MICRO JOURNEYS PODCAST

In this episode of TSS Podcast: Micro Journeys, host Daniel Marrujo sits down with Corrine Kramer to explore the intersection of national security, data architecture, and technological transformation. From her academic roots in physics and astronomy to her work across the defense ecosystem — including IDA, the Congressional Budget Office, and now Palantir — Kramer shares a journey shaped by one central question: how do we make better decisions with the data we already have? The conversation spans intelligence failures, battlefield operations, semiconductor supply chains, and the structural inefficiencies that still define large parts of government.

At the heart of the discussion is a powerful tension: the United States does not suffer from a lack of information — it suffers from fragmentation. Kramer explains how Palantir emerged from the post-9/11 realization that agencies possessed the intelligence needed to prevent catastrophe but lacked the connective infrastructure to act. Whether in combatant commands, acquisition offices, shipbuilding, or microelectronics ecosystems, the core challenge remains the same — disconnected systems, manual processes, and institutional inertia. The episode dives into how data layering, ontologies, AI integration, and forward-deployed engineering are reshaping how operators, analysts, and decision-makers interact with complex environments in real time.

The solution, as Kramer frames it, is not simply better dashboards — it is living systems. When data is unified, trusted, and continuously updated, decision-makers move from reactive to proactive. The future belongs to organizations willing to evolve beyond static reports and PowerPoint into dynamic, interoperable knowledge infrastructure.

James Chew joins Daniel Marrujo on Micro Journeys to trace a career that spans Cal Poly’s hands-on engineering culture, the golden age of aerospace in Lancaster, California, senior leadership roles inside the Pentagon, and now a pivotal role at Intel during one of the most consequential semiconductor inflection points in U.S. history. From revitalizing rocket propulsion programs to navigating billion-dollar defense budgets and pioneering emulation capabilities inside the Department of Defense, James reflects on the throughline that shaped his career: curiosity, integrity, and relentless follow-through. The conversation bridges government, commercial technology, and national security, offering a rare insider’s view into how decisions are actually made — and how they ripple across industries.

At the center of the discussion is a hard truth: the defense industrial base has grown complacent. James pulls back the curtain on cost-plus contracting, budget politics, and the widening gap between commercial innovation and government acquisition. He contrasts the speed and accountability of Silicon Valley with the slow-moving bureaucracy of legacy defense systems, making the case that electronics — and specifically Intel’s renewed focus on leading-edge manufacturing, emulation, and customer-first engineering — represent a generational opportunity to reset the foundation.

The solution, as James sees it, is simple but difficult: restore integrity, empower engineers, return to fundamentals, and lead with technical excellence. If the United States wants to secure its future, it must rebuild its electronics leadership with urgency and ownership.

In this episode of Micro Journeys, host Daniel Marrujo sits down with Dr. Mark Lewis for a sweeping conversation that traces the arc of a career spanning academia, the Pentagon, and now applied national security research. From serving as Chief Scientist of the U.S. Air Force to leading modernization efforts in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Lewis reflects on the pivotal moments that reshaped his trajectory, including America’s struggle to maintain technological superiority in hypersonics, artificial intelligence, and microelectronics. His journey reveals what happens when innovation stalls, competitors accelerate, and leadership must step in to reset the course.

At the heart of the discussion is a sobering reality: the United States pioneered many of the technologies now reshaping modern warfare, from hypersonics to AI, yet allowed its edge to erode. Lewis details how underinvestment, aging test infrastructure, outdated microelectronics strategies, and manufacturing complacency created gaps that peer competitors exploited. He unpacks the internal cultural, structural, and technical challenges inside the Department of Defense, from bridging operators and technologists to confronting the limits of “trusted foundry” models and the hype surrounding artificial intelligence.

The solution, Lewis argues, lies in disciplined reinvestment: rebuilding test infrastructure, returning to the commercial technology curve, modernizing manufacturing, and empowering leaders who make their teams successful. Technological dominance is not inherited, it is sustained through deliberate action.