The US Defense Innovation Unit and the Munich Security Conference cordially invite you to the ‘Future of Defense Tech Manufacturing & Innovation’ forum, held during the Munich Security Conference Tech & Innovation Thursday. The event is supported by the Boston Consulting Group and powered by Resilience Media.

Recent conflicts have shown that emerging technologies, namely autonomous systems, will play a greater role in future conflicts. Crippling events like the war in Ukraine, COVID and trade disputes have highlighted the vulnerability of defense manufacturing and the shortcomings of Western countries in increasing military production when shocks occur.

Agenda

Registration and networking

11:00-12:00

Welcome

Colonel Glenn McCartan, DIU Representative to U.S. European Command, US Defense Innovation Unit; Leslie Hitchcock, Co-founder, Resilience Media; Dr Tobias Stone, Co-founder, Resilience Media

Session 1 // Setting the Scene: The Role of Manufacturing in the Future of Defence

12:05-12:35

The war in Ukraine has shown the importance of manufacturing and defence production capacity. In order to defend ourselves, we need a manufacturing base that can produce military technology and hardware rapidly and at scale, now and in the future. How do we build resilient supply chains and manufacturing capacity across Europe and NATO? How does private and public sector investment, policy, and innovation support creating a deterrence based on production capacity?

Speakers: Nataliia Kushnerska, CEO, BRAVE1; Sille Pettai, CEO, SmartCap; John Ridge, Head of Adoption, NIF

Moderator: Liz Young McNally, Deputy Director, Commercial Operations, Defense Innovation Unit

Session 2 // In Conversation with Rheinmetall and Auterio

12:35-13:00

Speakers: Klaus Klappen, CTO, Rheinmetall; Lorenz Meier, CEO, Auterion

Moderator: Leslie Hitchcock, Resilience Media

Session 3 // The Role of Startups

13:00-13:25

The War in Ukraine has seen startups lead rapid advances in technology innovation. We now have plenty of new technology to deploy, but much of it is held back by a lack of manufacturing capacity. How can innovators and startups now look at how we build things, not just what we build? How are startups challenging the status quo from building drones through to missiles?

Speakers: Srdjan Kovacevic, CEO, Orqa; Ian Muceus, CTO, Firestorm; Kusti Salm, CEO, Frankenburg Technology

Moderator: Abigail Desjardins, Deputy Director, Global Partnerships, DIU

Break

13:25-13:40

Session 4 // The New Economics of Defence Production

13:40-14:05

Scaling and innovating manufacturing in defence involves building factories, creating new supply chains, and making significant investment in our defence industrial capacity. In defence tech there is a focus on venture capital as a source of funding. To build an industrial base, we need more than just VC. What does the economics of defence production look like into the future? How do we pay for this?

Speakers: Kelly Chen, Partner, NIF; Eveline Buchatskiy, Managing Partner, D3; Rob Murray, Chief Innovation Officer, Saab

Moderator: Dr Tobias Stone, Resilience Media

Session 5 // Industry and the Incumbents

14:05-14:30

Industry is at the heart of manufacturing for defence. How prepared do incumbents feel we are for a major conflict? Are they innovating, and if so what does that look like? Do they work with startups and newcomers in the sector? How could they support scaling the production of new technologies, or is that the role of new companies? What lessons can they share with those entering the sector?

Speakers: Enrico Della Gatta, VP, Geopolitics & Advocacy, Fincantieri; Marc Giesener, Managing Director and Partner, Boston Consulting Group; Karl Haeusgen, President, VDMA

Session 6 // Breaking New Ground

14:30-14:55

This panel brings together three pioneers in defence manufacturing, who are changing how manufacturing works using technology, policy, and process. What have they learned on their journeys, and what can be taken away from this event that can be applied practically?

Speakers: Kevin Czinger, Founder & Executive Chairman, Divergent Technologies, Inc.; Anna Gvozdiar, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Strategic Industries of Ukraine; Oluseun Taiwo, Founder & CEO, Solideon

Moderator: Anne Sraders, Senior Reporter, Sifted

Break

14:55-15:15

Session 7 // Production Capacity is the New Deterrence

15:15-15:45

The deterrent effect of military capability is materially diminished if the adversary believes that the effect of that capability can be exhausted and that it will not be resupplied in a timely manner. As a result, in large scale conflicts, the ability to mobilise the industry base to scale production at the levels necessary to resupply war fighters with relevant, necessary capabilities at sufficient quantities to impose costs is essential. This panel considers the question of whether we have the capacity to produce sufficient quantities of novel and legacy capabilities to achieve deterrence and the activities that government, industry and startups could undertake to ensure that such capacity is available, if needed.

Speakers: LtGen (ret.), Dr. Dennis Gyllenspore, Chairperson, NATO DIANA; Major General Edward Vaughan, Executive Director, Joint Rapid Acquisition Cell

Moderator: Colonel Glenn McCartan USMC, DIU Representative to U.S. European Command, Defense Innovation Unit

Session 8 // In Conversation With Helsing: Precision Mass for a Stronger Europe

15:45-16:05

Speaker: Ned Baker, Managing Director, UK and Ukraine, Helsing

Session 9 // In Conversation With

16:05-16:30

Speaker: Mr. Mircea Dan Geoană, President of Aspen Institute Romania

Moderator: Farah Stockman, Editorial Board Member, The New York Times

Closing

General Joseph Martin, 37th Vice Chief of Staff (Ret.), U.S. Army, Boston Consulting Group; Lieutenant Colonel Timothy D. Otten USMC, Embedded Liaison to the United Kingdom, DIU; Leslie Hitchcock, Co-founder, Resilience Media; Dr Tobias Stone, Co-founder, Resilience Media