- 8:15AM→ 8:50 AM35 min
Logistics
Attendee Check-In & Breakfast
- 8:50AM→ 8:55 AM5 min
Logistics
Transition to Main Auditorium
- 8:55AM→ 9:00 AM5 min
Remarks
Opening Remarks
- 9:00AM→ 9:30 AM30 min
Panel 01
Golden Dome, Iron Dome, and the Future of Homeland Missile Defense
Moderated by the Georgetown National Security Technology Club
Session brief
The conflict with Iran has made clear that the United States lacks a credible layered homeland missile defense architecture, and that gap is no longer theoretical. This panel examines the strategic and industrial case for Golden Dome, what it will cost to build at continental scale, and whether American industry can actually deliver the system the threat demands.
- 15 min break
- 9:45AM→ 10:15 AM30 min
Panel 02
Silent War Below: AI-Enabled UUVs and the Battle for Maritime Chokepoints
Moderated by The Concord Group
Session brief
The Taiwan Strait and Strait of Hormuz are increasingly contested by AI-enabled unmanned underwater vehicles operating below the threshold of traditional detection. This panel brings together naval operators, defense technologists, and strategists to examine how autonomous undersea systems are reshaping deterrence, mine warfare, and anti-submarine operations in the world's most critical waterways.
- 15 min break
- 10:30AM→ 11:00 AM30 min
Panel 03
Wartime Speed: Reforming Defense Acquisition Before the Window Closes
Moderated by the National Defense Policy Initiative
Session brief
The Pentagon has declared AI the first proving ground for a new acquisition model built around wartime speed, pushing OTAs and Commercial Solutions Openings as default contracting mechanisms. This panel asks whether the reform is structural or cosmetic, debating what it will take for bureaucratic culture to change fast enough to matter before competitors close the gap.
- 15 min break
- 11:15AM→ 12:00 PM45 min
Keynote 01
Keynote Address
Speaker to be announced
- 12:00PM→ 12:50 PM50 min
Break
Lunch
- 10 min break
- 1:00PM→ 1:30 PM30 min
Panel 04
Patriot Capital: Private Investment and the Defense Industrial Base
Moderated by the Georgetown Council on Global Competition & Innovation
Session brief
As the United States confronts a generational gap in defense manufacturing capacity, who finances the rebuild is no longer just a policy question; it is a market question. This panel examines defense-focused venture capital, dual-use investment structures, and emerging government tools like the Office of Strategic Capital's loan guarantees, asking where capital is actually flowing versus where it needs to go.
- 15 min break
- 1:45PM→ 2:15 PM30 min
Panel 05
Beyond the Battlefield: The US-China Contest for Public Trust in Emerging Technology
Moderated by Olivier Backx - Georgetown School of Foreign Service (SFS)
Session brief
Outside of active conflict, the US-China competition over artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and biotechnology is increasingly decided in the court of public opinion, not on a battlefield. Global perceptions of which nation is "winning" the technology race shape allied procurement decisions, talent migration, third-country regulatory alignment, and consumer adoption, making narrative and influence operations a strategic asset in their own right. This panel examines how state messaging, corporate soft power, and information campaigns compete to define global public trust in emerging technology, and what that contest means for American competitiveness.
- 2:20PM→ 2:55 PM35 min
Keynote 02
Closing Keynote
Speaker to be announced
- 3:00PM→ 3:45 PM45 min
Startups
Startup Pitches
- 3:45PM→ 4:30 PM45 min
Networking
Closing Reception
All times Eastern. Schedule subject to change.