Podcast Summary: The a16z Show — "The Missing Power Layer of Modern Warfare"

Date: March 24, 2026
Participants:

• Host: (D) Aaron Price Wright, a16z
• Adam Warmuth (B), Founder/CEO, Chariot Defense
• Alex Miller (A), CTO, US Army
• Contributor: (C), segment narrator

Episode Overview

This episode of The a16z Show explores the critical and often overlooked role of power infrastructure in enabling modern warfare’s rapidly evolving suite of electronic systems: drones, edge AI, electronic warfare (EW), and distributed command and control. The conversation focuses on how both the US Army and startups like Chariot Defense are rethinking battlefield energy solutions, the integration of commercial technology, supply chain security, and the future of power management in contested environments.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: Power as the Foundation of Modern Warfare

• The Modern Battlefield:
  • Traditional fixed forward operating bases (FOBs) with large, fuel-hungry diesel generators can no longer meet the needs of decentralized, mobile, and electronic-heavy operations.
  • Every new capability—from soldier radios to drone relays—adds significant power demands but also creates vulnerable signatures (thermal, acoustic, electromagnetic).
  • “Modern warfare runs on electrons.” (C, 00:59)
• Signature Management:
  • Power sources can be liabilities: running a generator for a brief surge in demand creates a detectable signature and requires resupply convoys, which themselves are high-risk targets.

2. The Soldier’s Struggle with Power

• Personal Power Demand:
  • “Your average soldier today…drawing just by themselves, 30 to 60 watts of power continuously during their operation. So that's basically a mid tier laptop running all the time.” (A, 00:00)
  • In a 72-hour mission, one soldier may require up to 2 kWh just for their personal electronics (A, 07:22).
• Logistical Burdens:
  • Legacy systems: issued batteries are often dead in extreme environments; inefficient generators are sized for rare peak loads but run mostly at low efficiency (B, 10:06).
  • "What not having a hybrid system forced us to do was size our power generation to the peak demand…running at 500 watts, which means it's using fuel very inefficiently. It's causing reliability challenges…creating a detectable signature." (B, 10:06)

3. Chariot Defense: Enabling Hybrid Tactical Power

• What Chariot Builds:
  • “Chariot is building the tactical power layer for robotic warfare...” (B, 02:31)
  • Focused on integrated battery systems, power electronics, and microcontrollers for hybrid operation—augmenting but not replacing engines or diesel power.
• First Product—M424:
  • Modular 4kWh energy systems, able to power a squad (up to 36 hours silent) or a battalion command post short-term, and act as a smart buffer for surges.
  • "Their [multifunctional reconnaissance] company…was able to run 36 hours without generating any kind of detectable thermal or acoustic signature, running their radios, their equipment, their drones." (B, 14:39)
• Drop-In Interoperability:
  • Chariot’s system plugs into standard Army vehicle NATO ports; streamlined physical and operational compatibility is critical for adoption (B, 26:10).
  • Rapid iteration driven by direct soldier feedback—after field demos, “they wouldn't let us take it home after the demo” (B, 25:06).

4. The Role of Smart Power Layers & Commercial Tech Crossover

• Software Defined Power Management:
  • By introducing basic sequencing (e.g., staggering when air conditioners start), peak loads are cut dramatically, letting soldiers focus on mission—“Instead of expecting our end user operators to be PhDs in power…” (B, 19:15)
  • “Someone will go plug in a coffee pot and it'll take down the air defense radar.” (B, 17:37)
• Leveraging Commercial Innovation:
  • Military is now the buyer, not the inventor: lessons from the EV/electrical aviation sector are key, with “incredible breakthroughs…around high voltage batteries, silicon carbide power electronics.” (B, 20:06)
  • The shift is “a flip from what we saw in the Cold War,” emphasizing rapid adoption rather than slow in-house development (B, 20:06).

