CDAO Defense & Security 2025 schedule

• Defining the Marine Corps’ vision for integrating information, cyber, space, and C2 to achieve operational dominance
• Institutionalizing data as a strategic asset to drive agility, speed, and precision in warfighting decisions
• Leveraging AI/ML and automation to accelerate sense-making and enhance human-machine teaming across domains
• Aligning modernization priorities with joint force initiatives to ensure seamless information integration and resilience in contested environments
• Building the warfighter's trust in data and digital tools through secure architectures, training, and cultural transformation

• Evaluating skills-based hiring and training pathways, enabling talent acquisition based on ability
• Exploring the Cyber Skills Workforce Program, a hands-on learning-to-hiring initiative that accelerates cyber talent development
• Examining the need for adaptive training models that keep pace with the cyber threat landscape, where technical requirements evolve faster than traditional curricula
• Retaining cyber talent across the Department in a competitive landscape, and developing a strategy to expand workforce programs across all Services and components

• Defining mission command requirements and aligning them with joint C2 modernization priorities
• Accelerating integration of AI/ML to enhance tempo, precision, and effectiveness in decision-making
• Addressing interoperability challenges, data standardization, and network resilience across echelons and domains
• Advancing human-machine teaming and trust to operationalize AI at the tactical edge

Moderator: Eftychis Gregos-Mourginakis, Co-Founder and COO, Kibu

Panelists:

Eileen Vidrine, Former CDAO, U.S. Department of the Air Force

Bryan Lane, Founder, DATA XD

• How Army FUZE is enabling and scaling autonomous capabilities through strategic partnerships, agile funding, and transition pathways
• Enhancing mission assurance through real-time cyber threat intelligence and automated defenses
• Strengthening network resilience against cyberattacks, electronic warfare, and AI-enabled threats

• Leveraging AI-enabled analytics to augment senior leader decision-making in complex, contested environments
• Embedding futures analysis and wargaming into operational planning for greater adaptability and resilience
• Modernizing leader education to prepare the force for accelerated, data-driven warfare

Join Peter Holden, Senior Advocate for the Public Sector, for an engaging, interactive session exploring how government leaders can accelerate digital transformation, enhance AI readiness, and unlock the full potential of data to support national security missions. Attendees will be invited to share challenges, successes, and perspectives from across the defense and public sector landscape.

• Increasing adoption of ethical and responsible AI while meeting operational needs
• Fostering a culture of innovation and including users at every stage of the process
• Integrating data platforms, tools, services, and applications to surpass pacing challenges
• Infrastructure matters – precursors needed in order to scale

• Accelerate Decision Cycles: Learn how reusable MLOps pipelines like the Navy’s Project AMMO delivers faster, more accurate mission insights.
• Turn Data into Advantage: Transform abundant raw siloed data into timely, informed decisions with AI.
• Move Beyond Pilots: Explore how operational AI is becoming a proven, mission-ready capability.
• The Art of the Possible: Discover transformative AI & MLOps use cases that can redefine what’s achievable in your agency’s mission.

• Enhancing operational effectiveness through scalable and secure cloud architecture across Coast Guard missions
• Overcoming legacy system limitations to enable real-time data access and situational awareness
• Aligning enterprise data strategies with DoD-wide modernization and zero trust initiatives
• Building resilient infrastructure to support data mobility in maritime, disaster response, and homeland security contexts

• Harnessing dual-use academic research to solve high-priority Air Force and DoD challenges
• Operationalizing AI at scale through agile experimentation and cross-sector collaboration
• Ensuring alignment between technical development and real-world mission needs
• Driving responsible, human-centered AI development through the DAF/MIT AI Accelerator
• Scaling research breakthroughs into deployable capabilities to support multi-domain decision-making

• Designing the future force: outlining emerging requirements and building capability through to 2050
• Aligning Air Force Futures requirements with acquisition strategies to optimize capability transformation
• Integrating digital engineering, open architectures, and data-centric strategies to enable multi-domain decision superiority
• Operationalizing CJADC2 through synchronized investments in sensors, networks, and AI-enabled platforms
• Leveraging collaborative combat aircraft and autonomous systems to enhance data-sharing, battlespace awareness, and distributed C2

• Retaining the adaptive edge by integrating emerging technologies across domains–embracing new information-centric solutions
• Enabling faster and more effective decision-making by incorporating automation and AI into the digital backbone
• Equipping the force with digitally enabled skills; investing in IT infrastructure to enable effective operation
• Transforming capabilities through advanced business tools, automation, and a digitally-savvy workforce

Panelists:

Thomas J. Lawhead, Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff, Strategy, Integration and Requirements, US AIR FORCE

Charles Forte, Chief Information Officer, UK MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

Commodore Rachel Singleton MBE, Head of Defence AI Centre, UK MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

Frederick “Trey” Coleman, Chief Product Officer, RAFT  

• Tactical Ways Leaders Drive Adoption
• Human-machine teaming 
• The most critical questions a leader must confront
• The changing role of a CIO in an AI age. 

• Piloting digital test and evaluation projects to clear capabilities without the need for live trials
• Applying and using data science and AI: building capability in fast-maturing technologies
• Improving the DevSecOps pipeline to more rapidly push updates and increase throughput from a wider variety of developers
• Scaling tactical edge integration services and leading digital transformation across the MoD by developing key data & analytics products and creating a reliable, platform-agnostic analytics ecosystem

• Addressing the innovation adoption problem: incentivizing behavioral change and increasing the agility of acquisition models
• Embedding Responsible AI principles into enterprise architecture and operational workflows
• Lessons from the Defense Innovation Board: bridging the gap between commercial best practices and defense requirements
• Creating the infrastructure for trust: data governance, transparency, and validation for AI systems in high-stakes environments  

Panelists:

Graham Plaster, Director, NAUTILUS

William McHenry, Senior Advisor to the Director, DEFENSE INNOVATION UNIT  

Roman Jankowski, Chief Privacy Officer and Chief Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Officer, US DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Greg Bridges, Director of Disclosure, US DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

• Advancing data and AI literacy to equip the workforce and executive leadership with the skills needed to understand and position data and AI capabilities to deliver drive mission impact.
• Defining the evolving roles and responsibilities of the C-Suite in orchestrating data and AI strategy across a federated, multi-mission environment.
• Enabling rapid data pipeline delivery through scalable governance frameworks that integrate data and AI, fostering responsible and cohesive adoption of rapidly evolving technologies.
  
  

• Cybersecurity risk management: proactive cyber defense strategies
• Mitigating cyber vulnerabilities and incorporating cyber resilience by design
• Enhancing mission assurance through real-time cyber threat intelligence and automated defenses
• Strengthening network resilience against cyberattacks, electronic warfare, and AI-enabled threats
• Leveraging Zero-Trust Architecture to ensure secure and continuous access to mission-critical systems

• Software-enabled systems, sensors, and tools to strengthen counterintelligence capability
• Delivering warfighting effects at pace and scale required for current and future cyberspace operations
• Strengthening cyber resilience and developing more agile, scalable, and interoperable solutions
• Enhancing cyber offensive operations: imposing risks and consequences on cyber actors seeking to interfere with democratic principles

• Lessons learned: challenges to augment intelligence using machines
• Overcoming implementation barriers to field AI solutions at speed and at scale across the intelligence community
• Overview of initiatives transforming the IC’s analytics and knowledge management tradecraft while leveraging AI to derive insight from IC information holdings fusion
• Strengthening zero-trust architectures to protect mission-critical data
• Mapping out the future of cross-service and allied data-sharing frameworks for global security
  
  
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