Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
The battlefield is changing faster than the weapons on it. In this fireside chat recorded live at West Point's Castle Lecture series, Brig. Gen. Shane Reeves, West Point Dean and show host, sits down with Mr. Palmer Luckey, founder of Oculus VR and Anduril Industries. The conversation covers autonomous systems, defense manufacturing, and the leaders who will have to make it all work under fire.
Episode Timestamps
00:00:00 Introduction and Guest Bio
00:01:11 Opening Conversation
00:06:21 Origin Story: Homeschool to $2 Billion
00:08:21 The Geopolitical Landscape: Russia, Ukraine, China
00:10:44 Don’t Overfit to Ukraine and The China Threat
00:13:31 Building a Military We Can Actually Manufacture
00:16:42 The WWII Industrial Analogy
00:19:53 China, Taiwan, and the Amphibious Problem
00:22:16 Drone Technology and Autonomous Systems
00:23:51 Counter‑UAS: Layered Defense and Reusable Kinetics
00:27:50 Policy, Bureaucracy, and What Is Already Changing
00:29:25 What Do You Look for in a Young Leader?
00:31:49 Q&A with Cadets
00:42:09 The Subterranean Domain
00:45:20 Closing: Socrates, ChatGPT, and Inspiring the Next Generation
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This episode does not imply Federal endorsement.
The battlefield is changing faster than the weapons on it. In this fireside chat recorded live at West Point's Castle Lecture series, Brig. Gen. Shane Reeves, West Point Dean and show host, sits down with Mr. Palmer Luckey, founder of Oculus VR and Anduril Industries. The conversation covers autonomous systems, defense manufacturing, and the leaders who will have to make it all work under fire.
Episode Timestamps
00:00:00 Introduction and Guest Bio
00:01:11 Opening Conversation
00:06:21 Origin Story: Homeschool to $2 Billion
00:08:21 The Geopolitical Landscape: Russia, Ukraine, China
00:10:44 Don’t Overfit to Ukraine and The China Threat
00:13:31 Building a Military We Can Actually Manufacture
00:16:42 The WWII Industrial Analogy
00:19:53 China, Taiwan, and the Amphibious Problem
00:22:16 Drone Technology and Autonomous Systems
00:23:51 Counter‑UAS: Layered Defense and Reusable Kinetics
00:27:50 Policy, Bureaucracy, and What Is Already Changing
00:29:25 What Do You Look for in a Young Leader?
00:31:49 Q&A with Cadets
00:42:09 The Subterranean Domain
00:45:20 Closing: Socrates, ChatGPT, and Inspiring the Next Generation
Like, share, and save this episode!
This episode does not imply Federal endorsement.
