476: Michael Cadenazzi—The Department of War is Hiring
3/24/20261 hr 36 min
What does it take to rebuild America's industrial backbone—and who's actually going to do the work? Mike sits down with Michael Cadenazzi, Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy, to discuss his role at the Department of War (DOW) and his mission focused on restoring the muscle behind America's might.
Cadenazzi makes the case that while the U.S. still produces world-class engineers and cutting-edge weapons designs, there's a growing gap where it matters most—the skilled workforce needed to actually build them. From welders and machinists to technicians and fabricators, he argues the country's strength depends on rebuilding the trades that turn ideas into reality.
It's a candid conversation about work, purpose, and why the future of national security may hinge less on innovation—and more on the people willing to pick up the tools and get it done.
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsMike Rowe· Host0:00
[bass music] Well, Charlie, I'm gonna break some rules on this one.
Chuck· Host0:06
Oh, do tell.
Mike Rowe· Host0:07
[laughs] Our guest today is, um, ASW Michael Cadenasi.
Chuck· Host0:14
ASW?
Mike Rowe· Host0:15
ASW.
Chuck· Host0:15
Stands for?
Mike Rowe· Host0:16
[laughs] Uh, I think assistant to- Assistant Secretary of War? Yep.
Chuck· Host0:20
Okay.
Mike Rowe· Host0:20
That's it.
Chuck· Host0:21
Okay.
Mike Rowe· Host0:21
That's it. It would not be charitable to simply call him a bureaucrat or a public servant, although I suppose technically he would answer to both, but he would also answer to a patriot. Years in the Navy- Yeah ... years in the engineering game- Yeah ... um, y-years as an entrepreneur, uh, very successful in the private sector.
Chuck· Host0:44
Mm-hmm.
Mike Rowe· Host0:45
Uh, family man, married man, wife's a helicopter pilot, raised three beautiful girls.
Chuck· Host0:50
Mm.
Mike Rowe· Host0:50
And, uh, well, he got sucked in, didn't he?
Chuck· Host0:53
He-- [laughs] That's right.
Mike Rowe· Host0:54
[laughs] He, he-- Mike Cadenasi works in the Pentagon, and I vowed, well, I didn't really vow, but I've, I've aspired over the years to, um, avoid the swamp and the politics- Mm ... of it all. But, um, I'm making an exception because I, I think our country's entering an extraordinary time. And Mike Cadenasi, among other things, is in charge of billions and billions of dollars. It's called the DIB. It's the, um, what's it stand-- The, uh, Domestic Infrastructure