FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) — Fort Wayne will host senior military leaders, Trump administration officials and defense industry executives next week as U.S. Senator Jim Banks brings his fifth annual Northeast Indiana Defense Summit to the city for two days of discussions on national security, military innovation and defense manufacturing.
The summit is scheduled for Tuesday, October 27, and Wednesday, October 28, bringing together government officials, members of Congress and industry representatives to discuss strengthening America’s defense industrial base and expanding Indiana’s role in national defense.
The event begins Tuesday afternoon at The Pearl Event Center, 258 West Main Street, with registration at 2 p.m. and programming scheduled from 2:30 to 4:45 p.m. Banks, a Republican representing Indiana, is scheduled to deliver closing remarks at 4:45 p.m.
Tuesday’s speakers include Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston; Emil Michael, Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering; Mike Dodd, Assistant Secretary of War for Critical Technologies; and Major General Lawrence “Larry” Muennich, Indiana’s adjutant general.
Other participants include Phil Smith of Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane, Rear Admiral Richman of Strategic Systems Programs, and defense industry representatives from Kratos Defense, ACMI Group, SpektreWorks and Skydio. Representatives from the law firm Greenberg Traurig and ARI are also scheduled to participate.
The discussions are expected to focus on defense technology, military research and development, regional defense capabilities and the role private industry plays in meeting national security needs.
The main summit continues Wednesday at the Grand Wayne Convention Center, 102 West Jefferson Boulevard, in downtown Fort Wayne. Registration begins at 7:45 a.m., with programming scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Banks is scheduled to deliver the closing remarks.
Wednesday’s speaker lineup includes Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao and Acting Secretary of the Army Adam Telle, along with U.S. Senator Todd Young, a fellow Indiana Republican, and U.S. Senator Dave McCormick, a Pennsylvania Republican.
Leena-Kaisa Mikkola, Finland’s ambassador to the United States, is also scheduled to participate, adding an international perspective to discussions about defense and security.
Industry speakers include Mike Gallagher and Shyam Sankar of Palantir Technologies; Bryon Hargis, CEO of Castelion; Dino Mavrookas, founder and CEO of Saronic Technologies; and Tom Anderson, president of U.S. Shipbuilding for Hanwha Defense.
Other Wednesday participants include Alex Flanagan of Prometheus Energetics, Mackenzie Eaglen, co-chair of the National Future of the Navy Commission; Roger Zakheim, director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute; and Mo Islam, CEO of Arkaea Media.
The summit’s stated priorities include strengthening America’s defense industrial base, advancing military innovation and expanding Indiana’s role in defense manufacturing. The event brings together military leadership, policymakers and private-sector companies involved in defense technology and production.
Northeast Indiana has a significant interest in defense-related manufacturing and military supply chains, making the summit an opportunity to discuss the region’s role in national security and the development of emerging defense technologies.
Banks is scheduled to close both days of programming, with Tuesday’s sessions concluding at The Pearl Event Center and Wednesday’s main summit wrapping up at the Grand Wayne Center at 1:45 p.m.
