Setting the Course for Aerospace & Defense
This past American Aerospace & Defense Summit may have concluded, but the momentum from the conversations in the room is still going strong.
Held December 4–5, 2025 at the Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel & Spa (Glendale, AZ), the summit convened senior leaders across A&D manufacturing, engineering, quality, supply chain, and operations for two days of focused discussion and practical insight-sharing. From production scale-up and industrialization to quality and mission assurance, digitalization on the factory floor, supply chain risk, advanced manufacturing, and workforce readiness, the agenda centered on what leaders are tackling right now to strengthen performance and resilience.
Whether you were in the room or not, the sections below break down the biggest themes, standout moments, and the takeaways leaders are already applying across their teams and programs.
For those who joined us in Glendale, consider this a quick snapshot of the conversations you helped shape. If you couldn’t attend, this recap offers a clear view into what was discussed—and why it’s worth being part of next year’s summit.
The summit started with a keynote from Peter Lengyel, President and CEO of Safran USA, who explored how transatlantic collaboration is becoming a strategic advantage for innovation and industrial base resilience. Peter highlighted the evolving role of Safran USA across 24 U.S. states—linking global expertise with domestic priorities—while addressing what leaders are navigating right now: geopolitical uncertainty, supply chain risk, workforce development, and the urgency to accelerate innovation pipelines.
Next, attendees joined a plenary led by Scott Alexander, President, Missile Solutions at L3Harris, who delivered a high-impact perspective on quality as a mission-critical driver of defense system performance. Scott broke down risk-driven mission assurance frameworks designed to anticipate failure points early, embed quality thinking from design through deployment, and strengthen readiness and customer trust through proactive governance and enterprise-wide alignment. He also underscored the importance of developing talent pipelines to sustain a quality-driven workforce as complexity grows.
Building on the morning’s momentum, the next plenary featured John Tukker, SVP, Regulated Industries at Cognitus, alongside Jorge Malibran, Senior Partner and U.S. Manufacturing Industry Leader at IBM, who brought the conversation into the practical realities of modernization through AI.
With that, the room transitioned into an extended break for refreshments, networking, and pre-arranged 1-2-1 meetings - giving attendees time to continue discussions sparked by the plenaries, compare notes with peers, and connect directly with partners around actionable next steps.
Kristoffer Hall, VP, Helicopter Programs at Rolls-Royce, led the Room 1 session by showing why supplier performance improves fastest when supply chain strategy is embedded directly into program leadership. He emphasized earlier supplier engagement, smarter forecasting for constrained components, and clear escalation paths that protect delivery timelines without sacrificing quality standards.
In Room 2, Dave Hatch, VP, Space Security and Intelligence at Lockheed Martin, took the Manufacturing & Operations track into the realities of delivering quickly while maintaining mission confidence. He highlighted missionizing high-TRL components, tightening cross-functional collaboration to speed integration and deployment, and using iterative testing loops to reduce risk while increasing reliability.
Next door, Mike Robb, VP, Engineering, Aerospace Electronics at Woodward, focused the Quality session on the growing intersection of aviation standards and cybersecurity expectations. He explained how FAA, Transport Canada, and EASA requirements are evolving, and why unified compliance frameworks are now essential to stay audit-ready, avoid certification delays, and strengthen operational resilience.
Finally, Arun Mukherjee, Director, Business Operations and Program Management at Northrop Grumman, explored how A&D organizations can scale capacity through advanced automation and digital transformation. He outlined the role of robotics, digital twins, autonomous inspection, predictive analytics, and secure digital ecosystems to accelerate throughput while improving traceability, compliance, and mission readiness.
From there, we continued the morning with a series of workshops.
Jon Quick, CEO of Launchpad Build, opened the workshop block with a direct case for reindustrialization as an operational and national security imperative. He warned of the risks of inflexible supply chains in a volatile geopolitical environment and positioned AI and automation as critical levers—especially for defense—to rebuild manufacturing strength and reduce long-term dependency.
