CONFERENCE.DEFENSENEWS.COM | SEPT. 8, 2021 - ONLINE | #DNCONF THE MOST SOUGHT-AFTER DEFENSE EVENT OF THE YEAR
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I have spent nearly 15 years covering defense and have already been impressed by my inside look at Defense News.
I’m also new. I joined the team as editor in late July and have been getting to know the talented staff here and how the work gets done.
There’s a new administration in town with new priorities and plans. Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks will speak on how the Defense Department is repositioning and rethinking its approach.
The reporters, editors and staff here are knowledgeable, hardworking and eager to make sure readers are getting the latest and most comprehensive news on defense technology, policies and spending. This conference is a testament to that effort. We’ve gathered many of the top officials from the Pentagon and the military services, as well as some of the Defense Department officials leading the effort to find new technologies and Thecompanies.Defense News conference is a unique opportunity to understand their priorities, the path forward and the potential challenges. We hope you enjoy it and learn something new.
Defense News has a newly redesigned website and a few more changes are on the way. We think our new look will help you find and enjoy more of our stories and better understand the breadth of our coverage.
5TH
3 I DEFENSE NEWS CONFERENCE
CONFERENCEDEFENSEANNUALNEWS
There’s a lot new about this year’s Defense News conference, now in its fifth year.
Marjorie Censer Editor, Defense News
4 I DEFENSE NEWS CONFERENCE TODAY’S GREAT POWER COMPETITION DEMANDS RAPID APPLICATION OF IT, ENGINEERING, AND SCIENCE FOR AN UNPRECEDENTED TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANTAGE. With proven expertise that spans hardware to software, our iterative prototype design, delivery, and manufacturing capabilities provide the warfighter with superior performance and protection, enabling informed decision making with unrivaled precision and speed. Find out how we put our high tech on a mission and help every branch of the military achieve multi-domain dominance and protect what’s most important. The power to do great things leidos.com/defense © 2021 LEIDOS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 21-187151
Moderator: Megan Eckstein, Naval Warfare Reporter, Defense News
Facing stagnating budgets, the Air Force’s top general has said the service is on the verge of making “the most difficult force structure decisions in generations.” To keep pace with adversaries, the Air Force is expected to reprioritize major programs, slash existing inventories, and eliminate departmental silos. But what will come in its place? How will these decisions impact the service’s major priorities, such as modernizing its nuclear transport, realizing the Advanced Battle Management System, and ensuring that acquisition can match the speed of software? In this panel, we’ll look at how Air Force leadership is preparing for the future.
9:30AM MODERNIZING THE FLEET
Moderator: Valerie Insinna, Air Warfare Reporter, Defense News
Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. Chief of Staff, U.S. Air Force
5 I DEFENSE NEWS CONFERENCE
Adm. Michael Gilday, Chief of Naval Operations, U.S. Navy
8:30AM WELCOME REMARKS Mike Gruss, Editor-in-chief, Defense News, C4ISRNET, Military Times & Federal Times
Gen. James McConville, Chief of Staff, U.S. Army Hon. Christine Wormuth, Secretary of the Army
How does the Defense Department identify its R&D priorities? What factors are needed to bring an idea from blueprint to the battlefield? And what are challenges to acquiring and scaling this technology to meet unique needs across the services? Join us as we hear from experts at the Defense Innovation Unit and DARPA on how their organizations bring big ideas to life and shape the nature of war for generations.
KEYNOTE
Industry Fireside Chat: Bo Marr, Chief Technology Officer & Co-Founder, Epirus Panel
agenda
8:35AM PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE AIR FORCE
KEYNOTE Hon. Kathleen Hicks, Deputy Secretary of Defense Moderator: Marjorie Censer, Editor, Defense News
11:07AM
Research and development of groundbreaking technology is critical to ensuring US military dominance on the battlefield. But history shows that the pathway from idea to reality is not always straightforward; such tools must pass through a gauntlet of security vetting, design iteration, and user feedback before they are finally deemed mature enough to aid soldiers in combat. While most ideas never find their footing, the ones that do can change the battlefield permanently.
Discussion: Mike Brown, Director, Defense Innovation Unit
Moderator: Jen Judson, Land Warfare Reporter, Defense News
With China and Russia spending on naval technology, pressure is building for the US Navy to resolve maintenance backlogs and upgrade its fleet architecture to one that is more distributed, agile, and connected for the modern era. From Project Overmatch’s goal of connecting ships across a common network, to pending congressional support that could decide the future of the Navy’s 355-ship goal, to research and development of unmanned subsurface vessels, this panel will explore how the Navy is modernizing its fleet to take on the top maritime challenges of the decade.
Stefanie Tompkins, Director, DARPA Moderator: Joe Gould, Congress Reporter, Defense News
11:57 PM FROM BLUEPRINT TO THE BATTLEFIELD
10:30AM
Panel
12:52PM
Since its start in 2019, the U.S. Space Force has emphasized the need to use industry innovations better and add commercial service providers to fulfill its missions. To do so, the United States has rolled out new contracting techniques, pushed acquisition authorities lower, and brought nontraditional companies into the fold through pitch days and a new consortium. In this panel, we will discuss how two of the nation’s most secretive space organizations — the Space Rapid Capabilities Office and the National Reconnaissance Office — are pulling in industry’s best ideas to deliver improved capabilities to the war fighter from on orbit. We’ll ask how they work with partners across the enterprise to avoid duplication and ensure complementary capabilities.
