Advancing Rapid Defense Innovation Symposium (ARDIS)

Advancing Rapid Defense Innovation Symposium (ARDIS)

The 2025 Advancing Rapid Defense Innovation Symposium (ARDIS), taking place on December 16, 2025, at the Kerr McGee Community Center, will focus on helping shape the future of U.S. military technological superiority in an increasingly complex global environment.

Structured around tightly moderated sessions, the symposium reflects a growing urgency within the Department of War to accelerate innovation while safeguarding classified insights and proprietary technologies. Organized in close coordination with Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD), the ARDIS event fosters dialogue across sectors to collaborate at the speed of changing technology.

The event serves as a unique, high-level forum for collaboration among the Department of Defense, defense contractors, technology startups, and research universities—centered on solving real-world challenges and accelerating innovation for the warfighter.

Program Highlights

0900
Registration & Continental Breakfast

0950
Welcome Remarks, Dan Carreño, Executive Director, NAWCWD

1000
Keynote Address – Kevin Czinger, Founder, Lead Inventor & CEO of Divergent

Kevin Czinger, founder, lead inventor, and CEO of Divergent Technologies, will deliver the keynote at ARDIS 2025 titled “Building at the Speed of Thought: What Defense Can Learn from Kevin Czinger and Divergent.” Drawing on his experience leading a radical transformation of manufacturing through the Divergent Adaptive Production System (DAPS™) — which combines AI-driven generative design, additive manufacturing, and automated, fixtureless assembly, Czinger will explore how defense can adopt agile, digitally-native production.

Czinger’s journey — from Marine Corps service to electric-vehicle innovator to industrial disruptor underpins his conviction that national security depends on quickly scalable, resilient manufacturing. He will make a compelling case that the Defense Department can leapfrog legacy systems by embracing divergence, but essentially at “the speed of thought.”

1030
Keynote Networking and Meet and Greet

1100
Opening Plenary: The DIU: The Department of War’s Hardline Offense for Defense
Learn how DIU is driving a decisive shift toward rapid, competitive acquisition pathways that favor modular open systems, dual-sourcing, and scalable production from day one. Explore the relationship between operational problem sets, commercial technology, and the warfare centers—turning fast, iterative prototypes into fielded capabilities that keep pace with frontline demands.

Moderator: Matthew Mroz, EVP, Strategic Partnerships, Griffiss Institute
Panelist: *Jesse Gipe, Venture Portfolio Director, DIU, Department of War
Vincent Wallace, Head, Quick Reaction Capabilities Office (QRCO), NAWCWD
Ray Edwards, Growth Architect, BMNT
*Invited, acceptance pending

1200
Drones and Counter-UAS Warfare: The Battle for Supremacy
The Department of War faces a two-front fight: rapidly fielding autonomous and unmanned aerial systems while defending against a growing wave of small UAS (sUAS) threats. Panelists explore how AI-enabled detection, electronic warfare, and kinetic intercept solutions are being combined with private-sector ingenuity and cross-agency collaboration—reshaping battlefield agility and deterrence.

Moderator: Joan Johnson, Chief Operating Officer, LongView Group
Panelists: James Bell, UAS Subject Matter Expert, NAWCWD
Robert “Pink” Floyd, Mission Integrator, Anduril Industries
Michael LaFramboise, Co-Founder & CEO, Aurelius Systems
Brett Barbee, VP Business Development, Firestorm

1300
Luncheon & Networking

1400
Sandboxing and Strategic Partnerships for Next Gen Killer Startups
Startup founders, NAWCWD and TechBridge leadership, and academic research labs who will unpack what it takes to move a company from “interesting idea” to “trusted mission partner.” Discussion will highlight how curated sandboxes—combining real data, operationally relevant scenarios, and rapid feedback from warfighters.

Panelists: Matthew Mroz, Senior Vice President, Strategic Partnerships, Griffiss Institute
Alan Van Nevel, Associate Provost for Research, Naval Postgraduate School
Tammy Schiller, External Partnerships Program Manager, NAWCWD, & Dir., Tech Bridge
Michael Martin, Co-Founder, Tiberius Aerospace, Inc.

1500
AI & Cybersecurity and Zero Trust: The New Gameplan in a Rapid Innovation Environment
This session will discuss integrating AI-driven capabilities while demanding secure-by-design principles from the outset. Panelists will examine the intersection of AI development, cybersecurity risk management, and the practical implementation of Zero Trust strategies across operational environments.

Panelists: Travis Mack, Chairman & CEO, Saalex Solutions
John Jensen, Advanced Capabilities Division Head, NAWCWD
Erick Went, Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder, Future Labs & Matter Labs
Jim Kotantoulas, Cybersecurity & Tech Solutions Architect, Cisco

1600
Closing Session: Turbocharging Def Tech in a Changing MOSA World
With funding tied to MDAPs in FY 2025 and U.S. law mandating a Modular Open Systems Approach, aligning technology and capital to MOSA is no longer optional. attendees will leave with practical guidance on term sheets, IP, roadmaps around open standards, partnering with warfare centers and DIU, and building production paths that can withstand recompetes and policy shifts while delivering decisive advantage to U.S. forces.

Moderator: Andy Corzine, Technical Director, NAWCWD
Panelists: RDML Keith Hash, Commander, NAWCWD
Kevin Czinger, Founder and Chairman, Divergent Technology and Czinger Vehicles
Jonathan Barnett, Director of Media and Technology, Gould School of Law, USC

1700
Adjournment