Editor’s note: Justin Lee is an active duty U.S. Air Force F-35 Joint Strike Fighter pilot. Lee has earned four Air Medals over the span of more than 400 hours of combat flight time throughout his eight+ years at the stick of the F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-35, and now he’s bringing his unique insight to the audio world with his incredible podcast, “The Professionals Playbook.” Make sure to check back often for more great content from Justin Lee!
My guest today is Major General (Ret.) Brett Williams. He is a command pilot with over 3,700 hours and 100 combat missions in the F-15C Eagle. He was also the Commander for the Air Force’s largest combat wing. In his final active duty assignment, General Williams was the Director of Operations for U.S. Cyber Command where he was responsible for planning and executing both defensive and offensive cyberspace operations. He is a leading authority on cyber security and is now the COO of IronNet, a company that leverages AI and machine learning to protect nations and companies against advanced threats.
In our conversation, General Williams talks about leading an 8-ship of Eagles on day 1 of Desert Storm, his leadership philosophy, and the top things to protect yourself from a cyber attack. He then goes on to deliver a master class in leadership; his advice is some of the best I’ve ever heard.
Make sure to check out:
- Top lessons learned as a fighter pilot (min. 03:00)
- Flying on Day 1 of Desert Storm (min. 11:00)
- Leadership philosophy (min. 17:30)
- Habits/ routines for performing at a high level (min. 34:00)
- Moving to Cyber Command (min. 39:00)
- Current landscape of cyber (min. 48:00)
- Social media aspect of cyber (min. 34:00)
- IronNet (55:00)
- Projects working on (56:30)
- Social media info (58:45)
Click play below to hear Major General (Ret.) Brett Williams deliver a master class on leadership and break down how you can protect yourself from cyber attacks.
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Feature photo courtesy of Michael J Pausic, U.S. Air Force
