Defense News’ editorial coverage of this event can be found here.

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, or 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.

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 Navy’s 355-ship force-level 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.

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 irreparably.

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 Defense Innovation Unit and DARPA on how their organizations bring big ideas to life and shape the nature of war for generations.

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.