IDGA.org's On Point Podcast Series

Lieutenant General Sir John Kiszely recently retired from the Army having commanded on operations at every level from platoon to division, including tours of duty in Northern Ireland, the Falkland Islands (1982), Bosnia, and Iraq where he was Deputy Commander of Multinational Forces. His staff appointments included three tours of duty in the Ministry of Defence, latterly as Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff. His final appointment in the Army was as Director of the UK Defence Academy. He is now a defence and security consultant, a Visiting Professor of War Studies at Kings College London, and President of the British Legion. During his service he contributed chapters to six books on military subjects, primarily historical, and is the author of the 2008 RUSI Whitehall Report `Coalition Command in Contemporary Operations`. He continues to commentate in the print media and on television, most recently in the series `Generals at War`.

Mr. John's joins us to talk about readiness and sustainability of US Combat Forces abroad. Mr John's has years of experience in military procurement and program management. He will be discussing the DOD's savvy business plan to continue supporting the GWOT in maintenance despite budget cuts across the board.

Captain Mark Darrah, Programe Manager F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, NAVAIR, US Navy will talk about what is next for the F/A-18. CAPT Darrah is also discuss the integration of the F-35's into the Navy fleet and what the next generation capabilities for the 18 series aircraft

Major Walters is the Heavy Capabilities Manager with the United States Marine Corps. He joins us to speak about the initiatives his office is taking and whets next in the Marine Corps armored community.

Dr. John Bard of Space Coast Communication Systems talks SDR. Dr. Bard is considered by many to be an industry leader in the development of the software defined radio systems and technologies. His organization specializes in military SDR implementations using commercial SDR technologies. Dr. Bard is the former Technical Committee Chairman of the Software Defined Radio Forum.

Command Sergeant Major(CSM) Jeff Mellinger from Army Materiel Command (AMC) sits down again to talk about his nearly 40 years of experience and leadership in the US Army. Having been drafted during the conflict in Vietnam CSM Melligner has risen through the ranks to become of the highest regarded Non Commissioned Officers in the United States Army. CSM Mellinger will be talking mentorship and its vital role in leading and creating young leaders.

Dr. Nagl is the President of the Center for a New American Security. He also is a co-author of the United States Army and Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual. Dr. Nagl deployed with a task force in 2004 and served as an Operations Officer in his armored Battalion. He is also the author of Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife: Counterinsurgency Lessons from Malaya and Vietnam.

Lt Col. Pasagian joins us to talk about the Enhanced Combat Helmet(ECH). The ECH is being developed in coordination between the Marine Corps and the Army to give those wearing it the edge in combat. The helmet is being designed to provide greater protection against all ballistic threats.

Listen in as John Holsey tells his amazing story about how he continued his military career of becoming an officer. Only John accomplished this on one leg. Having lost his left leg in 2004 to a roadside bomb; than SSG Holsey continued his mission as a soldier and is back in the fight as an officer. John speaks to us from his Warrant Officer basic course in Virginia.

Colonel Stein serves currently with MITRE Corp after nearly 27 years of Active Duty Service. He is considered a pre-eminent thought leader in the Network Centric Warfare (NCW) space and the speaks to the challenges of NetCentric warfare. Col Fred Stein speaks about NCW and the future challenges in warfare.

Command Sergeant Jeffrey Mellinger sits down and talks about his almost 40 years of service to the nation. Having originally been drafted into the Army in 1972, CSM Mellinger has risen thru the ranks to become one of the most highly respected Non Commissioned Officers in recent history. He currently serves as the Command Sergeant Major of Army Materiel Command.

Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Arata serves as the first director of the Social Media Division at the Pentagon. Social media has grown at an exponential rate in the last few years and leading the way are the Armed Forces. From the Bloggers Round Table discussions to the countless Facebook, Twitter and blog accounts the interactive military has gone public in its fight to inform the general public. LTC Arata heads up this group of men and women who fight the tech war to give soldiers deployed, their families and all of interested listeners and readers all the information that they can.

Lt Gen. (Ret.) William "Gus" Pagonis is considered by many as a logistical guru after his leadership and command of all Army supply in Desert Storm. He spearheaded the logistical push into Kuwait during Desert Storm/Shield and now serves as the Vice President of GENCO Supply Chain Solutions. Lt. Gen Pagonis speaks about the relations between Military and Civilian leadership around the country. He is also a recipient of the Nations third-highest military honor the Silver Star for valor in combat.

General Fuller sits down with Defense IQ to talk about his role as the Program Executive Officer Soldier. General Fuller and his command are responsible for all the gear and weapons that the men and women in the Army use in combat. From the helmets to the boots and the weapons and equipment in between everything that is carried in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Greg joins Defense IQ to talk about the organization he and his wife started which brings professional athletes to the virtual playing field vs. Soldiers and Marines who are serving in combat zones for some much needed R & R. http://www.provsgijoe.com