As the Potomac Institute celebrates its 30th year, we are revitalizing our brand to meet the challenges of a contested global order. Central to this transformation is the "People Power" that has defined us for three decades, led by our Board of Regents. Welcome to our latest interview series: Regents in Conversation, a masterclass in the bold, unconventional thinking that gives our clients, and our nation, what it needs, not just what it wants.

In this series, CEO Jennifer Buss sits down with a few esteemed members of PIPS’ Board of Regents to discuss their respective work and careers, their experience with The Potomac Institute, and their thoughts on current and future policy topics.

In this episode of Regents in Conversation, Jen Buss speaks with General George Flynn, Chairman of the Board at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, about the enduring legacy of General Al Gray and the role he played in shaping the Institute’s mission. Flynn reflects on how Gray brought operational credibility, intellectual rigor, and a deep commitment to innovation to the Potomac Institute, while also helping connect the organization to the Marine Corps, the intelligence community, and industry. The conversation underscores that one of Gray’s lasting contributions was recognizing the value of bringing business, technology developers, and outside expertise into national security discussions — a connection that remains essential, and increasingly urgent, today.

Hill-Specific Key Takeaways

• Rebuild stronger ties between Congress, national security leaders, and business to close the gap between policy intent and industrial capability.
• Support independent forums that bring operational leaders, industry, and government into the same conversation early.
• Recognize that national security advantage depends not only on military strength, but on sustained engagement with the private sector.
• Preserve and strengthen institutions that can convene trusted cross-sector networks around emerging threats and future capability needs.
• Carry forward General Gray’s model of combining operational insight with outside expertise to inform better policy decisions.

DoD-Specific Key Takeaways

• Reestablish stronger working relationships with industry to ensure operational needs inform technology development early.
• Use outside convening mechanisms to connect commanders, researchers, and business leaders around real-world capability gaps.
• Treat industry engagement as a strategic necessity, not a peripheral activity.
• Preserve leadership models that reward innovation, experimentation, and open exchange beyond the military chain of command.
• Build on General Gray’s legacy by restoring the connective tissue between operational experience, emerging technology, and private-sector capacity.