2026 Navy Summit | Potomac Officers Club
RegisterWHAT
The 2026 Navy Summit brings together senior Navy leaders, defense officials and industry executives to examine how emerging technologies are shaping the future of naval operations. From digital modernization and autonomous systems to cyber resilience and advanced platforms, the event will highlight how the Navy is prioritizing innovation while balancing readiness, sustainment and resources.
For government contractors, the summit offers direct access to the Navy’s most influential voices. Attendees will hear firsthand how leaders are aligning mission needs with investment strategies, connect with peers across the defense industrial base and engage with leading sponsors supporting the next generation of naval capabilities.
Keynote Speakers
Hon. Hung Cao
Acting Secretary
U.S. Department of the Navy
Lt. Gen. Joseph Matos
Deputy Commandant for Information
USMC
VADM Brad Skillman
Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Integration of Capabilities and Resources, N8, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations
U.S. Navy
Barry Tanner
Acting CIO
U.S. Department of the Navy
Vice Adm. Michael Vernazza
Commander, Naval Information Forces
U.S. Navy
Speakers
Amina Al Sherif
Head of AI
Google Public Sector
James Balocki
Executive Director, Marine Corps Installations Command
Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps
RADM Susan BryerJoyner
Director of Information Warfare (N99)
U.S. Navy
Col (Ret) Mark Campbell
Sr. Business Development Executive
Legion Intelligence
CAPT Jeremiah Daley
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Robotic Autonomous Systems (DASN RAS)
U.S. Navy
Brian DeFelice
Deputy Director, Financial Operations (FMO)
U.S. Navy
GEN (Ret) Charles R Hamilton
The SPECTRUM Group
Andy Henson
CTO
Serco NA
Jeffrey Hurley
Director (Acting), Information Command, Control, Communications and Computers (IC4)
Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps
Robert Keisler
Senior Scientific Technical Manager (SSTM) Data Science and Analytics Engineering Competency Senior Manager
Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC)
VADM Retired Joe Kernan
Senior Vice President of Strategic Engagements
SAP NS2
CAPT Ruth Lane
ASSISTANT CHIEF OF STAFF MARITIME OPERATIONS CENTER TYPE COMMANDER NAVAL INFORMATION FORCES
U.S. Department of the Navy
Bryan Lopez
Director of Emerging Technologies, Department of the Navy Chief Information Officer
U.S. Department of the Navy
George Malkasian
Marine Corps Strategy Lead
AT&T
Richard Okrasinski
Director of C4I, Commander, Submarine Forces Atlantic
U.S. Navy
VADM Retired Robert Sharp
Chief Maritime Intelligence Officer.
Windward Maritime AI
Joe Simons
Head of US Defense and National Security Affairs
Kpler
Rich Sussman
Director of Business Development
SAIC
Shery Thomas
Enterprise IT Officer, Navy Installations Command
U.S. Department of the Navy
Maura Thompson
Fleet Enterprise Lead
Palantir Technologies
Lacey Wean
Director - Geospatial, Space, UAS, Aerospace & Maritime, Law Enforcement, Oracle, Emerging Tech
Carahsoft
Brandon Wehler
Executive Director
C5MI Insight LLC
Dr. Nick Weir
VP Mission Engineering
Legion Intelligence
Agenda
| 7:00am | 8:00am | Networking Reception |
| 8:00am | 8:15am | Welcome & Opening Remarks |
| 8:15am | 8:40am | Opening Keynote: Hon. Hung Cao |
| 8:40am | 9:00am | Morning Keynote: Vice Adm. Michael Vernazza |
| 9:00am | 9:20am | Morning Keynote: VADM Brad Skillman |
| 9:20am | 9:50am | Networking Break |
| 9:50am | 10:50am | Panel A: Hybrid Fleet in Production: Autonomy at Scale: Lacey Wean (Moderator),CAPT Jeremiah Daley (Panelist), VADM Retired Robert Sharp (Panelist) |
| 9:50am | 10:50am | Panel B: Integrating Commercial Capabilities into the MOCs: Opportunities & Challenges- Joe Simons (Moderator), Richard Okrasinski (Panelist), Capt. Ruth Lane (Panelist), Maura Thompson (Panelist) |
| 10:50am | 11:00am | Break |
| 11:00am | 12:00pm | Panel A: Building the Golden Fleet with Software: AI, Digital Engineering, and the New Shipbuilding Stack- Rich Sussman (Moderator), Shery Thomas (Panelist), Robert Keisler (Panelist) |
| 11:00am | 12:00pm | Panel B: From Legacy to Lethality: Modernizing the Navyu2019s Enterprise Networks for Information Warfare Readiness- George Malkasian (Moderator), Jeffrey Hurley (Panelist), James Balocki (Panelist), RADM Susan BryerJoyner (Panelist), Andy Henson (Panelist) |
| 12:00pm | 1:30pm | Networking Lunch |
| 12:15pm | 1:15pm | Lunch Panel: The Future of UUV & USV Navy-Industry Partnership |
| 1:30pm | 2:30pm | Panel A: Connective Tissue: Project Overmatch, CJADC2, and Network-Centric Warfighting- Mark Campbell (Moderator), Amina Al Sherif (Panelist),Dr. Nick Weir (Panelist), Bryan Lopez (Panelist) |
| 1:30pm | 2:30pm | Panel B: Go Live Faster Panel-Brandon Wehler (Moderator), VADM Retired Joe Kernan (Panelist),GEN (Ret) Charles R Hamilton (Panelist), Brian Defelice (Panelist) |
| 2:30pm | 2:40pm | Networking Break |
| 2:40pm | 3:00pm | Afternoon Keynote: Barry Tanner |
| 3:00pm | 3:20pm | Mid-Afternoon Keynote |
| 3:20pm | 3:40pm | Closing Keynote- LT Gen Joseph Matos |
| 3:40pm | 4:00pm | Closing Comments |
