How a Former DoD Strategist Is Driving the Race to Modernize Defense Software

From grounded F-35s to battlefield-ready drones, John Parkes saw firsthand how the Pentagon’s software bottlenecks slowed down military innovation.

Frustrated by legacy systems and vendor lock-in, he left government and founded Parry Labs to create Stratia: a software platform that turns tanks, ships, drones, and satellites into adaptable “computers that move.”

In this episode of Defense Disruptors, Parkes explains how his Silicon Valley solution could make the US military as agile as a smartphone — deploying AI, autonomy, and new capabilities faster than ever.

Read the full episode on NextGen Defense: Defense Disruptors: ‘Making Smart Things Smarter’ With Parry Labs