5. Army Transformation & Procurement Reform

• Outcome-Focused Integration:
  • Rather than rigid, long procurement cycles, the Army uses “Transformation in Contact” (TIC): flooding units with new tech and learning by direct use and soldier feedback (A, 23:23).
  • “The process became the outcome versus…the outcome is winning.” (B, 22:13)
• Organizational Changes:
  • The Army consolidated acquisition portfolios to allow portfolio executives to make agile technology and budget decisions (A, 30:59–32:18).
  • “Go fully commercial where you can…there’s probably not a need for 20 years of government development…” (A, 32:18)

6. Extreme Environments & Field Lessons

• Environmental Edge Cases:
  • In the Arctic, at -40°F, batteries fail quickly—creative soldier workarounds and specialized gear (heated battery wraps, space blankets) are essential (A, 28:11).
  • “Everything breaks at negative 40, JP8 freezes at negative 53...” (A, 28:11)

7. Strategic Supply Chains and Industrial Base Concerns

• Dependence on Chinese Batteries:
  • Host and guests acknowledge U.S. dependency on Chinese battery supply chains; major onshoring efforts are underway, including hundreds of millions in federal investment (A, 40:10).
  • Chariot acts as a bridge, signaling demand to domestic suppliers and helping them overcome the initial cost hurdles (B, 42:33).
  • Extra caution against Chinese off-the-shelf battery banks with potential vulnerabilities or backdoors (B, 42:33).
• Big Picture:
  • “It is really, this actually solves America's problems, not just the Department of War's problems.” (A, 42:10)

8. Defining the Win: What Success Looks Like in Two Years

• Standardization and Seamless Power:
  • “We should be able to either have some type of dismounted solid state battery that's tactical microgrid compliant, we should have some type of solid state generator...or something like the infantry squad vehicle heavy…all…tactical microgrid compliant…” (A, 45:21)
  • Chariot wants power to become invisible infrastructure: “Actually nobody talks about power because… it just works.” (B, 47:47)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Soldier Needs:
  • “All the things we want to do is really about the soldier in the mud. Cold, wet, tired, hungry, what makes their lives easier or better.” (A, 00:00)
• On Signature Management:
  • “If you are creating a thermal signature because your generator is running all the time, you can be found…” (A, 12:06)
• On Chariot’s Approach:
  • “We actually tend to lead our products with their concepts of employment because that's really what makes our product interesting.” (B, 14:17)
• On Field Feedback:
  • “The first system we actually ever built is still up. Actually deployed with a unit up in Alaska because they wouldn't let us take it home after the demo.” (B, 25:06)
  • “It's also an education on things that are very high draw versus things that are very low draw. A lot of people don't understand as soon as you plug your coffee maker in or a microwave, you are changing the nature of how much power you're drawing…” (A, 18:36)
• On Power Just Working:
  • “If we succeed in 24 months, right. Actually nobody talks about power because… it just works.” (B, 47:47)

Important Segments & Timestamps

• 00:00–01:55: Why power is the bottleneck for modern operations; soldier-level energy needs
• 02:31–03:34: Chariot’s vision and approach to tactical power
• 07:22: Power demand math for new/legacy command posts and individual soldiers
• 10:06–11:49: Real-world failures and the inefficiency/signature burden from traditional generators
• 12:06–14:01: The dangers and detectability of power signatures
• 14:17–17:37: Chariot’s product explanation and practical field use; “buffer zone manager”
• 19:15–19:49: The impact of software-managed power sequencing
• 20:06–21:51: How commercial power innovations are being adapted for military field use
• 23:23–24:14: Army’s transformation from process-driven to outcome-driven innovation
• 25:06–27:54: Hardware/software interoperability, direct field feedback, and "soldier innovation"
• 28:11–30:33: Challenges in Arctic/extreme environments; commercial tech solves 80%, Army can address 20% edge cases
• 30:59–32:18: How Army procurement and tech integration is evolving
• 33:45–36:02: “Transformation in Contact” initiative and learning directly from fielded units
• 40:10–42:22: US battery supply chain investment and Chariot’s supportive role
• 45:21–47:47: What the Army and soldiers will experience if tactical power modernization is successful

Concluding Thoughts

This episode vividly illustrates that the next leap in military effectiveness won't just come from smarter drones or faster AI, but from the nearly invisible infrastructure—power—that enables and sustains them all. The conversation underscores the shift to outcome-focused adoption, the value of commercial innovation, and the imperative to harden and diversify supply chains. If Chariot Defense and the US Army succeed, the ultimate compliment might simply be: “Nobody talks about power anymore. It just works.”