Speakers

Congressman Rob Wittman is the vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, which he has served on since his election to Congress in 2007. He concurrently serves as chairman of the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee and previously led the subcommittees on Seapower and Projection Forces, Readiness, and Oversight and Investigations.

As vice chairman of the full committee, Congressman Wittman helps the committee navigate America’s national security enterprise, advocating for a strategy that addresses the defense of the homeland and U.S. interests abroad. In his leadership role, he balances the demands of America’s immediate threats with modernization efforts for long-term great power competition—while always putting servicemembers first.

As chairman of the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee, he oversees a vast portfolio of modernization programs that impact the future capabilities of the U.S. military's ground and air forces and munitions stockpiles. Through authorizing procurement and R&D programs, Congressman Wittman ensures that American servicemembers are well-equipped to carry out their missions.

In the 118th Congress, Wittman was appointed to the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, where he collaborates with colleagues from both parties to counter the CCP's malicious agenda, military build-up, and its use of diplomatic and economic coercion.

Committed to fiscal responsibility, Wittman believes in being good stewards of taxpayer dollars while maintaining military strength and readiness. Recognizing the critical role of a robust defense budget for national security and the economy, he underscores the importance of supporting the military and workforce, particularly in Virginia.

Caroline Bean is the director and program executive officer for the Defense Information Systems Agency’s Program Executive Office Services. In this position, Bean is responsible for the development and acquisition of IT services for the Department of Defense. Her six portfolios encompass DOD-wide enterprise services and unified capabilities, business systems, mobility, and warfighting command and control capabilities.

Prior to her current appointment, Bean previously served as the program director, Defense Enterprise Office Solution. She was responsible for the integration and deployment of cloud based enterprise software solutions for the DOD. Her portfolio included DISA’s enterprise software as a service cloud offering, Defense Enterprise Office Solution, as well as the newly deployed commercially hosted collaboration suite, DoD365-Joint, that will service all defense agencies and DOD field activities and combatant commands.

Throughout her DISA career, Bean has served in a variety of program management roles, developing, and sustaining mission critical enterprise services and maximizing on the adoption of cloud-based solutions within the DOD, to include the commercially owned and commercially operated infrastructure as a service offering, milCloud 2.0.

The Honorable Andrew P. Hunter is the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, Arlington, Virginia. He was sworn in on Feb. 7, 2022. As the U.S. Air Force’s Service Acquisition Executive, Mr. Hunter is responsible for and oversees Air Force research, development and acquisition activities totaling an annual budget in excess of $60 billion for more than 550 acquisition programs. In this position, Mr. Hunter serves as the principal adviser to the Secretary of the Air Force and the Air Force Chief of Staff for research and development, test, production and modernization efforts within the Air Force.

Prior to his current position, Mr. Hunter was a Senior Fellow in the International Security Program and Director of the Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He focused on issues affecting the industrial base, including emerging technologies, the defense acquisition system, defense trade and industrial policy.

Mr. Hunter previously served as a member of the Senior Executive Service in the Department of Defense as Director of the Joint Rapid Acquisition Cell. His duties included fielding solutions to urgent operational needs and leading the work of the Warfighter-Senior Integration Group to ensure timely action on critical issues of warfighter support. Mr. Hunter served as the Chief of Staff to the Honorable Ashton B. Carter and the Honorable Frank Kendall, while each was serving as Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. Additional duties while at the Defense Department included support to the Deputy’s Management Action Group and examining ways to reshape acquisition statutes.

Mr. Hunter served as a Professional Staff Member of the House Armed Services Committee, leading the committee’s policy staff and managing a portfolio focused on acquisition policy, the defense industrial base, technology transfers and export controls. He also served in a variety of staff positions in the House of Representatives, including Appropriations Associate for Congressman Norman D. Dicks; Military Legislative Assistant and Legislative Director for Congressman John M. Spratt Jr.; and staff member for the Select Committee on U.S. National Security and Military and Commercial Concerns with the People’s Republic of China.

Aditi Kumar is the Deputy Director for Strategy, Policy, and National Security Partnerships at DIU. In this role, Aditi drives DIU’s collaboration with the Military Departments, Joint Staff, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense to deliver capabilities at scale to meet warfighter requirements. She further leads our teams focused on policy, interagency partnerships, legislative affairs, and international affairs.

Prior to joining DIU, Aditi served as the Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition & Sustainment. At A&S, she supported some of the Department’s highest priority initiatives including security assistance to Ukraine, industrial production expansion and acceleration, supply chain risk management, and military installation and housing policy.

Before joining DoD, Aditi was the Executive Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School. Aditi also led the Belfer Center’s Economic Diplomacy Initiative, focused on research and expertise at the intersection of international affairs and economic policy.

Aditi was previously a Principal at management consultancy Oliver Wyman in the financial services and public policy practices. She worked primarily with U.S. commercial and investment banks as well as U.S. regulators and policymakers on designing and implementing financial regulation. She also served as a Project Manager at the World Economic Forum, responsible for leading policy discussions among financial sector executives and policymakers on managing financial risk and designing effective global financial regulation.

Aditi has a B.S. in Economics and a B.A. in International Studies from the University of Pennsylvania’s Huntsman Program, an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School, and a Master’s in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School. Aditi immigrated from India when she was nine and grew up in Missouri.

David is the director of DIU’s autonomy portfolio and has more than 15 years of experience working across the government and private sectors in military, special operations, and program management roles. He works on small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) issues such as Blue UAS to rapidly provide cutting edge sUAS technology to warfighters. David also  led DIU’s expansion into ground vehicle autonomy projects. 

Prior to becoming a Portfolio Director, David was a Project Manager at DIU. Before that, David was an infantry officer in the U.S. Army where he served in special operations and conventional units. He held leadership and command roles from the platoon to battalion levels, serving in the 75th Ranger Regiment twice. David was also a General Wayne Downing Scholar with the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point while he attained his graduate degree.

David  holds a Master’s in Public Policy (MPP) from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics  from the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Audrey Decker is the air warfare reporter for Defense One. She previously reported for Inside Defense, where she reported on the Navy and emerging defense technology. She's a graduate of the University of Maryland.

Bradley Peniston is executive editor of Defense One. A national security journalist for a quarter-century, he helped launch Military.com, served as managing editor of Defense News, and was editor of Armed Forces Journal.

His books include No Higher Honor: Saving the USS Samuel B. Roberts in the Persian Gulf (Naval Institute Press, 2006), which has been recommended by the Navy's Professional Reading Program and the U.S. Coast Guard's doctrine guide.

Sam Skove is a staff reporter at Defense One, where he writes about the Army and Marine Corps. He previously worked in Ukraine covering the Russia-Ukraine war for The Daily Beast, Radio Liberty, and The New Republic, among other publications. He holds a bachelor's degree from Oberlin College and a master's degree from Georgetown's Security Studies Program.

Lauren C. Williams is senior editor for Defense One. She previously covered defense technology and cybersecurity for FCW and Defense Systems. Before then, Williams has reported on several issues, including internet culture, national security, health care, politics and crime for various publications. She has a master's in journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park and a bachelor's in dietetics from the University of Delaware.