Palmer Luckey on Threats, Autonomy, and the Future of American Power

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 Timestamps00:00:00 Introduction and Guest Bio00:01:11 Opening Conversation00:06:21 Origin Story: Homeschool to $2 Billion00:08:21 The Geopolitical Landscape: Russia, Ukraine, China00:10:44 Don’t Overfit to Ukraine and The China Threat00:13:31 Building a Military We Can Actually Manufacture00:16:42 The WWII Industrial Analogy00:19:53 China, Taiwan, and the Amphibious Problem00:22:16 Drone Technology and Autonomous Systems00:23:51 Counter‑UAS: Layered Defense and Reusable Kinetics00:27:50 Policy, Bureaucracy, and What Is Already Changing00:29:25 What Do You Look for in a Young Leader?00:31:49 Q&A with Cadets00:42:09 The Subterranean Domain00:45:20 Closing: Socrates, ChatGPT, and Inspiring the Next GenerationLoved this episode? Remember to rate, review, follow, and share this podcast with others.Learn more:Website: westpoint.edu/academicsInterested in Teaching at West Point? Join us: bit.ly/TEACHWPAnduril Industries: anduril.comConnect with us:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Dean.USMAFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/usmadeanX: https://www.twitter.com/deanusmaThreads: https://www.threads.net/@dean.usmaYouTube: https://bit.ly/INSIDEWP-YOUTUBECredits:Guest: Palmer Luckey (https://www.anduril.com/anduril-leadership#palmer-luckey)Host: Brigadier General Shane Reeves (linkedin.com/in/shane-reeves-7950a31b3)Recording & Production: West Point Public Affairs — Visual InformationPublisher: West Point Press (westpointpress.com)This episode does not imply Federal endorsement.