Collin Harrison, Solution Architect at Dassian Strategic Solutions, Leon Workin, CEO at Dassian Strategic Solutions, and David Forward, VP, Operations at Woodward, led a workshop on turning GovCon compliance into a driver of operational visibility and performance. They discussed improving requirement visibility, staying ahead of schedule and spend, adapting quickly to changes, and using technology to reduce risk and cost while enabling decisions at the speed of mission.
Ed Walsh, Chief Revenue Officer at Sigmetrix, delivered a workshop on why the Digital Thread and Model-Based Definition are becoming essential for developing new products in A&D. He connected MBD, MBSE, digital thread, and variation management, then shared practical lessons on adoption challenges, where MBD is scaling fastest, and why it matters for future AI-driven product development.
Nick Kelly, VP, Product at 1factory, closed the workshop lineup with a roadmap for building quality into culture through digital transformation. He focused on eliminating friction from paper trails, manual data entry, and revision bottlenecks, then showed how digital quality systems can translate into measurable outcomes like fewer defects, faster inspections, and higher throughput.
Following a packed morning, we moved on to our Lunch and Learn Roundtable discussions. These discussions covered key trends and challenges in aerospace and defense, led by leaders from ChainLink SRM, Covalent, Seraph, DACIS, GXO, Cognitus, LTW Intralogistics, 1factory, GDCA, SAP, PEKO Precision Products, Infor, Sigmetrix, FDH Aero, SQA Services, Jamaica Bearings Company, and Qnity Electronics.
After lunch, attendees reconvened for another round of stream sessions, diving deeper into key themes.
In Room 1, Yen Matsutomi, Ph.D., VP, Global Supply Chain Engineering at Blue Origin, explained how to engineer a supply chain that can match engine precision and complexity. He emphasized tight alignment across engineering, sourcing, and manufacturing, alongside real-time data feedback to prevent delays and manage long-lead risks early.
Finally, in Room 4, Bret Lowell, VP, Digital Technology at Raytheon (RTX), explored how digital engineering is moving beyond the blueprint to reduce program risk and accelerate delivery. He emphasized secure cloud and edge platforms for real-time collaboration, shared digital environments across stakeholders, and early virtual validation to speed integration and prototyping.
From there, the agenda shifted into another round of hands-on workshops, each tackling a different operational challenge.
In Room 1, David Petrucci, Managing Director (Global Supply Chain & Operations) at Protiviti, unpacked how teams can reduce operational chaos by modernizing risk management. He highlighted using enterprise digital twins to simulate outcomes, paired with agentic AI to monitor, learn, and reprioritize actions in real time.
Next, in Room 2, Tom Bishop and Scott Armstrong from interos.ai joined Jane Ganina, Senior Director, Global Procurement & Supply Chain Management at Telesat, to show how AI can unlock nth-tier visibility and faster risk response. They focused on mapping dependencies, tracking geopolitical/cyber/financial signals, and testing alternate sourcing scenarios to strengthen resilience and compliance.
Then, in Room 3, Bill Burton, Senior Director, Client Relations at DACIS, shared how competitive intelligence can sharpen strategy and capture planning. He covered using analytics and research to spot market shifts early, evaluate threats and opportunities, and apply CI insights through real-world case examples.
Finally, in Room 4, Tim Romley, Senior Solution Engineer at iBase-t, ran a practical session on breaking the backlog cycle. He emphasized freeing trapped data from manual workflows and adopting repeatable methods that move operations from reactive firefighting to proactive throughput.
Mid-afternoon, attendees moved into Happy Hour, networking, and pre-arranged 1-2-1 meetings, stepping out of the session rooms to recharge and continue high-value conversations. The mix of curated meetings and informal chats helped turn the day’s insights into real connections and potential partnerships.
