The Global Signal
The Global Signal is a bi-monthly podcast that explores how emerging technologies, international policy, and financial markets are shaping the future of global power. Hosted by strategist and market intelligence advisor Joshua Charles, the show offers objective, data-driven conversations tailored for investors, policymakers, defense professionals, and commercial operators.
The Global Signal
Power Without a Plan? Defense Spending and America’s Strategic Direction
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In this episode of The Global Signal, just over one month following the release of the U.S. National Security Strategy, Dr. Jordan Despanie, Technology and Security Policy Fellow at RAND Corporation, explores the intersection of innovation, biosecurity, and U.S. strategic planning. Drawing on his experience founding life sciences ventures and contributing to national-level research, Dr. Despanie offers insight into how scientific capability, government systems, and strategic priorities interact.
The discussion examines how budgetary constraints shape innovation in defense procurement, strategies for optimizing collaboration between government, contractors, and think tanks, and approaches to building sustainable, long-term U.S. strategic engagements in regions like Somalia, Nigeria, and Venezuela. Listeners gain a rare perspective on aligning innovation, institutional capacity, and national security in an era of rising global competition.