2026 Defense R&D Summit | Potomac Officers Club
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.
Keynote Speakers
Hon. Michael Duffey
Under Secretary for Acquisition and Sustainment
U.S. Department of War (DOW)
Dr. Ronzelle Green
Director, GEOINT Innovation & Research
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))
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
Executive Vice President, Air Force, Space and Intelligence Business Group
SAIC
Dr. Fredrik Fatemi
Senior Research Scientist for Quantum Science
DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory, T2COM
Frank Finelli
Managing Director
The Carlyle Group
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
Tim Kocher
Deputy Director in the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER)
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
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)
U.S. Department of War (DOW)
Danielle Manson
Vice President Federal Partnerships
JMA Wireless
Col. Daniel May
Chief AI Officer for Air Force Intelligence
U.S. Air Force
CAPT Charles "Newt" 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 & GM
Ibeos
LTG (Ret) John Morrison
Former Deputy Chief of Staff, G6, U.S Army
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
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
Chief, Terrestrial Communications Division US ARMY DEVCOM C5ISR Center
U.S. Army
CAPT Patrick Thompson
Infrastructure Services Division
C5ISC
GEN (Ret) David D. Thompson
Former Vice Chief of Space Operations
U.S. Space Force
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 and Carrie Wibben Kaupp (Moderator) |
| 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 , 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, 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 Robert Perez- Alemany. |
| 10:50am | 11:00am | Break |
| 11:00am | 12:00pm | Panel A: "Smart Installation and Logistics Modernization" - 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 Frank Finelli. |
| 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, and Nathan Simington. |
| 1:00pm | 2:00pm | Panel B: "Powering AI at Mission Scale: Energy, Compute, and Infrastructure for Defense Innovation"- JC Gordon (Moderator), 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, Kathryn Wang and Brig Gen (S.) Lauren Courchaine. |
| 2:00pm | 2:30pm | Networking Break |
| 2:30pm | 3:00pm | Afternoon Keynote: Dr. Ronzelle Green and Danielle Manson (Introducer) |
| 3:00pm | 3:30pm | Closing Keynote: Dr. Thomas Rondeau and Mark Luncher (Introducer) |
| 3:30pm | 3:35pm | Closing Comments |
