, Krista McSwain, advancing the ICRC’s critical mission through her research fellowship with their DC Delegation. At its core, the ICRC’s work reminds us that national security is about safeguarding humanity.

Col. Danielle Willis, DPA, Pallas Skillbridge Fellow and Vice Director of Operations at NORAD & US Northern Command, spoke with the Pallas team about the critical need for a global perspective in military strategy. Sharing insights from her experience, Danielle emphasized the importance of enhancing data quality and accessibility across the joint staff to extend decision-making time and better secure the homeland. The Department of Defense is innovating to solve these problems in the Global Information Dominance Experiment (GIDE) series, which originated at NORAD & USNORTHCOM. GIDE is now run by CDAO and is in its twelfth iteration this fall.

Recently, Pallas Principal Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Robert (Bob) Ashley appeared on the Global and National Security Institute (GNSI) "At the Boundary"?podcast, with host Jim Cardoso, where they delved into the pressing challenges facing the intelligence community. Their conversation explored the dynamic nature of intelligence and counterterrorism operations and called attention to the problem of over-classification in intelligence. Drawing from his experience as the former Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency and his Army career as an intelligence officer, Ashley emphasized the critical need to better manage the “deluge of data.” He discussed the limitations of manpower in handling large-scale data, stressing the importance of prioritizing and processing only the most critical information along with interagency collaboration to meet the demands of modern military-scale operations. Check out the podcast episode below!

“The Defense Reformation” treatise by Palantir Technologies CTO, Shyam Sankar, stresses the need for rapid, large-scale adoption of emerging technologies to maintain defense readiness. The U.S. must reimagine its defense structures to remain at the forefront of AI and autonomy. “As a nation, we are in an undeclared state of emergency,” Sankar writes. “America’s national security requires a robust industrial base, or it will lose the next war and plunge the world into darkness under authoritarian regimes.” The report argues that the DoD must transform its acquisition, modernization, and operational strategies to be more agile and adaptable, focusing on integrating cutting-edge tech to address evolving global threats and opportunities in national security. Click the link below to read more!

Starting this #MullenScholarshipMonday on a high note! ??We are excited to celebrate the awarding of a $7,000 Mullen Scholarship to Garima "Arya" Yadav, a standout student at Arizona State University’s Global Security Initiative (GSI)! Arya, a Computer Science major with a Mathematics minor, has a deep passion for the intersections of AI, robotics, and national security. Through ASU’s GSI, she is contributing to the Center for Human, AI, and Robot Teaming, where groundbreaking research is advancing human-machine collaboration for national security purposes. This opportunity will also connect her with a faculty mentor and allow her to intern on a project that aligns with her career aspirations. Sue Gordon, President of the Pallas Foundation Board, emphasizes the critical need for diverse perspectives in tackling national security challenges: “National security demands are becoming increasingly complex, and solving them requires innovation and a diversity of perspectives. The Mullen Scholarship partnership between Arizona State University and the Pallas Foundation offers students like Arya the chance to drive solutions for our country’s security while developing essential skills for their careers.” We are proud to partner with Arizona State University, a leader in educational innovation and research. Together, we are striving to positively shape the national security environment. https://lnkd.in/dpBcnYsF