SENEDIA Celebrates the 10th Anniversary of Defense Innovation Days
When Chuck Hagel, then the U.S. Secretary of Defense, took the stage at our first Defense Innovation Days in 2014, we knew we had hit on something special. The audience was engaged, the conversation compelling, the exhibition floor bursting at the seams.
Most importantly, the connections made between industry innovators and military and government decisionmakers showed the power and potential of bringing diverse defense stakeholders together.
Ten years later, the ingredients that make this convening so successful remain, and are stronger than ever as we reflect on a decade of defense innovation.
While the conversation topics and key takeaways have evolved with a changing geopolitical and technological landscape–AI, automation, and cybersecurity were nascent if not entirely absent themes a decade ago–there are many throughlines that continue to characterize Defense Innovation Days. Particularly significant are the partners who have long championed this event. This year’s 10th anniversary convening was made possible by our generous sponsors, including platinum sponsors RTX and General Dynamics.
Both supported our first event, and ever since, they have championed the SENEDIA vision to bring industry innovators and leaders together.
RTX, General Dynamics, and fellow platinum sponsor Undersea Technology Innovation Consortium were joined by an illustrious group of sponsors that reflect an impressive cross-section of the sector. Leidos was this year’s gold sponsor, with EaglePicher, SeaCorp, Quantic Electronics, SAIC, Northrop Grumman, and L3Harris as the silver sponsors. Bronze sponsors include the National Institute for Undersea Vehicle Technology, Boston Engineering, Granite State Manufacturing, Teledyne Technologies, NeQter Labs, Saab, Globe Composite Solutions, Exail, Rite Solutions, Greensea, R&D Technologies, Retlif Testing Laboratories, Regent, Pacmar Technologies, Ocean Power Technologies, Serco, and Guill Tool.
Lastly, thanks to our reception sponsors, Adler Pollock & Sheehan and Anduril, all our attendees had the opportunity to casually network and enjoy this annual chance to see our colleagues from around the country.
This year was no exception for exceptional speakers, including U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen and the Honorable Carlos Del Toro, Secretary of the Navy. Setting the tone for three days of panels and presentations, many speakers underscored that the threats against American interests and democracy are significant and varied, from Russian to China and beyond. Other key takeaways include opportunities for unprecedented cooperation with longtime and even unexpected allies and the need to accelerate innovation. For America to maintain military dominance, we must look for new ways to leverage technology, including AI, and that means leaning on industry and making it easier for them to collaborate with the government. Innovative prototypes must ensure a path to produce to scale.
Leveraging technology and accelerating innovation come down to the people behind it. Tech depends on talent and as speaker after speaker reinforced, defense is a people business. We must invest in robust recruitment, training, and workforce development to attract and retain the purpose-driven skilled workforce that we need to meet demand.
That is a key focus and strength of SENEDIA, and hearing it directly from the top military, government, and industry leaders from the defense sector provided us with a renewed sense of urgency and enthusiasm coming out of the conference. Defense Innovation Days is our busiest time of year, but it is also a powerful motivator for our work all year long.
Now, we turn to planning for August 2025. We’ll see you in Newport.
Click Here to check out our past Defense Innovation Days.
