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The Air Force Academy Gets Lean

Steve Blank

In 2007, I graduated United States Air Force Academy as a computer engineer and entered the Air Force’s acquisition corps , excited and confident about my ability to bring technology to bear for our airmen. Graduation day with classmate Joseph Helton (right), killed in action in Iraq in 2009. . ——-. Not That Long Ago.

Lean 262
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Hacking For Defense In Silicon Valley

Steve Blank

When I first started teaching customer development (searching, validating and executing a business model), one of my students pointed out that customer development was similar to the theory of a military strategist, John Boyd. Iraq, Afghanistan and the Army’s Rapid Equipping Force (REF). The Gulf Wars.