Innovation in Government: TechNet Indo-Pacific

Original broadcast 11/19/25

Presented by Carahsoft

At AFCEA’s TechNet Indo-Pacific, Innovation in Government explored how technology, strategy, and collaboration are transforming defense operations across the vast Indo-Pacific theater. From the tactical edge to the boardroom, leaders from industry and government shared how artificial intelligence, zero trust, automation, and resilient architectures are advancing national security. The conversations underscored both the urgency and complexity of operating in the world’s most dynamic region — where distance, data, and deterrence intersect.

Stabilizing the Mission During Disruption

Chaz Hazzan, IC Executive at Carahsoft, details how a distributor at the center of the public-sector tech ecosystem can keep programs moving during a prolonged shutdown—bridging customers, OEMs, and VARs, and easing supply-chain and credit pressures across a region where distance magnifies every logistics and cybersecurity challenge. He underscores zero trust as a lasting priority and highlights the tightrope of multinational information-sharing across the Indo-Pacific.

Key Takeaways

• Distributor-scale financing and logistics help sustain operations through funding gaps.
• Zero Trust remains foundational across devices, comms, and weapons systems.
• Cooperation requires precise “shareability” rules to balance speed and secrecy.

Persistent Global Sensing and the Indo-Pacific

COL Sean Berg, USA (Ret.), former SOCPAC Deputy Commander, frames the Indo-Pacific as a battlespace where control of data and awareness confers strategic advantage. He argues U.S. competitors are already deep into irregular warfare and calls for forward human, physical, and digital presence. He warns that ubiquitous metadata and commercial ad-tech have made population-scale sensing accessible, and that quantum superiority will decide who exploits that data fastest.

Key Takeaways

• Dominance hinges on sensing, understanding, and acting on theater-wide data.
• The U.S. must shift from reactive to proactive irregular-warfare posture.
• Quantum capability and data governance are now core elements of deterrence.

Zero Trust and Agility at the Edge

Gino Troy, Global Account Executive (Navy & USMC) at Omnissa, explains how to operationalize Zero Trust across joint, distributed environments with unified endpoint management that pairs security with seamless user experience. In a theater defined by distance and joint operations, he stresses interoperability across networks and devices (from NIPR to JWICS) so warfighters get what they need—without friction—wherever they operate.

Key Takeaways

• Adoption rises when Zero Trust enhances, not hinders, operator workflows.
• Unified platforms reduce complexity while maintaining strict controls.
• Edge operations in the Indo-Pacific demand seamless, multi-domain access.

Governing Trusted AI with Practical Guardrails

COL Kathy Swacina (USA, Ret.), Former Deputy Chief of Staff, USARC and Marina Alvarez, Fomer SE-ICAM Program Manager, State Department, co-leads at the HISPI AI Think Tank (Project Cerebellum), describe a standards-crosswalk approach (the TAM Score) to evaluate AI systems against frameworks like NIST, ISO/IEC, PCI, and more. They emphasize aligning AI with mission problems, transparency in data and code, and ensuring ethical, trustworthy deployment—turning governance into an accelerator rather than a brake.

Key Takeaways

• The TAM Score maps AI solutions to multi-framework compliance and ethics.
• Governance must start with clear mission problems and data provenance.
• Trustworthy AI demands both technical validation and ethical oversight.

AI Speed with Human-in-the-Loop Assurance

John Beglan, Director—Public Sector at Tungsten Automation, outlines how TotalAgility (FedRAMP-authorized, DoD instance) ingests and analyzes diverse data—from satellite imagery to intel reports—to deliver commander-ready situational awareness. He insists on human thresholds and guardrails so AI augments rather than replaces judgment in critical decisions.
Key Takeaways

• AI-driven automation accelerates decision-quality intelligence.
• Human-in-the-loop thresholds preserve trust and accountability.
• Four decades of automation expertise underpin mission-ready workflows.

Innovation at the Tactical Edge

Paul “Gu$” Garcia, Engineer and Operator at Merge Combinator, shares lessons from building “Signal Blocks” and adapting commercial models to defense. He argues that overly complex acquisition can yield the wrong outcomes and advocates balancing bespoke edge needs with scalable enterprise approaches. Hawaii’s Oahu emerges as a prime testbed—proximate to operations with the talent and exercises needed to prove what works.

Key Takeaways

• Simplify delivery to get relevant capability into operators’ hands faster.
• Blend bespoke edge solutions with enterprise-scale manageability.
• Oahu provides real-world conditions to validate mission value quickly.

Mission Resiliency in Disconnected Operations

Adam Prem, Global Public Sector Lead (Defense & Intel) at ServiceNow, warns that adversaries may target grids and internet backbones, forcing “disconnect scenarios.” He recommends cloud-first operations paired with on-prem, local fallbacks to sustain workflows when links are cut. For coalition operations, he urges “elevated trust” and sees AI as a policy enforcer that prevents over-sharing while enabling necessary data flow.

Key Takeaways

• Pair cloud agility with local backups to ride out comms disruptions.
• Coalition success requires governance that builds repeatable trust.
• AI can mediate data-sharing, enforcing policy in real time.