IDA Ideas

Wargaming Approaches for Varied Warfighting Functions

IDA Ideas host Rhett Moeller spoke with Akar Bharadvaj, Rachel L. McVicker and Rosemary K. Tropeano about all-things wargaming at IDA. In this episode, they explain why wargames are useful, reveal the complexities designers must consider when developing games, and provide an overview of several types of wargames that IDA produces.

Transcript

Alternative Approaches in Military Compensation Benchmarking

IDA Ideas guests Jackie Burhmann and Mikhail Smirnov joined host Rhett Moeller to discuss IDA’s evaluation of the military compensation benchmark for the Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation. In this podcast, they explain how factors that dual-income military households face play a role in service members’ decisions to stay in the military or leave to join the civilian labor market. The U.S. military is an all-volunteer force, so it’s essential that service members are compensated at level that promotes retention decisions.

Transcript

Defense Applications for Behavioral Neuroscience

IDA Ideas guest Sujeeta Bhatt joins host Rhett Moeller to discuss behavioral neuroscience and how this field applies to Department of Defense interests such as interviews and interrogations, human-machine teaming and non-lethal weapons.

Transcript

Challenges in Critical Mineral Tradeoffs

IDA Ideas guest Ashley Nunes joins host Rhett Moeller to discuss the complexities that critical minerals present, including the global tradeoffs and policy goals relating to these rare, yet essential, resources. Ashley is a researcher at the Science and Technology Policy Institute, an IDA-operated federally funded research and development center.

Transcript

New Challenges in Nuclear Deterrence and Posture

IDA Ideas guest James "Jim" Platte joins host Rhett Moeller to explain nuclear deterrence and the geopolitical and technological factors that affect U.S. nuclear strategy. Jim is a researcher within the Strategy, Forces and Resources Division of the Systems and Analyses Center, an IDA-operated federally funded research and development center.

Transcript

Exploring AI and Machine Learning Capabilities

IDA Ideas guest Arun Maiya joins host Rhett Moeller to discuss artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning: what they are, their capabilities and limitations, ongoing developments in the AI field and applicability in the defense industry.

Transcript

Insights on Federally Funded Research and Development Centers

IDA Ideas host Rhett Moeller speaks with IDA President Norty Schwartz about the nature of federally funded research and development centers and what makes IDA a standout organization.

Transcript

Addressing Challenges in Weapons Sustainment

In this transcript of an episode of the podcast IDA Ideas, host Rhett Moeller speaks to V. Bram Lillard and Benjamin Ashwell about weapons system readiness and sustainment. Bram is the Director of the Operational Evaluation Division (OED) in the Systems and Analyses Center, an IDA-operated federally funded research and development center. Benjamin is a researcher in OED.

Transcript

Understanding Defense Supply Chain Risk

IDA Ideas host Rhett A. Moeller spoke to James S. Thomason and Julie C. Kelly, researchers at the IDA Systems and Analyses Center, about how they estimate the risks to critical supply chains.

Transcript

Orbital Debris: Policy Implications

IDA Ideas host Rhett Moeller spoke to Assistant Director at IDA’s Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI) Asha Balakrishnan about the challenges orbital debris poses and how to respond to them in the policy arena.

Transcript