Agenda
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Day 1 — Main Conference
March 18, 2026

Lieutenant General (USMC-Ret) Steven R. RudderVice President, Marine Corps ProgramsLockheed MartinFormer Deputy Commandant for Aviation, USMC
Former Commanding General, United States Marine Corps Forces, Pacific

Neil ZerbeCEOAerospace & Defense Industry Partners

Captain (USN-Ret) Brad PoeltlerPresidentBrad Poeltler and Associates Inc.
D-Fend Presentation: Empowering Safe C‑UAS Control: The Non‑Kinetic, Non‑Disruptive Cyber Takeover Advantage for Sensitive Site Continuity

Jeffrey StarrChief Marketing OfficerD-Fend Solutions
- Navigating the New Authorities: Operationalizing legislative milestones, such as the Safer Skies Act, which transition state and local agencies from passive observers to more active airspace defenders.
- The Readiness Countdown: Accelerating the procurement, training, adoption, and integration of C-UAS systems to close the security gap ahead of massive global gatherings like the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics.
- The Sensitive Environment Challenge: Understanding shortcomings of legacy mitigation approaches, and how next generation surgical methods address the risks of disruption and collateral damage in dense environments.
- Preserving Site Continuity: Ensuring stadiums, arenas, communities, and critical infrastructure operations can remain undisturbed.
- Building the Modern C-UAS Stack: Safety and continuity-first base layers in a comprehensive multi-tiered airspace defense architecture.
Networking Break
Networking Lunch

Professor Kenneth “Mike” Canada, (USN-Ret)Program Chair, Associate Professor Uncrewed Aircraft SystemsEmbry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Sergeant Robert M. DooleyUAS Program CoordinatorFlorida Highway Patrol

Wes WheelerStrategic Advisor, State, Law Enforcement & Justice Market | Civilian BGSAICFormer Assistant Director of the Critical Incident Response Group
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

Rear Admiral T. J. ZerrCommanderNaval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC)
As the character of naval warfare undergoes a rapid transformation, the Surface Force is at the forefront of advancing capabilities to meet increasingly dynamic global threats. Join the Commander of the Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC) for a discussion on how the Surface Navy is leveraging the expertise of Warfare Tactics Instructors (WTIs) and data-driven experimentation to bridge the gap between emerging technology and frontline fleet doctrine. This session provides industry partners with a direct look at the CNO’s Hedge Strategy and the urgent requirement for modular, high-volume C-UAS and surface-to-surface solutions essential to maintaining our combat advantage and ensuring the lethality of our distributed force.
Networking Break
Day 1 Ends, Networking Cocktail Reception
Day 2 — Main Conference
March 19, 2026

Lieutenant General (USMC-Ret) Steven R. RudderVice President, Marine Corps ProgramsLockheed MartinFormer Deputy Commandant for Aviation, USMC
Former Commanding General, United States Marine Corps Forces, Pacific

Neil ZerbeCEOAerospace & Defense Industry Partners

Captain (USN-Ret) Brad PoeltlerPresidentBrad Poeltler and Associates Inc.
Networking Break

Samuel BendettAdvisor, Russia Studies ProgramCenter for Naval Analyses (CNA)

Kateryna BondarFellow, Wadhwani AI CenterCenter for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)

Dr. Caitlin LeeDirector, Acquisition and Technology Policy ProgramRAND Corporation
Senior Political Scientist, RAND
Professor of Policy Analysis, RAND School of Public Policy
Panel: How Can Test and Evaluation Methodologies Adapt to Meet the Pace of Advancing C-UAS Technologies?

Christopher OlsonChief, Weapons Certification DivisionAir Force SEEK EAGLE Office

Professor Kenneth “Mike” Canada, (USN-Ret)Program Chair, Associate Professor Uncrewed Aircraft SystemsEmbry-Riddle Aeronautical University






