19 September 2010

Upcoming talk

I've been asked to put together a talk based on an article I wrote a while back (Acquisition As Deterrent) - and frankly I'm a bit stumped on how to do it.

The conference coordinators also said I could basically talk about whatever I want... but they'd really like me to do it based on that bit of nightmare fiction I wrote.

So I need to decide - do I do my usual FIST presentation, which I'm constantly updating to keep it fresh, but still, it's the safe presentation... or do I knuckle down and come up with a presentation based on that article... or do I come up with something entirely different?

Watch this space for updates...

4 comments:

Layla said...

Hmm, Star Wars author got involved with USA defense too, no?

What do you think would do most good or what would you really like to see happen and could any of the presentations help accomplish it?

(Hoping my comment doesn't unleash another Europe shield or such?? heh!!)

Glen Alleman said...

We're on a rapid response Army program - Milestone B - where "fail fast" is the plan. maybe the idea of "get to failure as fast as you can with the funding, so you can redeploy the funding to a better cause," might be an approach.
AvWeek is running ads now for the ISR platform you mentioned, maybe that would be a connection as well. Simple short lived platforms for the problem at hand, knowing it'll be obsolete in 10 months,

Unknown said...

@Layla - great questions - thanks much! I'll let you know what I come up with...

Unknown said...

Hey Dan,

I think you should do new presentation that is an extension of the article.

I would suggest that the 3 premises are:
1. Systems have emergent characteristics - so even if no one intends specifically for something to happen, that doesn't mean it won't be a functional effect or characteristic.

2. Good ideas can go wrong, out in the wild. See above. Reference your current journey with the ideas and implementations of Lean.

3. Question the utility of the concept of "deterrence". Are we really detering anyone from anything? Or is that just our narcissism talking?

DonC

PS. At some level, wasn't this (acq deter) the avowed policy during the Reagan defense build=up? To spend the Soviets into the ground? Or is that post-hoc spin?