Dr Neil Thurgood / anduril.com
Dr. Neil Thurgood joined Anduril Industries in 2023 as Senior Vice President, Air and Ground Deterrence Command, after a nearly 40-year career in the U.S. Army. The retired lieutenant general is a hypersonics expert and served as the Army’s director of hypersonics, space, directed energy, and rapid acquisition.
Indeed, “rapid acquisition” is a concept that deeply drives Dr. Thurgood, and he says it is of critical importance in the current era of war. GovCon Wire had the opportunity to have exclusive video interviews with executives at Baird’s 2024 Defense and Government Conference late last year.
“Our legacy acquisition process can actually be sped up without changing the law…by applying energy, personal commitment, professional commitment, and resources against that belief. “Dr. Thurgood told us.
Software governance
During the conversation, he talked about how Anduril is contributing to the Department of Defense’s Replicator program, talked about the company’s Lattice product (an “AI-enabled software integration and networking layer,” according to a press release), and He talked about the importance of software. Topics such as future battles.
“We have to move beyond the idea that future wars can be won with hardware alone. That’s kind of the traditional idea. You need hardware to win wars, but future wars will be won with software. I want to say unequivocally that we will win,” he said.
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