Moderator: Jen Judson, Land Warfare Reporter, Defense News
3:35PM
2:42PM
MAINTAINING MODERNIZATION MOMENTUM
CLOSING REMARKS
6 I DEFENSE NEWS CONFERENCE
agenda
Moderator: Andrew Eversden, Defense Technology Reporter, C4ISRNET
Discussion: Raj Iyer, Chief Information Officer, U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Rob Parker, Deputy Director, JS J6 Chair, JADC2 CFT
1:55PM
Discussion: Lt. Gen. Scott McKean, Director, Futures and Concepts Center and Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Army Futures Command Brig. Gen. Stephanie Ahern, Director of Concepts, Futures and Concepts Center, U.S. Army Futures Command Col. Tobin Magsig, Commander, US Army Joint Modernization Command, U.S. Army Futures Command
In 2019, the Army set a course for radically modernizing its forces to operate at maximum readiness in multi-domain operations by 2035. Since that plan was released, the Army has moved with warp speed in standing up its Futures Command and unleashing cross-functional teams to realize its six pillars of modernization: long range precision fires, future vertical lift platforms, next-generation combat vehicles, network modernization, air and missile defense, and improved soldier lethality. This panel will look at modernization and acquisition priorities, the challenges ahead for the Army and how it can sustain this momentum in light of looming post-COVID budget cuts and a growing need for new technologies. Industry Fireside Chat: Keith Flail, Executive Vice President for Advanced Vertical Lift Systems, Bell
The Joint All Domain Command and Control (or JADC2) concept is the grand vision that’s compelling modernization across all the services. This panel will examine the progress the department is making in connecting every sensor to every shooter, and why it is expected to deliver the battlefield awareness, seamless communication, and synchronized missions that are required to maintain U.S. military Industrysuperiority.FiresideChat: Michael R. Boera, Vice President, Leidos Panel
MAXIMIZING SPACE
WARFARE’S ‘HOLY GRAIL’: THE MULTIDOMAIN FORCE
Moderator: Nathan Strout, Space, Unmanned and Intelligence Systems Reporter, C4ISRNET
Col. Timothy Sejba, Program Executive Officer for Space Enterprise and Director of the Enterprise Corps, U.S. Space Force Peter Muend, Director, Commercial Systems Program Office, National Reconnaissance Office
8 I DEFENSE NEWS CONFERENCE HON.WORMUTHCHRISTINE Secretary of the Army KEYNOTE ADM.GILDAYMICHAEL Chief of Naval Operations, U.S. Navy GENERALKEYNOTEJAMES C. MCCONVILLE Chief of Staff, U.S. Army GEN. CQJR.BROWN, Chief of Staff, U.S. Air Force BRIG. GEN. PARKERROB Deputy Director, JS J6 Chair, JADC2 CFT LT. GEN. D. MCKEANSCOTT Director, Futures and Concepts Center and DeputyGeneral,Commanding U.S. Army Futures Command COL. TOBIN MAGSIG Commander, U.S. Army Joint Command,Modernization U.S. Army Futures Command BRIG. STEPHANIEGEN.AHERN Director of Concepts, Futures and Concepts Center, U.S. Army Futures Command RAJ IYER Army Chief Information Officer, U.S. Army COL.SEJBATIMOTHY Program Executive Officer for Space Enterprise and Director of the Enterprise Corps, U.S. Space Force HON.HICKSKATHLEEN Deputy Secretary of Defense KEYNOTE speakers CLICK ON SPEAKER PHOTO TO VIEW BIO
9 I DEFENSE NEWS CONFERENCE MIKE BROWN Director,InnovationDefenseUnitTOMPKINSSTEFANIE Director, DARPA BO MARR Chief Technology Officer & Co-Founder, Epirus PETER MUEND Director,SystemsCommercialProgramOffice, ReconaissanceNationalOffice KEITH FLAIL Executive Vice President, Advanced Vertical Lift Systems, Bell MICHAEL BOERA Vice President, Leidos speakers CLICK ON SPEAKER PHOTO TO VIEW BIO
10 I DEFENSE NEWS CONFERENCE VALERIE INSINNA Air Warfare Reporter, Defense News JEN JUDSON Land Warfare Reporter, Defense News MARJORIEEditor,CENSER Defense News JOE CongressGOULDReporter, Defense News MIKE Editor-in-chief,GRUSS Defense News, C4IRNET, MilitaryTimes & Federal Times MEGAN ECKSTEIN Naval Warfare Reporter Defense News ANDREW EVERSDEN DefenseReporter,Technology C4ISRNET NATHAN STROUT Space, Unmanned and SystemsIntelligenceReporter, C4ISRNET moderators
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Great Power competition demands rapid application of IT and engineering for a technological advantage. With proven expertise that spans hardware to software, Leidos accelerates decision-making for the warfighter for superior performance and protection. Find out how we put our high tech on a mission to help the joint force achieve multi-domain dominance. Learn More Epirus delivers directed energy weapons that enable unprecedented counter-electronics capabilities. Epirus’ flagship product – Leonidas – provides a tactical form factor C-UAS weapon capable of swarm defeat with increased standoff distances, speed of light engagements and the absence of issues with magazine depth and capacity. Learn More
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