“Leading the national security market requires companies to orchestrate teams with a winning combination of talent, agility, speed, and heart. Tailored leadership and a supportive culture are keys to success. It’s all about people” – Peraton Chief Technology Officer, Todd Borkey.
The Peraton leadership series spotlights executives and employees as they tell their stories and share their insights and ingredients to success. Chief Technology Officer, Todd Borkey leads the company’s technology strategy, research and development (R&D) portfolio development, and R&D operations. development, and R&D operations. Todd also manages Peraton’s Strategic Innovation Group and was named a “Top AI Executive to Watch” in 2023 by WashingtonExec.
Can you tell us about your career development prior to Peraton?
I spent half of my career developing global communication networks and the other half developing defense and intelligence systems. I performed almost every type of engineering assignment possible before progressing to project management. For the last 20 years I have been developing R&D portfolios which serve unmet customer needs. I saw the AI revolution start in 2017 in Silicon Valley and have been racing to keep up with it ever since. The possibilities to change the way humans interact with the enterprise are mind boggling.
From a CTO perspective, what technologies are critical to national security today?
Today, national security can be won or lost within the information space. Technologies which drive information dominance are generative AI, multi-level secure clouds, cloud to edge integration, edge inference, spectrum dominance, superior cyber network operations, and resilient space. Peraton Labs has market leading capabilities in every one of these domains.
What are the biggest challenges that come with your role as CTO?
My job is to ensure that we develop capabilities and offerings which are timely and relevant across our customer’s mission needs. “Tech has a shelf life” and the rate of technical change today is so rapid that we must constantly improve our agility and extroversion. I strive to help our engineers and scientists create trusted “first of kind” solutions.
In today’s fast-paced world, how does Peraton help customers stay on the cutting edge?
Our tech-agnostic approach delivered in a turn-key solution allows the government to leverage our agility, speed, and mission expertise. Our combination of technologists, veterans, and strategic Silicon Valley teammates can provide the government with disruptive performance at a fraction of organic time and cost. Innovative contracting, like Other Transaction Authorities (OTAs), can accelerate outcomes. Serving up the cutting edge with trust is our sweet spot.
Do you have a motto that motivates and encourages you through challenging times?
Funny you ask, as I have collected many mottos over the years, which I keep ready for use: “Surround yourself with truth-seekers,” “Lead from the field and not the bleachers,” “Run at the challenges,” and “Security comes from being good at change, become excellent at it.” These are just a sample, but they are some of my favorites.
