Last Week we profiled Aurelius Systems’ edge-deployed directed energy weapons (DEW) designed specifically for Group 1 and 2 Counter-UAS (C-UAS) missions

This week is a quick career update and part disclosure statement.

I've officially transitioned to a new role as the Private Capital and Industry Engagement Officer for Task Force Hopper, the Surface Navy's transformation team focused on getting commercial software and AI into the fleet. I'll be based in San Diego for the next 2–3 years, working under COMNAVSURFPAC so if you find yourself out here, let’s grab a coffee while you’re in town

Task Force Hopper is a joint Surface Type Commander transformation team operating under the authority of Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet and Commander, Naval Surface Force, Atlantic. It's the Surface Navy's attempt to build a repeatable pipeline from commercial technology to deployed capability: sourcing software-enabled prototypes against validated fleet problems, running rapid shipboard trials, and shepherding what works through the Valley of Death toward programs of record.

The team's main focus areas are AI/ML tools for combat systems troubleshooting and tactical decision support, predictive analytics for maintenance and supply chains, and edge computing for contested environments.

That said, the team has touch points across the Department of the Navy and the broader Department of War. So even if your work doesn't fit neatly in a surface ship box, the TFH engagement team is proactively sourcing solutions against a range of problem sets. Navy-focused work falls squarely in our lane, but handoffs to other service components are possible where there's a fit.

My role is engagement, not acquisition. I'll be a point of contact between the Surface Navy and the private capital ecosystem: VC firms, startups, and established companies building dual-use technology relevant to surface fleet priorities. The job is to reduce friction, help companies understand what problems the fleet actually has, and help the fleet see what's actually being built.

I am not a contracting officer. I do not own requirements. I do not control funding decisions, source selections, or program budgets. We can develop a pilot program, but I have no authority to award you a program of record.

This newsletter remains personal and independent. Defense Tech Signals does not represent the views of the Navy, the Department of War, or Task Force Hopper. Nothing here is an official position, an endorsement, or a signal of government interest.

Coverage buys nothing. If I've profiled your company in the past, it confers no advantage or disadvantage, no access, and no preferential treatment in any official engagement with Task Force Hopper. My published opinions are mine; my official duties are the Navy's.

The information firewall. Anything I encounter in an official capacity will never appear in this newsletter. DTS runs on public sources: FPDS, SAM.gov, SEC filings, lobbying disclosures, and open reporting. Every claim in every issue is checkable against public records.

If you are building or investing in the national security space or know someone who is, please share this week's newsletter. If you'd like to engage Task Force Hopper, I'm glad to point you to the official front door. Reply to this email, reach out on LinkedIn, or give me a call and I'll route you to the right channel.

Also, if you've struggled to reach a program of record, or had mixed results, I'd genuinely like to hear the why behind it. Some awards are opaque from the outside, but if there were specific hangups you can point to, that's the most useful thing you can share. I can't change what happened looking backward, but I'd like to walk into this job armed with your pitfalls.

If you do reach out and I don’t respond immediately, know that I will get back to you. I am heading on a few weeks of paternity leave this week so it just may take a while to clear the inbox once i get back.