Abstract digital image

Breaking Barriers in Defense Acquisition

May 7-8, 2025
MITRE McLean

In-Person Registration (Days 1 & 2)

Virtual Registration (Day 1)    

A summit for forward-thinking acquisition experts and leaders in defense and technology.

Convened by and for Acquisition Leaders

Join senior defense and acquisition officials, industry experts, private capital funders, tech innovators, agile defense suppliers, congressional thought leaders, policymakers, think tanks, and media representatives.

Together, we will craft a roadmap for a transformative acquisition ecosystem—built for speed, innovation, and warfighter effectiveness.

About the Summit

The event offers the opportunity for government and industry stakeholders to spearhead recommendations for capability-driven acquisition pathways, software-intensive systems for increased lethality, acceleration of autonomous solutions, scaling commercial innovation, and fostering a thriving Allied industrial base. Objectives include:

  • Invest in capabilities for priority threat scenarios to improve mission performance
  • Leverage Mission Engineering to increase mission success
  • Lower barriers to entry for industry—and engage continuously to evolve solutions
  • Expedite transitioning proposed solutions to working prototypes
  • Leverage experimentation results to drive rapid deployment to operational environments
  • Empower an integrated government-industry team to align development efforts
  • Accelerate fielding of commercial solutions
  • Address U.S. supply-chain and manufacturing challenges to ensure efficient production
  • Enable rapid integration of legacy and new systems
  • Improve workforce skills for rapid acquisition

Location

MITRE
7596 Colshire Drive
McLean, VA 22102
McLean Campus Map (PDF)

Agenda

Participants will be immersed in a full day of keynotes, panels, and debate. Expect a call to action from industry and government voices tackling acquisition’s toughest challenges. Results will be released from the inaugural survey on the state of defense acquisition, and in-person attendees can tour MITRE’s cutting-edge research and technology labs.

8:00 - 8:45amRegistration and Breakfast 
8:45 - 9:00am       

Welcome Remarks

9:00 - 9:15am       

Keynote Remarks – DoD Leadership

9:15 - 9:35 am

Keynote Remarks – DoD Leadership

  • Joseph Welch, Deputy to the Commanding General, U.S. Army Futures Command
9:35 - 9:55 am

Keynote Remarks – DoD Leadership

9:55 - 10:10 amKeynote Remarks – A View from the Hill 
10:10 - 10:30am   Networking Break  
10:30 - 11:00am    

Fireside Chat 

  • Eric Fanning, President and CEO, Aerospace Industries Association
  • Dr. Keoki Jackson, Senior Vice President, General Manager, MITRE National Security 
11:00am - 12:00pm

Panel – Innovation & Disruption for Capability Driven Acquisition

  • Moderator: Dr. Charles Clancy, Senior Vice President, General Manager, MITRE Labs, Chief Technology Officer, MITRE
  • Major General Edward Vaughan, Executive Director, Joint Rapid Acquisition Cell (JRAC)
  • Dr. Andrew Puryear, VP & Chief Technology Officer, L3Harris Technologies
  • Dr. George Ka'iliwai III, National Security Fellow, MITRE
12:00 - 1:00pm  Lunch
1:00 - 1:15pm  

State of Defense Acquisition Survey Results 

1:15 - 1:25pm  Keynote Remarks - Industry Perspective
1:25 - 2:15pm   

Panel – Buying Better to Accelerate DoD Capability

  • Moderator: Dr. Arun Seraphin, Executive Director, NDIA Emerging Technologies Institute
  • Matthew MacGregor, Senior Director, Anduril Industries
  • Matt Cronin, Senior National Security Policy and Regulator Advisor, Andreesen Horowitz
  • Mark Stewart, Director, National Security U.S. Government Affairs, Microsoft 
2:15 - 2:40pm  Networking Break 
2:40 - 3:25pm

Panel – Scaling & Revitalizing the Manufacturing Base & Supply Chain

  • Moderator: Sarah Stewart, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, Silverado Policy Accelerato
  • Chris Toffales, President and Managing Director, CTC Aero
  • Becca Wasser, Senior Fellow and Deputy Director, Defense Program, CNAS 
3:25 - 4:10 pm   

Panel – Extending Capabilities through Allies & Partners

4:10 - 4:30pm   

Keynote Remarks – DoD Leadership

  • Lt. Gen. Dale White, USAF, Military Deputy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics
4:30 - 6:00pmNetworking Reception & Lab Tours
6:00 - 7:35pm

Dinner with Keynote Remarks

In-Person Registration (Days 1 & 2) Virtual Registration (Day 1 only)

Participants will engage in focused, concurrent workshops to deliver recommendations for acquisition reform.

