2026 Defense R&D Summit

2026 Defense R&D Summit | Potomac Officers Club

Register

WHAT

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.

WHEN

Thursday, January 29, 2026
7:00am - 3:45pm
Eastern Time Zone

WHERE

Hilton-McLean
7920 Jones Branch Drive
McLean, VA 22102

Keynote Speakers

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

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