2026 Air and Space Summit | Potomac Officers Club
RegisterWHAT
In the seven years since the establishment of the U.S. Space Force, the Department of War has worked to prioritize space as a domain with as much weight and consequence as its other principle areas of responsibility. The Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Air and Space Summit is paying tribute to this with the inclusion of USSF alongside the U.S. Air Force for its latest GovCon conference. Top leaders from both service branches will participate in engrossing dialog with industry’s finest executives for a packed day of keynote addresses, panel conversations and non-stop networking.
Sessions will explore how to bring in advanced technologies to stay ahead in the air and space domains and the strategies leaders are devising to combat new, ever-growing challenges.
Keynote Speakers
Speakers
Dr. Robert Antypas
Space, Access, Mobility, and Logistics Mission Area Lead
Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)
Steven Butow
Senior Advisor to the Director & Executive Committee Member
Defense Innovation Unit (DIU)
Robert Conrad
President of Kepler Communications US
Kepler Communications
Iain Ferguson
CTO, AF/DODAC Business Unit
SAIC
Randy Fields
CTO
Ultra I&C
Ron Fritzemeier
Director, Mission Solutions
Intel Foundry
Dr. Kelly Hammett
Director and Program Executive Officer, Space Rapid Capabilities Office
U.S. Space Force
Greg Heckler
Deputy Program Manager for Capability Development, Space Communications and Navigation Program
National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA)
Christopher Jones
Chief Technology Officer
Nightwing
Didi Kuo *Pending Confirmation*
Chief, Geospatial Intelligence Systems Acquisition Directorate Architect
National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)
Tang Pham
VP, Defense, Intel & Homeland
AT&T
Col. Aaron Stevenson
Deputy Director, Commercial Space Office (COSMO), Space Systems Command
U.S. Space Force
Samuel Sutton
Director of Space Systems Architecture
SES
Agenda
| 7:00am | 8:00am | Networking Breakfast |
| 8:00am | 8:05am | Welcome & Opening Remarks |
| 8:05am | 8:40am | Opening Keynote: Gen John LaMontagne |
| 8:40am | 9:15am | Mid-Morning Keynote: Tom Ainsworth *Pending Confirmation* |
| 9:15am | 9:45am | Morning Keynote: |
| 9:45am | 10:15am | Networking Break |
| 10:15am | 11:15am | Panel A: "From Detection to Decision: Orchestration Across Air and Space Domains": Iain Ferguson (Moderator). |
| 10:15am | 11:15am | Panel B: "Connecting Constellations: The Case for Interoperable Optical Networks": Robert Conrad (Moderator) |
| 11:15am | 11:25am | Networking Break |
| 11:25am | 12:25pm | Panel A: "From Data to Decision: Advancing Multi-Level Security with AI/ML for the Modern Warfighter": Steven Butow and Randy Fields. |
| 11:25am | 12:25pm | Panel B: "Commercial Space Relay: Achieving Speed to Mission": Greg Heckler, Col. Aaron Stevenson and Samuel Sutton (Moderator). |
| 12:25pm | 1:30pm | Networking Lunch |
| 12:30pm | 1:25pm | Lunch Panel |
| 1:30pm | 2:30pm | Panel A: "Win or Lose - The Speed of Military Technology Advancement": Dr. Kelly Hammett, Ron Fritzmeier (Moderator, Chris Jones and Dr. Robert Antypas. |
| 1:30pm | 2:30pm | Panel B: "Winning the Digital High Ground: Delivering the Department of the Air Forceu2019s Network of the Future" : Tang Pham (Moderator) and Didi Kuo "Pending Confirmation". |
| 2:30pm | 2:45pm | Networking Break |
| 2:45pm | 3:15pm | Afternoon Keynote |
| 3:15pm | 3:45pm | Mid-Afternoon Keynote |
| 3:45pm | 4:15pm | Closing Keynote |
| 4:15pm | 4:20pm | Closing Comments |
