Colonel Justin "Astro" Elliott commanded the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds—the elite demonstration squadron featured in Netflix's "America's Thunderbirds." In this episode, Astro shares what it takes to lead a team that performs inches apart at 400+ miles per hour, and how those lessons translate to leadership in any high-stakes environment.

Astro spoke at our Leadership Speaker Series this past December, and here, we bring those insights to a wider audience.

Col. Justin J. Elliott
Division Chief – Integrated Operations
NORAD and USNORTHCOM
Col Justin “Astro” Elliott is the Division Chief for NORAD and USNORTHCOM’s Integrated Operations Division, Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado. In this capacity, Col Elliott supervises 200 operators from 9 US and Canadian military branches through execution of both current and future NORAD and USNORTHCOM operations across all domains. Col Elliott and his team execute the critical homeland defense mission, create a global threat picture, and posture national leadership from both the US and Canada to respond swiftly to challenges from abroad.

Elliott entered the Air Force in 2005 with an ROTC commission from Yale University. He subsequently served in F-15E and F-35 squadrons as an instructor pilot and evaluator. After attending the USAF Weapons School, he served as Weapons Instructor and Operational Test Pilot in the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron, 53rd Wing, Nellis AFB, Nevada. After graduating from Test Pilot School, he served as Experimental Test Pilot in the 40th Flight Test Squadron, 96th Test Wing, Eglin AFB, Florida. Col Elliott commanded the 59th Test and Evaluation Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nevada where he led test and evaluation of all 6 USAF fighters (F-35, F-22, F-15EX, F-15E, F-16, and A-10). Col Elliott subsequently served as Commander/Leader of the USAF Thunderbirds. As “Thunderbird 1,” Col Elliott led the Air Force’s demonstration squadron through 150 airshows across 70 US and international cities while flying his F-16’s mere inches apart at speeds greater than 600 mph.

EDUCATION

2005 Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, Conn.

2005 Air and Space Basic Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala.

2010 Master of Science, Aerospace Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C.

2011 United States Air Force Squadron Officer School, Nellis AFB, Nev.

2012 United States Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.

2014 United States Air Force Test Pilot School, Master of Science, Flight Test Engineering, Air University, Edwards AFB, Calif.

2018 Strategic Policy Fellowship, Air Command and Staff College, Office of Secretary of Defense, Pentagon, Washington D.C.

2024 NATO Defense College, Air War College, Rome, Italy

2025 Joint and Combined Warfighting School, Norfolk, Virginia

Website:
https://www.talon-cap.com/
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/talon-capital-corp/
Contact:
contact@talon-cap.com

Website:
https://www.talon-cap.com/
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/talon-capital-corp/
Contact:
contact@talon-cap.com

The fragility of the AI boom is that supply isn’t the only constraint—power is. The U.S. is pouring new energy into rebuilding the chip industry at home, but the real story is how fast the demand for computing is growing.

In this episode, Chris Miller, author of Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology, helps us explore why semiconductors became a geopolitical battleground and how interdependence in the supply chain raises the stakes for everyone. We talk about Texas becoming a new center for chip investment, the choke points standing in the way of scale, and what leaders can do now to map and manage their exposure.

Topics discussed:
Chris’s background and inspiration for his book (0:33)
Why you can’t understand chips without the global supply chain (04:01)
Origins of the industry in the Texas (04:45)
The surprising turning point in the industry (06:31)
Interdependence between the U.S., China, and Taiwan (08:59)
Choke points: tooling, materials, and coordination (11:42)
The pros and cons of onshoring (12:58)
Who will win the technological race? (14:33)
The power problem for AI and data centers (15:37)
How the AI boom has impacted the chip industry (16:22)
Nvidia, in-house chip design, and the future (17:29)
Why security and trust are becoming bigger issues (21:00)
AI adoption and which industries are disrupted first (22:42)
Advice to corporations on supply chain and resilience (23:20)
Government’s role in the investment of chips (25:44)
The biggest consumer shift AI will drive next (30:26)

Website:
https://www.talon-cap.com/
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/talon-capital-corp/
Contact:
contact@talon-cap.com