Trust at Machine Speed: AI, DevSecOps, and Zero Trust in National Security Software

Artificial intelligence is moving faster than the policies, security controls, and acquisition processes designed to govern it—especially in national security environments where preventing failure is mission-critical. In this episode of Exploited: The Cyber Truth, host Paul Ducklin is joined by Nicolas Chaillan, the host of In the Nic of Time and Former DAF CSO, to examine a central question: how do you build trust in systems that operate, adapt, and make decisions at machine speed? Drawing on his experience deploying DevSecOps across the Department of Defense and building large-scale AI platforms, Chaillan offers a direct perspective on what’s working, what isn’t, and where organizations are falling behind. Together, they explore: • Why multi-model AI strategies are critical to avoid lock-in and improve outcomes • How AI is accelerating software development, testing, and security workflows • Where policy and governance are lagging behind technical reality • The risks of restricting access to critical AI capabilities • What zero trust looks like in systems driven by automation and AI From defense systems to software pipelines, this episode examines what it takes to move fast without losing control—and what leaders need to understand as AI becomes embedded across the mission stack.