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.
Keynote Speakers
Maj Gen Dennis Bythewood
Special Assistant to the Chief of Space Operations
U.S. Space Force
Dr. Ronzelle Green
Director of Research & Development
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA)
Gil Herrera
Director of Research
National Security Agency (NSA)
Joseph Welch
Deputy to the Commanding General (Tier 3 SES)
Army Futures Command
Speakers
Young Bang
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army Acquisition, Logistics & Technology
U.S. Department of the Army
Dr. Eric Burger
Technical Program Director, Next G Alliance Technical Program Office
Virginia Tech Applied Research Corp.
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)
William Dunlap
Deputy Chief Information Officer for Information Enterprise for the Department of Defense
Office of the Chief Information Officer (DOD CIO)
Randy Fields
VP CTO
Ultra Intelligence & Communications
Kristopher Gardner
Director of Science and Technology Protection
Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD R&E)
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 & Executive Officer
The Summit Group DC
Dr. Steven Meier
Associate Director of Research, 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)
Bradford Powell
President, C2I&E
Ultra Intelligence & Communications
Matthew Redding
Assistant Director for Industrial Security
Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA)
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 Systems
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
Capabilities Development Office (CDO)
RDML Eric Ver Hage
Military Deputy to Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International and Industry Engagement
U.S. Navy
Dr. Jeff Waksman
Program Manager at the Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO)
Office of the Secretary of Defense
Johnson Wu
Cyber Portfolio
Defense Innovation Unit (DIU)
Agenda
| 7:00am | 8:00am | Networking Reception |
| 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 |
| 9:50am | 10:50am | Panel A: R&D Priorities to Deliver Trusted AI-enabled Systems for Combatant Command Missions: Young Bang, 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: Michael Dean, GEN (Ret) Rob Spalding, Dr. Eric Burger, and Vice Admiral Karl Thomas |
| 9:50am | 10:50am | Panel C: The Need for Continual Reinvention to Remain Relevant at the Tactical Edge (in Contested Environments): William Dunlap, Steven Morani, Maj Gen David Sanford and Justin Shirk (Moderator) |
| 9:50am | 11:00am | Break |
| 11:00am | 12:00pm | Panel A: Critical Technologies Shaping the Battlefield: The Future of Autonomous Systems in Defense: Randy Fields (Moderator), Steven Meier, and Dr. Jeff Waksman |
| 11:00am | 12:00pm | Panel B: Enhancing battlefield connectivity: the role of 5G in modern warfare: Jeramy Cosner, Johnson Wu, and Jason Hunter |
| 12:00pm | 1:00pm | Networking Lunch |
| 1:00pm | 2:00pm | Panel A: Quantum Technology: Providing New Solutions for Todays Military: Allison Schwartz (Moderator), Dana Linnet, and RADM Ryan Scholl |
| 1:00pm | 2:00pm | Panel B: Allies and Adversaries: Navigating Global Dynamics in Defense R&D: Lisa Sanders, Matthew Redding, Kristopher Gardner, and RDML Eric Ver Hage |
| 1:00pm | 2:00pm | Panel C: Fast Forward: Operationalizing Autonomy for Real-Time Readiness: Dr. Joshua Conway (Moderator) Benjamin Tran and Barry Kiel |
| 2:00pm | 2:30pm | Networking Break |
| 2:30pm | 3:05pm | Afternoon Keynote: Joseph Welch |
| 3:05pm | 3:40pm | Closing Keynote: Maj Gen Dennis Bythewood |
| 3:40pm | 3:50pm | Closing Comments |