To wrap up the day, a senior-leader panel brought together David Forward, VP, Operations at Woodward, Roy Donelson, Sector VP, Engineering, Defense at Northrop Grumman, Mike Kauffman, SVP, Supply Chain at GE Aerospace, Amir Deylami, COO at NASA Ames Research Center, and Andrea Razzaghi, Former Director, Office of JPL Management and Oversight at NASA to discuss attracting, retaining, and developing top talent for the future. They tackled the workforce shortage head-on, sharing proven recruiting strategies, practical training and upskilling programs for advanced manufacturing, cyber, and defense technologies, and mission-driven leadership approaches that build resilient culture and measurable workforce impact.
Following the chair's closing remarks, we had a networking drinks reception, sponsored by USA Rare Earth, giving attendees a final dedicated window to continue conversations and build new connections.
To kick off Day 2, the summit prepared for takeoff with a high-impact Women in Leadership panel featuring:
Tosha Perkins, Ph.D.: Chief People and Partnerships Officer, Archer
Sophia Bright: VP, Chief Engineer, Government Services Engineering, Boeing
Kayla Ciotti: VP, Materials Management, GE Aerospace
Connie Avery: Head, SMS and Operational Safety, Wisk Aero | A Boeing Company
Ellen Ferraro, Ph.D.: VP, Engineering, Land and Air Defense Systems, Raytheon | An RTX Business
Andrea Razzaghi: Former Director, Office of JPL Management and Oversight, NASA
Debra Santos: President, International Aerospace Women’s Association
Following the panel, we had a Secretary of State Address from Hon. Adrian Fontes, Secretary of State, Arizona, setting a timely tone for the morning.
Next, Joe Miller, President, Government Operations at BWX Technologies, delivered a keynote on unlocking mission readiness with next-gen technologies for defense. He explored how to manage complex innovation programs within highly regulated government frameworks, accelerate deployment through cross-sector collaboration, and use compact energy solutions to improve agility in contested or austere environments—grounded by lessons from public-private partnerships and BWXT’s Oak Ridge site investment.
Then, Adaora Nelson, Ph.D., VP, Quality and Mission Assurance at Raytheon (An RTX Business), shared strategies for driving transformation in a changing industry. She reframed performance excellence as an operating system rather than a series of initiatives, emphasized aligning strategy amid workforce, supply chain, and geopolitical shifts, and highlighted leadership behaviors, psychological safety, and process maturity as the foundation for sustained digital and operational excellence.
The morning stayed hands-on with a set of workshops focused on practical execution.
In Room 1 - GV Ganesh, VP, Engineering at Infosys Ltd., shared lessons from an AI-first journey, using sensors, real-time data, and GenAI to modernize engineering and streamline the aircraft lifecycle.
Room 2 - Dave Blatner, Industry Executive Advisor at SAP, who outlined how unified data intelligence turns fragmented information into context-driven decisions and measurable outcomes.
Room 3 - Achamkulamgara Arun, General Manager, Industry Cloud at Hitachi Digital Services and Allix Jackson, Strategic Lead, Manufacturing Transformation and Industry Solutions at AWS WorldWide Public Sector, showed how AI and AWS can break down silos and deliver real-time factory visibility across safety, quality, delivery, cost, and workforce.
Room 4 - Sam Golan, Founder and CEO at High QA, who discussed 2D/3D MBD as a way to align OEMs and suppliers, strengthen traceability, and cut inspection backlogs.
After a final round of networking and pre-arranged 1-2-1 meeting block, the agenda returned to main sessions.
In Room 1, Kara Grubis, VP, Strategic Defense Products at Agile Space Industries, shared how additive manufacturing and in-house hot-fire testing accelerate chemical propulsion innovation, push TRL higher earlier, and reduce risk.
Room 3 featured Tom Smelker, SVP, Processing Technologies at Mercury Systems, connected security and quality through stronger hardware architectures, safety-first workflows, compliance-ready QMS, and AI-driven predictive assurance.
