Executive spotlights are in-depth Q&A’s which ExecutiveBiz conducts with numerous chief and top-level executives in GovCon.

The intimate access afforded by these interviews provides insight as to how companies are acquiring new business, what the future holds and the personal side of corporate leaders.
This past week, ExecutiveBiz published a spotlight with Arnold Punaro, a retire Marine major general and former executive vice president of SAIC.
He now leads the Punaro Group, an advisory firm he begun, and also serves as the vice chairman of the National Defense Industrial Association.
In his conversation with ExecutiveBiz, Punaro discussed a number of topics including how he helps clients and partners navigate sequestration and what actions he recommends GovCon firms, particularly small businesses, take to stay ahead of trends and see business gains.
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When asked about sequestration, Punaro had an interesting reaction to the automatic budget cuts taking effect in the first place.
“The sequester is a dumb way to govern that no one wanted to see happen. No one thought it would actually be put in place. Unfortunately, now that it is in effect, I don’t see a majority willing to make the compromises necessary to remove its most adverse impacts on national security,” he said.
When he was asked about the military only having five months to implement the sequester, Punaro said he was worried about the readiness of the military.
“We’re watching military readiness go from what we call C1 readiness, the necessary high state of readiness to go to war, down to C3, or not fully combat-ready. That’s a very dangerous situation for the non-deployed combat forces of our military with such an unpredictable, dangerous world, he said.”
Punaro also touched on the vulnerability of small businesses in the current budget environment.
“Small businesses need to be realistic that the defense budget is going to be declining, and therefore, they need to adjust to that most likely outcome,” he said.
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ExecutiveBiz is one of EM’s premiere websites and focuses on the news that executives need to know, including alerts on new contracts and industry reports, to conduct and acquire new business.