2025 Defense R&D Summit | Potomac Officers Club
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In a world defined by rapid change, innovation, technology and capability are the cornerstones of global power. Join the Potomac Officers Club as we convene the nation's leading defense researchers, experts and decision-makers to explore the cutting-edge technologies shaping the future of the U.S. military at the 2025 Defense R&D Summit. Engage in thought-provoking discussions, gain firsthand insights from key players and forge valuable connections at this day-long summit. Join us at this pivotal event to navigate the evolving defense landscape and chart the course for future dominance.
Speakers
Vijay Acharya
Director of Army Geospatial Center and Geospatial Research Lab and Army Geospatial Information Officer
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Young Bang
Former, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics & Technology
U.S. Department of the Army
Dr. Eric Burger
Director Academic / Research Office, Next G Alliance
Virginia Tech Applied Research Corp.
Maj Gen Dennis Bythewood
Special Assistant to the Chief of Space Operations
U.S. Space Force
Dr. Roy Campbell
Deputy Director for Advanced Computing and Software & High-Performance Computing Modernization Program (HPCMP) Chief Strategist
Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD R&E)
Dr. Joshua Conway
Lead Scientist
Booz Allen
CW5 Jeramy Cosner
Chief Technology Officer, Network Cross-Functional Team
Army Futures Command
Michael Dean
SatCom Chief
U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)
Randy Fields
CTO
Ultra Intelligence & Communications
Daniel Folliard
Command Digital & Artificial Intelligence Officer
U.S. Special Operations Command
Kristopher Gardner
Director of Science and Technology Protection
Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD R&E)
Dr. Annarita Giani
Senior Scientist Quantum Technologies
GE Vernova Advanced Research
DJ Gile
Vice President, National Security
Digital Science
Dr. Ronzelle Green
Director of Research & Development
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA)
Gil Herrera
Director of Research
National Security Agency (NSA)
Jason Hunter
Digital Transformation PM, NAVSEA, PEO IWS
U.S. Department of the Navy
Dr. Alex Jaimes
Chief AI Officer
Dataminr
Dr. Barry Kiel
Program Management Air
U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR)
Christopher Ling
Chief Executive Officer
Ericsson Federal Technologies Group
Dana Linnet
President and Chief Executive Officer/CEO
The Summit Group DC
Michael Loomis
President
Nokia Federal Solutions
Dr. Steven Meier
Associate Director of Research & Director, Naval Center for Space Technology
Naval Research Laboratory
Jay Meil
VP Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics (and Chief Data Scientist)
SAIC
Steven Morani
Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment
U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)
Dr. Wayne Phoel
Visiting Research Engineer (ISR) Affiliate (ARLIS)
The Institute for Systems Research
Bradford Powell
President, C2I&E
Ultra Intelligence & Communications
David Ray
Executive Vice President for Space and Intelligence
SAIC
Matthew Redding
Assistant Director for Industrial Security
Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA)
Dr. Jaret Riddick
Senior Fellow, Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET)
Georgetown University
Lisa Sanders
Director, Science and Technology, SOF AT&L, USSOCOM
U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)
Maj Gen David Sanford
J3 Director, Logistics Operations/Commander, Joint Regional Combat Support
Defense Logistics Agency (DLA)
RADM Ryan Scholl
Scholl Consulting, Former Deputy Director of DTRA
Defense Threat Reduction Agency [DTRA]
Allison Schwartz
Vice President of Global Government Relations & Public Affairs
D-Wave
Justin Shirk
Managing Director, Federal Cloud & Secure Mission Lead
Accenture Federal Services
GEN (Ret) Rob Spalding
CEO
SEMPRE.ai
Vice Adm. Karl Thomas
Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare, N2N6 / Director of Naval Intelligence
U.S. Navy
Benjamin Tran
Chief for the Capabilities Development Office (CDO), (ISR), (SOF), (AFLCMC) Directorate
U.S. Air Force
RDML Eric Ver Hage
Military Deputy to Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International and Industry Engagement
U.S. Navy
Rob Vietmeyer
Chief Software Officer for DCIO Information Enterprise
U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)
Dr. Jeff Waksman
Program Manager at the Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO)
Office of the Secretary of Defense
Joseph Welch
Deputy to the Commanding General
Army Futures Command
Johnson Wu
Cyber Portfolio
Defense Innovation Unit (DIU)
Christopher Yaw
Vice President, End-2-End Solutions
Ericsson Federal Technologies Group
Agenda
| 7:00am | 8:00am | Networking Reception I Atrium and Foyer |
| 8:00am | 8:05am | Welcome & Opening Remarks |
| 8:05am | 8:45am | Opening Keynote: Gil Herrera |
| 8:45am | 9:20am | Morning Keynote: Dr. Ronzelle Green |
| 9:20am | 9:50am | Networking Break I Atrium and Foyer |
| 9:50am | 10:50am | Panel A: R&D Priorities to Deliver Trusted AI-enabled Systems for Combatant Command Missions: Vijay Acharya, Young Bang, Daniel Folliard, Dr. Alex Jaimes and Jay Meil (Moderator) |
| 9:50am | 10:50am | Panel B: Building the Future of Defense: Leveraging 5G and Multi-Layered Connectivity for Operational Superiority: Dr. Eric Burger, Michael Dean, GEN (Ret) Rob Spalding, Vice Admiral Karl Thomas and Christopher Yaw (Moderator) |
| 9:50am | 10:50am | Panel C: The Need for Continual Reinvention to Remain Relevant at the Tactical Edge (in Contested Environments): Jason Hunter, Steven Morani, Maj Gen David Sanford, Justin Shirk (Moderator) and Rob Vietmeyer |
| 9:50am | 11:00am | Break |
| 11:00am | 12:00pm | Panel A: Critical Technologies Shaping the Battlefield: The Future of Autonomous Systems in Defense: Roy Campbell, Randy Fields (Moderator), Dr. Steven Meier, and Dr. Jeff Waksman |
| 11:00am | 12:00pm | Panel B: Enhancing Battlefield Bonnectivity: The Role of 5G in Modern Warfare: Jeramy Cosner, Michael Loomis (Moderator), Dr. Wayne Phoel and Johnson Wu |
| 12:00pm | 1:00pm | Networking Lunch I Continental |
| 1:00pm | 2:00pm | Panel A: Quantum Technology: Providing New Solutions for Todays Military: Annarita Giani, Dana Linnet, RDML Ryan "Doc" Scholl, USN (ret) and Allison Schwartz |
| 1:00pm | 2:00pm | Panel B: Allies and Adversaries: Navigating Global Dynamics in Defense R&D: Kristopher Gardner, Daniel "DJ" Gile (Moderator), Rear Admiral Eric Ver Hage, Matthew Redding and Lisa Sanders |
| 1:00pm | 2:00pm | Panel C: Fast Forward: Operationalizing Autonomy for Real-Time Readiness: Dr. Joshua Conway (Moderator), Dr. Barry Kiel, Dr. Jaret Riddick and Benjamin Tran |
| 2:00pm | 2:30pm | Networking Break I Atrium and Foyer |
| 2:30pm | 3:05pm | Afternoon Keynote: Joseph Welch |
| 3:05pm | 3:40pm | Closing Keynote: Maj Gen Dennis Bythewood |
| 3:40pm | 3:50pm | Closing Comments |
