- ,Vice Adm. Michael Vernazza, NAVIFOR commander, will keynote the 2026 Navy Summit on Aug. 27
- Keynote topics may include IW as a warfighting domain, Navy organizational shifts, MOC modernization, and China’s military activities in the Pacific
- Join Vernazza and other Navy leaders at the 2026 Navy Summit on Aug. 27 at Falls Church Marriott Fairview Park in Virginia
The Potomac Officers Club is honored to announce that Vice Adm. Michael Vernazza, commander of the Naval Information Forces, will deliver a keynote at the 2026 Navy Summit on Aug. 27 at Falls Church Marriott Fairview Park in Virginia.
As the so-called “I-boss,” Vernazza is in charge of ensuring that the service’s information warfare forces are combat-ready. His appearance at the summit highlights the critical role of information warfare on the modern battlefield, especially as adversaries such as Iran and China increase their activity and investment in IW capabilities.
Vernazza joins the event’s lineup of high-ranking keynote speakers, including Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao and Vice Adm. Brad Skillman, deputy chief of naval operations for integration of capabilities and resources, N8.
The 2026 Navy Summit is the premier gathering of Navy leaders and defense industry executives, meeting to dialogue on the challenges naval forces face and the technologies revolutionizing how wars are won. Sign up today to secure your tickets!
Who Is Michael Vernazza?
Vernazza was sworn in as commander of NAVIFOR in July 2024, succeeding Vice Adm. Kelly Aeschbach, GovCIO Media & Research reported.
“I’m looking forward to building on the incredible work Vice Adm. Aeschbach and this team have accomplished over the last three years,” Vernazza stated when he assumed office. “The complexity of our Navy’s mission sets and the rapidly changing security environment mean that [information warfare] will always be in demand — and we must keep a laser focus on warfighting readiness.”
Before becoming the Navy’s I-boss, he led the Fleet Information Warfare Command Pacific for over two years. FIWCPAC, established in 2022 to coordinate the information campaign in the Pacific, is an Echelon III command with the authority to synchronize and integrate information capabilities across the joint force, according to a Pacific Fleet spokesperson who spoke to DefenseScoop in 2023.
Vernazza’s career as an intelligence officer also includes assignments to the Joint Intelligence Center Pacific, 3rd Fleet and U.S. Fleet Forces Command.
He also held senior leadership roles at the Joint Forces Command Intelligence Command, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Carrier Strike Group 11, U.S. Fleet Cyber Command, U.S. 10th Fleet and U.S. Pacific Fleet.
A native of New Jersey, he received a bachelor’s degree in political science from the U.S. Naval Academy and a master’s in public administration from Troy State University. He is also a graduate of the Naval War College and the Joint Forces Staff College.
What Will Michael Vernazza Discuss in His 2026 Navy Summit Keynote?
As the Navy’s I-boss, Vernazza is well-positioned to explore information warfare as a critical warfighting domain, not just a supporting function, and its foundational role in achieving maritime warfighting dominance.
Attendees may also hear about the organizational shifts within the Navy’s information warfare structure and what they mean for future IW operations. Vernazza’s keynote comes a few months after the Navy disestablished the Office of the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare, or OPNAV N2N6, and the introduction of Information Warfare Squadrons within Carrier Strike Groups to improve the “lethality of IW at sea.”
His address may touch upon the modernization of the Navy’s maritime operations centers, or MOCs, which will serve as fleet-level command and control and will be critical in the service’s distributed maritime operations.
The official may also discuss the expansion of artificial intelligence and machine learning use in information warfare and naval operations. Recognizing the potential of integrating AI in the Navy, Vernazza has established a pilot program for a master’s degree in AI at the Naval Postgraduate School. Randy Pugh, NPS’ vice provost for warfare studies, explained at a conference in February covered by Federal News Network that the program will create officers who are capable of identifying what AI is and what is not and lead efforts to accelerate adoption of the technology to support warfighters.
Drawing from his experience in the Pacific, Vernazza may explore China’s increasing military activity in the Indo-Pacific and why the region continues to be of strategic importance to U.S. defense.
Further Discussions on Information Warfare at the 2026 Navy Summit
The 2026 Navy Summit is hosting a dedicated panel to more deeply explore the sea service’s IW. The From Legacy to Lethality: Modernizing the Navy’s Enterprise Networks for Information Warfare Readiness panel will delve into efforts to build a cyber secure and resilient information infrastructure on the shore and in afloat environments.
Panelists include Jeffrey Hurley, acting director of IC4 for Headquarters Marine Corps, and Tim Blount, executive director for the Navy & US Marine Corps Businesses at AT&T. Additional military and industry speakers will be announced in the coming weeks.
What to Expect at the 2026 Navy Summit
The Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Navy Summit on Aug. 27 will examine the sea service’s current priorities and the technologies that will strengthen warfighter readiness and ensure that the U.S. maintains an advantage over adversaries in the maritime domain.
Panelists from the Navy also include:
- Capt. Jeremiah Daley, deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for robotic autonomous systems
- Bryan Lopez, director of emerging technologies, Department of the Navy Chief Information Office
- Richard Okrasinski, director of C4I at Commander, Submarine Force Atlantic
- More to be added soon!
They will explore the different key initiatives that the Navy is pursuing, such as:
- Deployment of robotic and autonomous systems to create a hybrid maritime fleet
- Integrating commercial capabilities into maritime operations centers to achieve decision superiority
- Building America’s Golden Fleet with digital engineering, digital twins and AI
- Connecting manned and unmanned platforms for Project Overmatch
- Modernizing IT and leveraging data to achieve fleet readiness and decision advantage
The 2026 Navy Summit provides an opportunity for attendees to engage with the decision-makers who have direct influence on the Navy’s capability investments. Tickets are limited, so register today!
