Obviant, a leading provider of budget, program, and organizational intelligence that helps government and commercial partners rapidly deliver technology to the warfighter, today announced the appointment of Mike Madsen as Vice President, National Security. Madsen brings more than 30 years of national security experience across the Department of War, the Air Force, the Executive Branch, and the commercial sector.
“Mike brings an unparalleled blend of operational expertise, policy experience, and strategic insight to Obviant,” said Brendan Karp, CEO of Obviant. “At a time when the Administration, the Department of War, and Congress are all demanding faster, more disruptive acquisition, his deep understanding of how the Department acquires and scales technology, combined with his track record leading major reform efforts, makes him uniquely suited to help our customers turn this moment into real capability for the warfighter.”
Madsen joins Obviant from Strider Technologies, where he served as Vice President, Government Relations. At Strider, Madsen led engagement with federal decision-makers and helped shape the company’s national security strategy. Before joining Strider, Madsen served as Deputy Director of the Defense Innovation Unit, helping accelerate the adoption of commercial technology for the warfighter. Earlier, he led the Congressionally mandated 809 Panel, a two-year effort charged with delivering recommendations to streamline and modernize the defense acquisition system to preserve U.S. technological advantage.
A retired Air Force Colonel, Madsen has held senior leadership roles spanning complex DoW initiatives, program management, acquisition reform, and congressional engagement. His career includes more than three years of high-level legislative affairs experience, extensive budgetary and programmatic oversight, and a long record of advising top defense leaders.
Before retiring from military service, Madsen served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE) directorate, where he provided programmatic oversight, policy analysis, and resource allocation recommendations across the Executive Branch budget and appropriations process.
Mike joining Obviant comes at a pivotal juncture, as the DOW accelerates its Acquisition Transformation Strategy with an emphasis on speed, agility, and innovation in delivering critical capabilities to the warfighter. With a renewed mandate to unify, modernize, and streamline the warfighting acquisition system, and to infuse proven commercial practices into government procurement, the department is signaling a fundamental shift in how it buys and fields capability. Having driven acquisition reform and technology transitions at DIU and helped shape foundational improvements for defense procurement, Mike’s leadership and track record uniquely position him to help Obviant and the DoW accelerate this change.
“I’m honored to join Obviant at a moment when aligning resources with mission needs has never been more important,” said Madsen. “Obviant’s data-driven approach provides the clarity and speed government and industry leaders require to deliver advanced technology to more effectively support the warfighter. I’ve worked to do this in a variety of different ways in the past decade and I’m excited to contribute to today’s acquisition transformation with Obviant.”
Obviant is a data intelligence platform that combines open-source intelligence (OSINT) on defense acquisition, contracting, and budgeting with customers’ own data, serving as the authoritative source of truth for decision-makers. By delivering real-time, accurate, and actionable insight across Department of War programs, Obviant empowers technology companies, investors, and government leaders to align capabilities with mission needs. Learn more at www.obviant.com
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