At The Boundary

• Is America’s Military Too Dependent on Contractors? The Battle Over Right to Repair

  Text the ATB Team! We'd love to hear from you! In this episode of At the Boundary, GNSI Research Fellow Dr. Guido Rossi sits down with Terry Guild, a former senior U.S. Army intelligence officer with a 30–year military career and five years of experience in the defense industry at CAE and Intrinsic Ventures. Together, they unpack one of the most controversial policy debates shaping the future of U.S. military readiness: the Warrior Right to Repair Act of 2025.For decades, military policy has restricted what soldiers can repair in the field—even when they have the skill to do so. Broken equipment often must be shipped out or serviced by contractors, creating delays, increasing costs, and reducing operational flexibility. The proposed Right to Repair Act seeks to change that by empowering warfighters to fix more of their own gear. What does this mean for proprietary source code or intellectual property? Dr. Rossi and Guild explore:·       Why the military has historically limited soldier-level repairs·       How contractor dependence affects readiness on modern battlefields·       The cultural, logistical, and security concerns driving debateFrom wartime efficiency to industrial politics, this episode breaks down what’s really at stake for America’s fighting forces — and whether the Pentagon is ready for a fundamental shift in how the U.S. maintains its equipment.Links From the Episode:• GNSI Tampa Summit 6: Cracks in the Lamp: Freeing the Nuclear Genie Pre-Registration• “Military Right to Repair Reform Could Reshape Readiness and Innovation” Article Featuring GNSI’s Dr. Guido Rossi• 2026 Intelligence and Tech Conference• 2025 Warsaw Security Forum RecapAt the Boundary from the Global and National Security Institute at the University of South Florida, features global and national security issues we’ve found to be insightful, intriguing, fascinating, maybe controversial, but overall just worth talking about.A "boundary" is a place, either literal or figurative, where two forces exist in close proximity to each other. Sometimes that boundary is in a state of harmony. More often than not, that boundary has a bit of chaos baked in. The Global and National Security Institute will live on the boundary of security policy and technology and that's where this podcast will focus. The mission of GNSI is to provide actionable solutions to 21st-century security challenges for decision-makers at the local, state, national and global levels. We hope you enjoy At the Boundary.Look for our other publications and products on our website publications page.

  --------  

  40:44

  --------

  40:44
• America’s “Golden Dome”: Can the U.S. Actually Stop a Nuclear Strike?

  Text the ATB Team! We'd love to hear from you! In this episode of At the Boundary, retired four-star General Frank McKenzie joins USF’s Dr. Tad Schnaufer to break down one of the most pressing national security questions today: Can the United States build a true “Golden Dome” to defend the homeland from nuclear missile attack?Together, they explore how America’s past missile defense systems—from Nike and Sentinel to THAAD—shaped today’s strategic landscape, and why emerging technologies may finally make boost-phase interception realistic. The conversation dives into the potential of space-based missile defense, the growing threat of hypersonic weapons, and what future U.S. policy and NATO cooperation would require keeping pace with rapidly advancing adversaries.General McKenzie provides a candid assessment of the U.S.–China nuclear competition, the limits of current deterrence, and what it would take to shield the American homeland in a future strategic conflict.A must-listen episode for anyone tracking U.S. defense strategy, missile defense innovation, and global security trends.Links from the Episode:• Pre Register for GNSI Tampa Summit 6At the Boundary from the Global and National Security Institute at the University of South Florida, features global and national security issues we’ve found to be insightful, intriguing, fascinating, maybe controversial, but overall just worth talking about.A "boundary" is a place, either literal or figurative, where two forces exist in close proximity to each other. Sometimes that boundary is in a state of harmony. More often than not, that boundary has a bit of chaos baked in. The Global and National Security Institute will live on the boundary of security policy and technology and that's where this podcast will focus. The mission of GNSI is to provide actionable solutions to 21st-century security challenges for decision-makers at the local, state, national and global levels. We hope you enjoy At the Boundary.Look for our other publications and products on our website publications page.

  --------  

  27:23

  --------

  27:23
• Are Florida’s Ports Prepared? Inside the State’s Growing Maritime Security Risks

