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The era of AI experimentation has given way to the era of enterprise execution. As the Pentagon moves to integrate generative models and hyperscale analytics into every facet of the kill chain, the challenge shifts from code to infrastructure. How is the CDAO coordinating with industry to ensure data readiness across the Joint Force? This panel examines the massive compute requirements, the integration of frontier models into command and control, and the roadmap for maintaining a decision advantage against near-peer adversaries.

While massive cloud models dominate the headlines, the future of the frontline may depend on "Small AI"—low-power, resilient, and autonomous systems that operate where the cloud cannot reach. From DARPA’s high-risk research to the Navy’s maritime requirements, leaders are rethinking the AI footprint. This session explores the push for "edge" intelligence, the hardware breakthroughs required for autonomous sensing, and how DOD is building AI that doesn't rely on a constant connection to home.

The conflict in Ukraine has turned the Black Sea and the Donbas into an intensive laboratory for autonomous warfare. The rules of engagement, procurement, and mass are being rewritten in real-time by cheap drones and AI-driven targeting. Joined by leaders from NATO and Ukraine’s Brave1 defense tech cluster, we discuss the shift from yesterday’s weapons to "massed" autonomy and what the West must learn from the first true robot war to prepare for the next.

The growing use of unmanned aerial systems in modern conflict, particularly Iran’s Shahed drones, has intensified attention on counter-drone capabilities, or C-UAS. These relatively low-cost systems have demonstrated how rapidly drones can alter the dynamics of the battlefield, challenging traditional air defense models and highlighting new operational vulnerabilities. In this GovExec panel, defense experts will examine the evolving role of drones in contemporary warfare and the technologies being developed to counter them. Panelists will discuss recent developments in C-UAS capabilities, lessons emerging from current conflicts, and the tools, from electronic warfare to kinetic and directed energy systems, that militaries may need to maintain a strategic edge in increasingly contested environments.

As the U.S. debates AI ethics and safety, its adversaries are moving with no such constraints. The rise of "Autocratic AI" presents a new kind of threat: high-speed, algorithmically-driven warfare designed to exploit democratic vulnerabilities. In this high-level policy discussion, members of the Senate Intelligence and Armed Services committees join industry experts to debate the legislative and strategic response to the digital arms race and how the U.S. can outpace adversaries who view AI as the ultimate tool of state control.

The traditional defense industrial base is under pressure from a new wave of nimble, venture-backed startups. For Special Operations, these fast-moving players are no longer a luxury—they are a necessity. This panel bridges the gap between the Pentagon’s policy makers and the Silicon Valley investors fueling the next generation of defense tech. We ask: Does the defense industry of the future even exist yet? And can the "fast and nimble" ethos of SOCOM scale to the rest of the enterprise?

Modern warfare is no longer shaped solely by generals and strategists. It is increasingly influenced by the investors and capital allocators determining which technologies scale and which stall. As autonomous systems, AI, and next-generation capabilities move from experimentation to reality, private capital is playing a defining role in shaping the future of conflict. This conversation will explore how venture capital, private equity, and public markets are accelerating or constraining defense innovation, where capital is flowing, and how geopolitical tensions are reshaping priorities. Leaders will also examine the challenge of aligning commercial speed with government acquisition, the risks tied to market and policy uncertainty, and what it means for the Defense Industrial Base as new entrants compete alongside traditional primes.

In an era of hypersonic glide vehicles and orbital threats, the line between space superiority and missile defense has vanished. As the Space Force matures and the Missile Defense Agency looks toward the next generation of interceptors, the role of commercial satellite constellations has become critical. This session features the architects of the nation’s orbital shield discussing the future of strategic deterrence, the integration of commercial imagery, and the reality of defending the "ultimate high ground" against a resurgent nuclear threat.

As the Pentagon looks to outpace near-peer adversaries, the strength and agility of the defense industrial base has become a strategic imperative. In this keynote, Mike Cadenazzi will outline how the Pentagon is working to bring more non-traditional companies into the fold, reduce barriers to entry, and accelerate the adoption of emerging technologies. From startups to established primes, this conversation will explore how the Pentagon is fostering a faster, more responsive innovation ecosystem capable of delivering the speed, scale, and resilience required for the next era of warfare.