Unmanned & Autonomous Systems Summit

The 14th Annual Unmanned & Autonomous Systems Summit brings together key experts, decision-makers, and innovators from the DoW, Military Services, Industry, and Academia for in-depth discussions on advancements and innovations in unmanned and autonomous technologies essential for the future of military defense and mission success in all combat environments. With recent acceleration in autonomous capability development, including new breakthroughs in AI-enabled mission autonomy, advanced loitering munitions, and next-generation drone swarms, this year’s Summit reflects the rapidly shifting landscape shaping the future force.

Speaker Details

Dr. Sunshine Smith-Carroll, SES

PTDO Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Platform and Weapon Portfolio Management, OSW A&S

Thomas Lawhead

Deputy Chief of Staff, Strategy, Integration and Requirements, Headquarters USAF

COL John Peterson, USA

Director, Joint C-sUAS University

Lt Col Jonathan Gilbert, USAF

Division Chief, AFWERX Prime

VADM (Ret) Roy Kitchener, USN

Former Commander, Naval Surface Force, US Pacific Fleet

CAPT (Ret) Colin Corridan, USN

Former Director, USN Disruptive Capabilities Office

Dr. James Bellingham

Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Exploration Robotics & Executive Director, John Hopkins Institute for Assured Autonomy

Austin Phoenix

Director, Mission Systems Division, National Security Institute, Virginia Tech

Kateryna Bondar

Fellow, Wadhwani AI Center, CSIS

Sam Bresnick

Research Fellow & Andew W. Marshall Fellow, Georgetown University

Event Topic

Aerospace, Defense, Military
Unmanned & Autonomous Systems Summit
Event Type
Onsite
Event Subtype
Conference / Summit
When
Wed, Apr 08, 2026 - Thu, Apr 09, 2026
Registration Cost

Active Duty Military/Government:

$ 0.00

Early Registration- Non-Profit, Academia, FFRDC:

$ 690.00

Register by 03/06/2026

Standard Registration- Non-Profit, Academia, FFRDC:

$ 790.00

Advanced Registration- Industry & Contractors:

$ 990.00

Register by 02/06/2026

Early Registration- Industry & Contractors:

$ 1,090.00

Register by 03/06/2026

Standard Registration- Industry & Contractors:

$ 1,290.00

Location

American Institute of Architects

1735 New York Ave, NW

Washington, District Of Columbia, US, 20006

Website
Click here to view event website
Organizer
Defense Strategies Institute (DSI)