They listened and were interested in what I had to say,
asked me to come on board as a consultant/contractor,
and I am still heavily involved with them to this day.
TODAY, YOU ARE MORE INVOLVED WITH
THE U.S. GOVERNMENT THAN JUST WITH
THE MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY?
DO YOU KNOW SKUNK BAXTER?
As I said, it is a deep interest and passion. Yes, my
work has expanded, and I engage on different subjects
with our intelligence and defense communities:
red teams, simulations—the gamut.
THE ANSWER is “Yes” for many, and it is also “Yes”
for the many more who initially claim they do not. Jeffrey
'Skunk' Baxter wears two hats, and not everyone is familiar
with his work as a trusted advisor to some of America’s
top intelligence, national security, and political leaders.
He is highly regarded for his creative and out-of-the box
assessments as they relate to a number of diverse missions,
technologies, and strategies. And he is as welcome in the
halls of the Pentagon as he is in the halls of Congress. Bottom
line: Skunk Baxter is a patriot, a man whose passion for
his country runs deep and whose background is unique. FROM DOOBIE BROTHERS TO
STRATEGIC MISSILE DEFENSE?
The other hat he wears is one recognized by almost everyone
who knows anything about music. Skunk is a Grammy
award-winning guitarist, former lead guitarist for the
Doobie Brothers, and one of the cofounders of Steely Dan.
If those names don’t ring a bell, you probably aren’t much
past middle school. Skunk has played, performed, and
recorded with many of the biggest names in rock and roll
and still does as a member of the American Vinyl band. YOU ALSO WERE A POLICE OFFICER?
SO HOW DOES ONE GO FROM SUPERSTAR ROCK
MUSICIAN TO NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR?
I always had an interest in national security and government
generally and defense technologies in particular. And in
the early 90s, I started to familiarize myself with defense
technology in general, with a view to apply some of that
knowledge to music production and creation and digital
applications for audio and visual media. I was also very
interested in missile defense systems and strategy, and one
system in particular—the AEGIS Air Defense System.
It occurred to me that the AEGIS system might have
missile defense applications, as well. I developed some
nontraditional ideas regarding Aegis and the Missile
Defense Agency and eventually was able to share these with
some folks at the DoD and the Missile Defense Agency.
Actually, these have more in common than you might
think. There is at least a strong tangential connection
if not a direct one. For example, in my view, a radar is
basically just an electric guitar on steroids and the physics
of frequency, computers, vibration, magnetism, matter, the
behavior of electrons, all share commonality with myriad
technologies. These relationships translate for me, and I
think they do for my government colleagues as well.
I was a Reserve Officer for the Anti-Terrorism Division of
the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). My major
contribution to the LAPD was in forensic audio and
intelligence analysis. This was primarily in the 1980s.
And I am very proud of my work in law enforcement
and have the greatest respect for the men and women
who have dedicated their lives to serving and protecting.
Theirs is a tough job and one that I don’t think gets the
respect and support from some people that it should.
MANY CONCERNS TODAY ARE BEING
EXPRESSED ABOUT CHINA AND ITS
WORK ON AI. ANY THOUGHTS?
Concerns about China are legitimate. They are an economic
power and a military power, and our interests don’t always
align. China’s pirating of American intellectual property
has, without question, caused substantial harm to the U.S.
economy. And, yes, the Chinese are investing heavily in
artificial intelligence, advanced analytics, robotics, and
cutting-edge weapons development. With regard to AI, China
is not encumbered by American and Western principles
inherent in a democracy: concepts like freedom of thought,
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