DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE
Department
of the Air Force : a vision of the future
is fraught with danger . “ Like anything else , it takes that drive , expertise , know-how and relationships to make true difference happen and to happen at the speed that ’ s relevant because you can make change , but it can feel like molasses if you don ’ t navigate it effectively and appropriately .”
People are at the very heart of Dunlap ' s transformational aims . “ You ’ re looking for the people who know where you need to go or get excited about moving quickly . They have the tenacity to be able to make a difference , the technical wherewithal and operational sense to work with customers .”
But the move-fast-and-break-things ethos doesn ’ t always sit well in the halls of government . Dunlap describes it as like working off an idea on the back of a napkin with a twist : “ the napkin sits in the bar for two and a half years before you can do anything with it .” That creates a problem for small companies who would like to partner with government agencies but can ’ t afford to wait that long . It means the government misses opportunities to work with the best minds and technologies .
Vision of the future So how does it all come together ? “ You ’ ve got to have a compelling and creative vision of the future ,” Dunlap says . “ That ’ s everyone ’ s job . It ’ s certainly the job of our secretary of defence and our senior leaders in each of the departments . But one of the things that makes it stick is whether people are excited about it . The next level down is creating the space and the opportunities and the protection to be able to try those new things the leaders talk about . Turning speech to reality is so difficult .”
That ’ s a mantra Dunlap saw in the startup world as well . “ It doesn ’ t always work . You learn something from that and you try something different . You keep going . Every entrepreneur has got that same experience in their back pocket . You can ’ t fold and
178 November 2021