In Room 4, Francesca Scire-Scappuzzo, Ph.D., Defense Innovation Strategist and Former Corporate VP, Science and Technology at QinetiQ, discussed scaling defense innovation by engaging the broader ecosystem, aligning CRAD/IRAD and private funding with priorities, and using digital engineering to reduce cost and speed mission-ready delivery.
We then moved to our Day 2 Lunch and Learn Roundtable discussions which featured thought-provoking conversations hosted by leaders from Raytheon, L3Harris, NASA, Bombardier, BWXT, and CPI.
After lunch, Lucas Pankey, SVP and Chief Information Officer, Textron Aviation at Textron, delivered a plenary on enhancing aircraft readiness and maintenance logistics with generative AI. He highlighted how GenAI can give frontline maintenance and logistics teams real-time access to complex technical documentation, streamline diagnostics to reduce downtime, and support newer mechanics with step-by-step, contextual guidance—grounded in a case study on Textron’s deployment of the TAMI generative AI system.
Then, the day closed with a forward-looking panel featuring:
Together, they unpacked how innovation, agility, AI, and emerging technologies are reshaping Aerospace & Defense—from AI, predictive analytics, and digital twins that accelerate readiness and decision-making, to additive manufacturing and next-gen materials that improve durability and sustainability. They also explored the rise of software-defined systems (with autonomy and cybersecurity built in) and what it takes to compress time-to-mission for hypersonics, unmanned systems, and next-gen platforms without compromising safety or compliance.
To thank attendees for the energy and participation throughout the summit, we’re pleased to announce our prize winners!
Congratulations to John Kane, Edita Salcepuedes, and Brigette Blair as our networking prize winners, and Elaine Cooper as our survey prize winner!
With the 11th annual American Aerospace & Defense Summit now concluded, we would like to thank our delegates, speakers, and sponsors for their valuable contributions. The discussions and connections made throughout the program reinforced the industry’s most urgent priorities—from strengthening supply chain performance and scaling manufacturing capability to advancing mission assurance, digital engineering, and technology adoption.
Visit aadsummit.com for more information and to secure your place at the 12th annual American Aerospace & Defense Summit, taking place December 3-4, 2026 at the Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel & Spa.
“Great opportunity to meet the decision makers from multiple companies in the sector and build relationships.”
Scott Nagley, VP - Special Materials @ BWX Technologies
“It was excellent. Excellent attendees at executive level in aerospace and defense industry. Well curated topics. The event planning team's thoughtfulness and detail-oriented showed through the entire event from speaker prep, logistics, time management.”
Yen Matsutomi, VP, Global Supply Chain Engineering @ Blue Origin
“Very positive. Speakers were high quality, networking is both valuable with appropriate 1 on 1 to get detailed value.”
Thomas Stephens, Model Based Digital Thread Corp Tech Director @ RTX
“Very fruitful; great input and advice from speakers; opportunity to flow down lessons & strategy to my team and network with potential suppliers.”
Edita Salcepuedes, Engineering Director - Head of Design Authority @ Safran Cabin - WWS
“The addition of the mobile app was a very useful tool, especially with exchanging contact details. Having the agenda detail in one location made the conference easy to navigate. 1 to 1 meetings were very engaging, the Generis team brought quality leads to our booth, and I found the support extremely valuable.”
Jason Evers, Sales Engineer @ Precision Resource
“Amazing opportunity to hear thought leadership and great networking format.”
Stephen Siegmund, COO @ DACIS
“The AAD Summit proved to be a great opportunity to meet the right profile of prospects and existing customers!”
Tom Bishop, Enterprise Account Executive, A&D @ Interos.ai
“Really good experience. It’s more intimate than some of the larger shows so you can go at your own pace and take your time to talk and make connections.”
John Reynolds, Manager Supply Chain Defense @ Bombardier Aerospace
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