As the Department of Defense continues to take on emerging global threats, collaboration among the military and industry partners is becoming increasingly critical.
During a fireside chat at Leidos’ seventh annual Supplier Innovation & Technology Symposium on Tuesday, Leidos CEO and 2024 Wash100 Awardee Tom Bell and retired Gen. James Mattis, the former Secretary of Defense, discussed the “spirit of collaboration” that companies must embrace to face these worldwide adversaries.
“If we in this room are going to help our nation avoid the next conflict, it’s going to be because we help our nation be the smartest government on the face of the earth,” said Bell. “Our presence in the intelligence community and your ability to help us with tools and techniques to make them smarter. Making smart smarter, is going to be key to help that next world war not happen.”
Mattis said that the military and industry working jointly with Leidos as an integrator is what the government needs to produce viable capabilities amongst global competitors.
“The collaboration that you have going on is the same kind of collaboration that democracies need if we are going to put a stop to this,” Mattis said. “China wants to be the arsenal of autocracy, and they’ve made that very clear. Well, we’re the arsenal of freedom if we can put it together.”
To develop an “arsenal of freedom” combative to worldwide adversaries, Leidos and the DOD must continue to nurture AUKUS, a trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States throughout the Indo-Pacific region.
While AUKUS pillar one focuses on nuclear advancements in partnering countries, Bell said pillar two will focus more on fostering collaboration in technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum systems and a range of other initiatives.
“AUKUS pillar two is all about the effects, the information sharing, the joint battle management that we in this room can make synonymous with us,” Bell emphasized. “We owe that to our nations and we owe that to our allies.”
As the fireside chat came to an end, Bell and Mattis stressed the importance of uniting as a nation and with allies to face the upcoming threats.
“We need you businessmen and women who know how to fix problems to put teams together. We need your example, and we need you to speak up publicly about what adults do for the good of the next generation,” Mattis exclaimed.
“Collaboration, collaboration, collaboration,” Bell emphasized. “Please push us. Our nation, our customers, all of them need us to be the best.”
With AUKUS focusing on collaboration on a global scale, you can learn more about international partnerships and coalition warfare at the GovCon International Summit on Sept. 19. Attend the event to become part of the conversation!
