2026 Defense R&D Summit | Potomac Officers Club
RegisterWHAT
As global threats evolve and the pace of technological advancement accelerates, the need for groundbreaking research and innovation in defense has never been greater. The Potomac Officers Club invites you to the 2026 Defense R&D Summit, where the nation’s top defense leaders, researchers and innovators will converge to examine the technologies revolutionizing the future of warfare. Through expert-led discussions and actionable insights, this summit offers a unique opportunity to explore strategies that will strengthen U.S. military capabilities and ensure national security. Don’t miss your chance to engage with key decision-makers and pioneers shaping the defense landscape of tomorrow.
*This event is closed to media.
Keynote Speakers
Hon. Michael Duffey
Under Secretary for Acquisition and Sustainment
U.S. Department of War (DOW)
Dr. Ronzelle Green
Director of Research & Development
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA)
Hon. Emil Michael
Under Secretary for Research and Engineering and Defense Innovation Unit Acting Director
U.S. Department of War (USW(R&E))
Warren O'Donnell
Program Executive for the Advanced Capability Office & Director of MDA's Federal Laboratory
Missile Defense Agency (MDA)
Dr. Thomas Rondeau
Principal Director, FutureG (OUSW R&E)
U.S. Department of War (DOW)
Speakers
Jason Bales
CTO
CACI
COL Richard Becker
INSCOM G6
INSCOM
Sarah Campbell
Associate VP of Research for Defense & Security
George Mason University
Peter Cappiello
Chief Executive Officer
Future Technologies Venture LLC
Col. Daniel Celotto
Assistant Chief of Staff, G-6
Marine Corps Installations Command
Jay Coffey
Vice President, Federal
Arqit
Brig Gen (S.) Lauren Courchaine
Director, Communications and Cyberspace Operations
U.S. Air Force
CAPT Jeremiah Daley
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Robotic Autonomous Systems (DASN RAS)
U.S. Navy
Vincent DiFronzo
EVP, Air Force and Combatant Command
SAIC
Dr. Fredrik Fatemi- Pending Confirmation
Senior Research Scientist for Quantum Science
DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory, AFC
Alex Fitzsimmons
CESER Director
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
Lt. Gen. (Ret) Matthew Glavy
Former Deputy Commandant for Information [DC I]
U.S. Marine Corps
JC Gordon
Vice President - Maritime & Logistics
Kpler
William Grabner
Senior Vice President, Federal Sales
JMA Wireless
Lt Col. Gregory Haverkorn
Battlespace Awareness Division Chief at AF TENCAP, ACC Det 1
U.S. Air Force
Col. Nicholas Lozar
Commanding Officer
Marine Depot Maintenance Command
Mark Luncher
Vice President, Programs National Security and Space Sector
SAIC
LTC Paul Lushenko
Chief Strategist
Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF 401)
Col. Daniel May
Chief AI Officer for Air Force Intelligence
U.S. Air Force
CAPT Charles McKissick
U.S. Navy Military Deputy Navy Service Lead
Defense Innovation Unit (DIU)
Leigh Method
PTDO Assistant Secretary of War for Sustainment (PTDO ASW(S))
U.S. Department of War (DOW)
John Moberly
Chief Growth Officer
Ibeos
LTG (Ret) John Morrison
Former Deputy Chief of Staff, G6, U.S Army
Shannon Pallone
Program Executive Officer (PEO) for Battle Management Command, Control & Communications, United States Space Force
Space Systems Command
MAJ Robert Perez-Alemany
Technical Program Manager, Space Portfolio
Defense Innovation Unit (DIU)
Lt Col. Benjamin Pimentel
Assured C2 Lead, Project Dynamis
U.S. Marine Corps
Joe Pishock
DoD Accounts and Strategy
Oceus
Col Jason Quinter
Chief of Staff, I Marine Expeditionary Force
U.S. Marine Corps
Matthew Redding
Associate Director for Industrial Security
Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA)
Michael Sherman
Director, Operational Resilience
Vantor
Nathan Simington
Director of Policy & Strategy
Ericsson Federal
RADM (Ret.) Doug Small
President
DWS Strategies, LLC
Dr. Amir Stephenson
Director, 5G.MIL Programs
Lockheed Martin
Dr. Tucker Swindell (Pending Approval)
Chief, Terrestrial Communications Division US ARMY DEVCOM C5ISR Center
U.S. Army
GEN (Ret) David D. Thompson
Former Vice Chief of Space Operations
U.S. Space Force
CAPT Patrick Thompson- Pending Approval
Infrastructure Services Division
C5ISC
VADM Retired Jeffrey Trussler
Former Deputy Chief of Naval Operations & Director of Naval Intelligence N2/N6 Information Warfare
Team Trussler LLC
Steve Vogelsang
CTO
Nokia Federal Solutions
Dr. Jeff Waksman
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment
U.S. Army
Kathryn Wang
Principal, Public Sector
SandboxAQ
Carrie Wibben Kaupp
President
Exiger
Dr. Stacie Williams
Chief Science Officer
U.S. Space Force
Agenda
| 7:00am | 8:00am | Networking Reception |
| 8:00am | 8:05am | Welcome & Opening Remarks |
| 8:05am | 8:15am | Opening Keynote Comments: Hon. Michael Duffey and Carrie Wibben Kaupp (Introducer) |
| 8:15am | 8:25am | Morning Keynote Comments: Hon. Emil Michael and Steve Vogelsang (Introducer) |
| 8:25am | 9:10am | Fireside Chat: Hon. Michael Duffey & Hon. Emil Michael |
| 9:10am | 9:50am | Networking Break |
| 9:50am | 10:50am | Panel A: "Bridging Domains: 5G to FutureG in Defense"- Steve Vogelsang (Moderator), Col Jason Quinter, LTG (Ret) John Morrison, Dr. Tucker Swindell (Pending Approval), Lt Col. Benjamin Pimentel and Dr. Amir Stephenson. |
| 9:50am | 10:50am | Panel B: "Crossing the Valley of Death and Ready to Fight on the Far Side"- Vincent DiFronzo (Moderator), CAPT Jeremiah Daley, Lt Col. Gregory Haverkorn, Maj Kyle Dempsey and RADM (Ret.) Doug Small. |
| 9:50am | 10:50am | Panel C: "Innovating for Advantage: Advancing Secure, Interoperable BMC3- IT for Space Defense"- John Moberly (Moderator), Michael Sherman, Dr. Stacie Williams and Shannon Pallone. |
| 10:50am | 11:00am | Break |
| 11:00am | 12:00pm | Panel A: "Smart Installation and Logistics Modernization Through 5G" - Bill Grabner (Moderator), Peter Cappiello, Col. Nicholas Lozar and Col. Daniel Celotto. |
| 11:00am | 12:00pm | Panel B: "Securing the Future of Defense Innovation"- Carrie Wibben Kaupp (Moderator), Leigh Method, Col. Daniel May and Matthew Redding. |
| 11:00am | 12:00pm | Panel C: "Non-Kinetic Considerations for Left of Launch Defeat"- Jason Bales (Moderator), Sarah Campbell, VADM (Ret.) Jeffrey Trussler, LTG (Ret.) Matthew Glavy, LTC Paul Lushenko and GEN (Ret) David D. Thompson. |
| 12:00pm | 1:00pm | Networking Lunch |
| 1:00pm | 2:00pm | Panel A: "Innovating Wirelessly within INDOPACOM"- Joe Pishock (Moderator), COL Richard Becker, Lt Col. Benjamin Pimentel, CAPT Patrick Thompson- Pending Approval and Nathan Simington. |
| 1:00pm | 2:00pm | Panel B: "Powering AI at Mission Scale: Energy, Compute, and Infrastructure for Defense Innovation"- JC Gordon (Moderator), Mr. Alex Fitzsimmons, Matthew Redding, Dr. Jeff Waksman and CAPT Charles McKissick. |
| 1:00pm | 2:00pm | Panel C: "Securing the Quantum Edge: Advancing U.S. Leadership as a National Security Imperative"- Jay Coffey (Moderator), Dr. Fredrik Fatemi- Pending Confirmation, Kathryn Wang and Brig Gen (S.) Lauren Courchaine. |
| 2:00pm | 2:20pm | Networking Break |
| 2:20pm | 2:45pm | Afternoon Keynote: Dr. Ronzelle Green |
| 2:45pm | 3:10pm | Afternoon Keynote: Warren O'Donnell |
| 3:10pm | 3:40pm | Closing Keynote: Dr. Thomas Rondeau and Mark Luncher (Introducer) |
| 3:40pm | 3:45pm | Closing Comments |
