How National Security Drives Innovation and Tech in the Blue Economy | American Blue Economy Podcast

March 15, 2022

How bases, sailors, and civilians contribute to the BE.

In this month’s episode of the American Blue Economy Podcast, our host Rear Admiral (ret) Tim Gallaudet discusses how the American Blue Economy intersects with National Security. He adds to some of the observations during the February episode where he and ASPN co-host Tyler Buckingham examined the USS KITTY HAWK, a Navy aircraft carrier that Rear Admiral Gallaudet was stationed on. He explores how Navy bases and the sailors and civilians who work on them make significant economic contributions to local economies. He’ll also review some of the spinoffs from military R&D that contribute to the  blue tech sector, and vice versa - how ocean industries are supporting our military. Another important consideration is how the US Department of Defense addresses environmental sustainability, which many of our listeners may not even know happens. As usual, Rear Admiral Gallaudet is joined by several fantastic guests:


* Captain Kitch Kennedy, U.S. Navy, Maritime Safety Director, National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA).
* Courtney St. John, Climate & Energy lead, Climate Nexus
* Lieutenant Rob Nicholson, U.S. Navy Reserve, Innovation Program Lead, Delaware Department of Technology and Information

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Show Transcription
This transcription was generated by a computer. Please excuse any errors.
Adm. Tim Gallaudet

Rear Admiral Gallaudet, PhD, USN (ret) is the CEO of Ocean STL Consulting. From 2017-2021, he served as the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere / Deputy NOAA Administrator, and from 2017-2019 he also served as the Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere / NOAA Administrator. As Acting Administrator, he led the agency comprised of 20,000 federal employees and contractors managing the nation’s fisheries, coastal resources and waterways, weather satellites, weather services, and environmental research, overseeing a $6B annual budget and daily operations of 18 environmental satellites, 16 oceanographic ships, 9 aircraft, 450 boats, and 400 technical divers, 6 supercomputers, over a dozen laboratories, and several hundred field sites across the country. As the Deputy Administrator, he led NOAA’s Blue Economy activities that advance marine transportation, sustainable seafood, ocean exploration and mapping, marine tourism and recreation, and coastal resilience. Prior to NOAA, Rear Admiral Gallaudet served for 32 years in the US Navy, completing his career as the Oceanographer of the Navy. He has a Bachelor’s degree from the US Naval Academy, and Master’s and Doctoral degrees from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, all in oceanography.