MICRO JOURNEYS PODCAST
About Dan Marrujo
Daniel Marrujo is a former Chief Strategy Officer and former Director of the Office of Research and Technology Applications (ORTA) at the Defense Microelectronics Activity (DMEA).
Mr. Marrujo began his career at Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, AZ., developing missile guidance systems for their advanced programs. He then moved to DMEA, in his hometown of Sacramento, CA., working for the Trusted Integrated Circuit (IC) program office. In conjunction with working on the Trusted IC program, he began working towards the development of DMEA’s reliability capabilities and was selected to lead the National High Reliability Electronics Virtual Center (HiREV).
Mr. Marrujo also established the NRO’s VS&E program which has executed a number of solutions protecting National Security. As a subject matter expert, he has provided his technical expertise in multiple DARPA, IARPA and National Security Space programs. His focus areas are Microelectronics Obsolescence, State of the Art Microelectronics Acquisition, State of the Practice Microelectronics Sustainment, Advanced Packaging, Supply Chain Risk Management, Semiconductor Reliability, Semiconductor Reverse Engineering and Semiconductor Radiation Effects.
In 2016, Mr. Marrujo was selected as DMEA’s Chief Strategy Officer, directly supporting the DMEA directorate. In this position, Mr. Marrujo works with DMEA senior leadership to define and represent the integrated DMEA message and strategic path forward for future engagements.
Latest Episodes
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.
Rory McInerney’s journey mirrors the rise of modern computing itself. From growing up in Ireland to becoming a senior leader at Intel during some of the most transformative decades in semiconductor history, Rory shares how curiosity, risk-taking, and timing shaped a 30-year career at the center of global technology. Along the way, he reflects on immigration, innovation, and what it truly means to build something that lasts.
In this episode, Rory dives deeper into the evolution of semiconductors—from memory chips and personal computers to data centers, cloud computing, and today’s AI-driven world. He offers an insider’s perspective on Intel’s growth, the challenges of scaling advanced manufacturing, and why semiconductor supply chains have become a matter of national security.
Ultimately, Rory’s story highlights a core lesson: meaningful technological progress is rarely driven by a single breakthrough, but by decades of persistence, collaboration, and the willingness to confront hard constraints head-on.