7:30 - 8:00amRegistration and Breakfast 
8:00 - 8:05amWelcome and Intro
8:05 - 8:30am

Fireside Chat  – Allies & Partnerships

8:30 - 8:45amDay 1 – Re-cap and instructions for the workshops
8:45am - 12:00pm

Working Group Sessions

  • Workshop #1 – Extending Software Intensive Acquisition Pathways
  • Workshop #2 – Rapid Acquisition for DoD Priority Capabilities
  • Workshop #3 – Supply Chain and Revitalizing the Manufacturing Base
  • Workshop #4 – Strengthening Capabilities with Allies and Partners
12:00 - 12:45pmNetworking Lunch
12:45 - 2:00pmWorking Groups finalize recommendations 
2:00 - 2:20 pm

Working Groups Readouts 

  • Workshop #1 – 2:00-2:05
  • Workshop #2 – 2:05-2:10
  • Workshop #3 – 2:10-2:15
  • Workshop #4 – 2:15-2:20
2:20 - 2:30pmNext Steps, Action Items, and Thank You
In-Person Registration (Days 1 & 2)

Speakers

MITRE Team

Photo of Dan Ward

Dan Ward

Defense Acquisition Innovator

Photo of Allison Reardon

Allison Reardon

Industry Engagement

MITRE Thought Leadership

Additional Resources

Explore a curated collection of articles, draft legislation, policy documents, and other reference materials designed to enhance your understanding of key topics to be discussed at the upcoming MITRE Breaking Barriers in Defense Acquisition Summit May 7-8.

Have a resource you'd like to see included? Send your recommendations to breakingbarriers@mitre.org for consideration.

White House Executive Order: “Restoring Common Sense to Federal Procurement”
Date: April 15, 2025

White House Executive Order: “Modernizing Defense Acquisition and Spurring Innovation in the Defense Industrial Base”
Date: April 9, 2025

White House Executive Order: "Reforming Foreign Defense Sales to Improve Speed and Accountability" 
Date: April 9, 2025

Boston Consulting Group: “Militaries Are Deploying Mission-Based Return on Investment to Make Smarter Decisions” 
By Marc Giesener, Matt Aaronson, Matthew Schlueter, Emily Carroll, Lauren Mayer, and Lara Mitra
Date: April 8, 2025

Defense and Security Monitor: “A Backgrounder on Trump’s Golden Dome for America” 
By Daniel Darling
Date March 14, 2025

Defense Scoop: “Pentagon gearing up to train personnel on new ‘default’ software buying approach” 
By Brandi Vincent
Date: March 11, 2025

The Ronald Reagan Institute: National Security Innovation Base Report Card 2025 
Date: March 4, 2025

Defense Acquisition Magazine: “Nontraditional Acquisition—Making the Golden Dome for America a Reality”  
By Danny Poskey and Kimberly Sulak
Date: March 4, 2025

Defense Acquisition Magazine: “Managing Space Acquisition as a Warfighting Capability”
Date: March 4, 2025 
By Stephanie Young, Cynthia R. Cook, Yool Kim, Lauren A. Mayer, Megan McKernan, William Shelton, Éder M. Sousa, Bonnie L. Triezenberg, Jonathan P. Wong

The National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) Vital Signs 2025 Report:  “The Health and Readiness of the Defense Industrial Base”
Date: February 26, 2025

General Atomics: "Reforming Defense Acquisitions To Promote Global Security" 
Date: January 26, 2025

L3Harris: “L3Harris CEO Proposes Defense Acquisition Reforms" 
Date: January 15, 2025

Senator Wicker: Senator Wicker Announces Pentagon Reform and Innovation Proposal 
Date: December 19, 2024 

Senator Wicker: The FoRGED Act 
Date: December 19, 2024  

U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO): “DOD Acquisition Reform: Military Departments Should Take Steps to Facilitate Speed and Innovation" 
Date: December 11, 2024

War on the Rocks: “How to Fix a Broken Defense Department to Beat China and Russia” 
By Steve Blank
Date: November 27, 2024

Defense Innovation Board: “Optimizing Innovation Cooperation with Allies and Partners” 
Date: July 10, 2024

American Enterprise Institute (AEI): "Reforming Defense Acquisition in a Changing and Contested Threat Environment” 
By William C. Greenwalt 
Date: May 23, 2024

National Defense Magazine: “A More Nuanced Look at the ‘Valley of Death'” 
By Stew Magnuson
Date June 8, 2023

 

Navy Lt. works in the command center aboard the USS John P. Murtha

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