CPT Patrick Hanlon
“Navigating Deployment Challenges for 75th Ranger Regiment”
Sponsor Perspective
CPT Patrick Hanlon
Overview
Through Hacking for Defense® (H4D), a nationwide university program that leverages the brightest students to address national security problems, students are taught how to apply entrepreneurial methodologies to understand and offer pathways for addressing a specific government problem.
Each team is given a different problem and every problem has a government problem sponsor. Problem sponsors are members of the Department of Defense or Intelligence Community who possess the relevant technical or professional expertise to mentor their students. They act as both the client and liaison, owning the problem the students are trying to solve and facilitating their investigation into its root causes.
Sponsor Biography:
CPT Patrick Hanlon served as a Ranger and Innovation Director at 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment on Hunter Army Airfield. After enlisting in the US Army in 2011, CPT Hanlon deployed to Syria, Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Africa in support of counterterrorism and overseas contingency operations. CPT Hanlon spent most of his career in special operations, first as an enlisted Green Beret with Army Special Forces and later as an Infantry Officer with the 75th Ranger Regiment. Additionally, CPT Hanlon has led Paratroopers with the 82nd Airborne Division. Patrick and his wife Savannah, an Air Force veteran, live with their two dogs and cat in Savannah, GA.
Sponsor Perspective:
Could you talk us through the problem you submitted?
Sure, we submitted a challenge we encounter when rapidly deploying in response to contingencies around the world. Moving hundreds of men, weapons, and equipment around the world on a very tight timeline is not an easy task and we’re always looking to buy back some time. We asked Hacking for Defense if they could help us understand where some of the bottlenecks were with regards to how we manage and track all the tasks and moving pieces.
What did the students present at the end of the semester?
At the end of the semester, the students at the Naval Postgraduate School presented a comprehensive PowerPoint deck, summarizing the methodology they used when identifying the root of our problem, and assessing the value propositions of different solutions. They also went above and beyond and created a tangible deliverable—a demo using an Excel sheet for active deployment. This sheet included automations for tasks like adding notes and dates, which are crucial for our regiment where frequent leadership promotion makes knowledge management difficult.
How did their findings impact the organization?
Their unbiased approach to the problem and thorough capturing of items provided our leadership with a fresh perspective from a trusted third party. They led over 100 touchpoints with Rangers to gather multiple points of view. Their thoughtful consideration of time and resource constraints resulted in a solution pathway that any staff officer could implement.
Why should other potential government sponsors get involved in the H4D program?
The H4D program offers the invaluable benefit of acquiring a team of consultants at no cost. Their work carries significant monetary value, and their role as trusted third-party advisors brings fresh perspectives to organizational challenges. Importantly, they dedicate focused time to problems without any distraction, a luxury many busy units like ours can't afford.
The Ranger Regiment faces perpetual cycles of turnover and deployment, making knowledge transfer within our unit challenging. Staff officers tend to rotate out within a year, hindering continuity. By participating in programs like H4D, we can leverage expertise and enthusiasm to study a problem that we rarely have time or resources to tackle ourselves.
🌐 Take action now by submitting your challenge through our dedicated problem submission page. Together, let's pave the way for innovative defense solutions!