Potomac Officers Club, the nation’s leading GovCon networking events organization, is excited to confirm Michael Duffey, under secretary of war for acquisition and sustainment, as the opening keynote speaker for the 2026 Defense R&D Summit, taking place Jan. 29. Duffey joins Emil Michael, under secretary of war for research and engineering on the lineup, giving attendees the chance to hear from the two senior leaders responsible for what the Department of War is building and how it is buying it. Register now!
The announcement comes at a pivotal moment for the defense acquisition community. In a sweeping Nov. 7 speech, war secretary and Wash100 winner Pete Hegseth unveiled a major transformation of the department’s acquisition system, emphasizing speed, accountability and competition as organizing principles. As the senior official charged with executing those reforms across procurement, sustainment and the industrial base, Duffey’s keynote offers GovCons critical insight into how those changes will shape future defense spending.
Who Is Michael Duffey?
Michael Duffey was sworn in as under secretary of war for acquisition and sustainment in June 2025 following Senate confirmation. In the role, he oversees the War Department’s acquisition, logistics and sustainment enterprise, as well as the defense industrial base and acquisition workforce.
Duffey previously served as deputy chief of staff to the defense secretary and held senior positions across the Department of War and the Office of Management and Budget, where he oversaw the federal government’s $1 trillion-plus national security budget, according to his official DOW biography.
During his confirmation process, Duffey told lawmakers he planned to focus on eliminating barriers that slow acquisition, limit competition and discourage private capital from entering the defense market, Defense One reports. He has consistently framed acquisition success around speed and capacity, arguing that future conflicts will be decided as much by industrial production as by battlefield performance.
What Will Michael Duffey Address in His Defense R&D Summit Keynote?
Duffey’s keynote will take place against the backdrop of Secretary Hegseth’s acquisition overhaul, which calls for replacing traditional program executive offices with more empowered portfolio acquisition executives, embedding contracting officers with program teams and shifting funding more flexibly to accelerate delivery, Federal News Network said.
As the department’s senior acquisition executive, Duffey is uniquely positioned to explain how those reforms will be implemented in practice. His keynote is expected to address acquisition reform, rapid fielding pathways, industrial base resilience and how industry must adapt to a system built around speed, accountability and mission outcomes.
Duffey has emphasized cutting bureaucratic delays, leveraging flexible contracting authorities and expanding early industry engagement to accelerate the path from requirement to contract, according to DOD News. He has also outlined efforts to scale munitions production, expand multiyear procurement and bring nontraditional vendors into the defense ecosystem.
Duffey is also expected to participate in a Q&A session, offering GovCons the opportunity to hear directly how acquisition reform will affect contracting strategies, production expectations and long-term investment decisions.
Why Should GovCons Attend the 2026 Defense R&D Summit?
For government contractors, the 2026 Defense R&D Summit offers a rare opportunity to hear from the officials shaping both sides of the defense innovation equation.
With Duffey overseeing acquisition and sustainment and Michael leading research and engineering, attendees will gain a full-spectrum view of how emerging technologies move from concept to contract to scaled production. That alignment is especially critical as the Department of War pushes to close the “valley of death” between prototyping and operational deployment.
Hegseth has made clear that companies unwilling to adapt to a faster, more competitive acquisition environment risk being left behind. Hearing directly from Duffey allows GovCons to better understand how to align investments, production capacity and innovation strategies with the department’s evolving expectations.
What Does the 2026 Defense R&D Summit Lineup Include?
In addition to keynotes from Duffey and Michael, the 2026 Defense R&D Summit features a robust agenda focused on the technologies driving future military advantage. Panels will explore:
- Taking AI from pilot to battlefield scale, including power, compute and infrastructure
- Accelerating defense innovation from concept to contract, and closing the valley of death
- Securing U.S. advantage in next-generation technologies, from quantum to advanced networks
- Building resilient digital and space architectures for contested operations
- Modernizing logistics, installations and sustainment for a faster, smarter force
Participants and speakers hail from across the Marine Corps, Army, Navy, Air Force, Space Force and organizations such as the Defense Innovation Unit, reinforcing the summit’s emphasis on operational relevance and real-world implementation.
Join Top GovCons for the 2026 Defense R&D Summit
With acquisition reform reshaping how the Department of War buys, fields and sustains technology, the 2026 Defense R&D Summit arrives at a critical moment for GovCons.
The combination of two under secretaries, senior service leaders and in-depth discussions on next-generation technologies makes this event a must-attend for companies seeking to compete in a faster, more demanding defense marketplace.
Registration is now open. GovCons are encouraged to secure their place to gain firsthand insight into defense R&D priorities, acquisition reform and the technologies shaping the future force.