  Text the ATB Team! We'd love to hear from you! In this episode of the At The Boundary podcast, senior director of the GNSI, Jim Cardoso, sat down for a roundtable discussion with Mark Luther, an Associate Professor at USF and the Director for the Center of Maritime and Port Studies, Mark DuPont, the Executive Director of the National Maritime Law Enforcement Academy, and Brian Langley, the Senior Executive Advisor for Cyber Florida. The four recapped the 2025 Florida Security Forum, focusing on Port and Maritime Security, and they discussed the impact of the event, the major takeaways, and planning for the future of both state and national port security.  The maintakeaways from the Forum were the necessity of following up on conversationswith plans of action, working across the state to reinforce port-to-portrelationships, and not losing sight of traditional threats, such as natural disasters, in theface of emerging cybersecurity and drone threats. Action is needed to remindboth state and federal lawmakers of the importance of port and maritimesecurity.  Another maintheme explored how to train the next generation of maritime employees, and howto educate the general public on port affairs.The current lack of a Maritime Academy in Florida is concerning; it outsourcesmaritime education to other states, could undermine the Florida workforce, and could thus have anegative economic impact in the future. Additionally, policymakers can becomeout-of-touch when it comes to creating policies around threats to infrastructure. Educational efforts willreinforce state and federal port security, as well as create strongerpublic-private partnerships between policymakers and the maritime workforcewhich will enable a more unified threat response.  Links from the episode:• WTSP TV news Story Featuring Dr. Robert Burrell: “Venezuelans in Tampa Bay think the U.S. will cause Maduro's downfall”At the Boundary from the Global and National Security Institute at the University of South Florida, features global and national security issues we’ve found to be insightful, intriguing, fascinating, maybe controversial, but overall just worth talking about.A "boundary" is a place, either literal or figurative, where two forces exist in close proximity to each other. Sometimes that boundary is in a state of harmony. More often than not, that boundary has a bit of chaos baked in. The Global and National Security Institute will live on the boundary of security policy and technology and that's where this podcast will focus. The mission of GNSI is to provide actionable solutions to 21st-century security challenges for decision-makers at the local, state, national and global levels. We hope you enjoy At the Boundary.Look for our other publications and products on our website publications page.

  --------  

  48:31

  --------

  48:31
• What a Future War with China or Russia Would Really Look Like

  Text the ATB Team! We'd love to hear from you! In this episode of the At the Boundary podcast, Dr. Guido Rossi speaks with Dr. Peter Mansoor, a professor and the General Raymond E. Mason Jr. Chair in Military History at The Ohio State University. Their conversation delves into counterinsurgency warfare and preparing the American military for future threats. Mansoor opens with the state of U.S. counterinsurgency doctrine, referencing Field Manual 23-4 and the foundations of counterinsurgency warfare, such as population persuasion. He notes that the wars between Ukraine and Russia and between Israel and Palestine do not qualify as counterinsurgencies and warns of the potential for larger scale hybrid conflicts in the United States’ future. He argues that the American military needs to stay educated and trained in counterinsurgency warfare, as well as continue to evolve its strategy to include drone warfare. In the future, NATO and Pacific allyship will be crucial for countering China and Russia should they decide to pursue a large-scale conflict against Taiwan or Europe, respectively.  At the Boundary from the Global and National Security Institute at the University of South Florida, features global and national security issues we’ve found to be insightful, intriguing, fascinating, maybe controversial, but overall just worth talking about.A "boundary" is a place, either literal or figurative, where two forces exist in close proximity to each other. Sometimes that boundary is in a state of harmony. More often than not, that boundary has a bit of chaos baked in. The Global and National Security Institute will live on the boundary of security policy and technology and that's where this podcast will focus. The mission of GNSI is to provide actionable solutions to 21st-century security challenges for decision-makers at the local, state, national and global levels. We hope you enjoy At the Boundary.Look for our other publications and products on our website publications page.

  --------  

  35:35

  --------

  35:35
• How Vulnerable Are We? Inside America’s Cybersecurity Crisis

  Text the ATB Team! We'd love to hear from you! In this episode of the At the Boundary podcast, Dr. Tad Schnaufer moderates a panel discussion on key insights from the 2025 Cyber Bay Conference. Joining him are Dr. Linda Nhon, Resident Fellow at GNSI; Dr. George Burress, Professor and Chair of the Department of Criminology at the University of South Florida; and Chris Hunter, Chief Legal and Compliance Officer at IWP Family Office.The panel took a broad look at cyber security, especially as it relates to national security, and emphasized the need to create a stronger knowledge of cyber preparedness in case of malicious attacks on critical infrastructure. Examples of past cyber-attack incidents, such as with the Salt Typhoon and Vault Typhoon groups from China, and Sandworm from Russia, gave insight into how both cyber and physical vulnerabilities can be exploited by hostile actors. Currently, most critical infrastructure in the U.S. is not prepared for a large-scale attack or grid shutdown.As the world becomes more integrated, the panel underscored how modern tech can be exploited to take advantage of the individual user, a company, or even the government. The individual needs to be educated on how cybercrimes can affect their personal lives, and the broader community needs a plan of action for when a cyber-attack may cause a grid shutdown.Links from the episode:• Tampa Summit 6: Nuclear Weapons in Modern Warfare • Axis of Resistance Episode 8: General (ret) Frank McKenzie InterviewAt the Boundary from the Global and National Security Institute at the University of South Florida, features global and national security issues we’ve found to be insightful, intriguing, fascinating, maybe controversial, but overall just worth talking about.A "boundary" is a place, either literal or figurative, where two forces exist in close proximity to each other. Sometimes that boundary is in a state of harmony. More often than not, that boundary has a bit of chaos baked in. The Global and National Security Institute will live on the boundary of security policy and technology and that's where this podcast will focus. The mission of GNSI is to provide actionable solutions to 21st-century security challenges for decision-makers at the local, state, national and global levels. We hope you enjoy At the Boundary.Look for our other publications and products on our website publications page.

  --------  

  54:50

  --------

  54:50

More Government podcasts

Trending Government podcasts

About At The Boundary