This month I am pleased and proud to present our son Jared Couch, as our dinner speaker. He will be discussing the evolution of defense technology and the future of the battlefield. He will highlight how the U.S. defense Industrial complex is In the process of change to equip U.S. soldiers and our allies with the technology necessary to defeat the evolving threat landscape. This Is a rare opportunity to listen to someone with current experience in this fast paced and especially relevant topic.

Jared has spent the last 5 years as the Business Development Director, Middle East, at Anduril Industries, an explosive non-traditional defense tech company, where he focuses on bringing Anduril’s cutting edge technology to US partner governments in the Middle East.

Previously, Jared spent 6 years in the United States Army in the Special Forces (Green Beret), where he deployed multiple times to the Central Command CENTCOM (Middle East) theatre, working by, with, and through partner forces to achieve both strategic and tactical outcomes. Jared has a decade of experience since leaving the US Army working in business development between the Middle East and Latin America. He is a fluent Arabic (Jordanian dialect) and Spanish speaker.

Jared earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting from California Polytechnic State University, a master’s degree in international relations and conflict resolution from American Military University, and a post graduate specialization in political communication from Universidad EAFIT, in Colombia.

Jared has lived between Amman, Jordan and Abu Dhabi, UAE for the past 7 years.

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This month I am recognizing our Chief Operations Officer, Scott Stelzle, for his exemplary leadership as COO. The role of the COO is to maintain oversight of museum operations and supervise other paid staff. Sounds simple, right? Not even close. Scott works hand in hand with staff, board members and volunteers coordinating construction projects, logistics, maintenance and staffing, and ensures that the museum functions efficiently and aligns with its mission and strategic goals. In reality, that description does not begin to describe all that Scott is involved with in running the museum. His business sense, ingenuity, knowledge of construction, love of flying and ability to work together to get things done all contribute to the success of our museum. Scott has the best interests of the museum at heart and it shows. We are very fortunate to have him in charge. Please join me in recognizing Scott for a job very well done.

• John Couch, President
• 805 440-1663

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Construction Updates

Construction has started and moving along quite quickly on an addition to the Pfauter Building which houses the Red Ball Express Motor Pool.

Herman Pfauter has presented the museum with a uniqe display of vehicles utilized during the Red Ball Express during the early stages of World War II in Europe. The new addition, which he has generously underwritten expenses, will house additional historical vehicles preserved for generations to come. If you have not visited in a while, this facility is guaranteed to be learning sourse for individuals of all ages.

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Progress on the Type 97 Japanese Tankette

Sometimes, it's those little things that play a major role in restoration projects. Steve Foss and Keith Dekker are shown preparing the Japanese Tankette to accept castor wheels in order to be more easily rolled around this 5.2 ton tankette by any individuals aiding in the restoration. Done like experts! Awesome!

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