The Naval Postgraduate School’s 23rd Annual Acquisition Research Symposium & Innovation Summit brings NPS alumni back to the center of the conversation — now as senior leaders responsible for delivering capability to the Joint Force. This year’s online event - themed Accelerating Warfighting Capabilities - includes more than a dozen NPS graduates now serving as flag and general officers, senior civilian leaders, program executive officers, and industry executives at nexus of innovation, acquisition, and warfighting.

Their participation reflects the enduring impact of an NPS education — one that equips graduates to move seamlessly from analysis to action as they shape policy, programs, and warfighting capability at the highest levels.

Mr. Jason L. Potter, Performing the Duties of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition (ASN(RDA)), will open the event with a keynote address offering senior‑level perspective on naval innovation, acquisition priorities, and the accelerating demands of the modern security environment. His remarks set the tone for the symposium’s focus on transitioning research and innovation into operational advantage.

The Honorable Michael Cadenazzi, Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy (ASW (IBP)), will participate in our first plenary session “Accelerating Warfighting Capabilities: Putting the Industrial Base on a Wartime Footing.” His participation brings a critical policy lens to the discussion, examining how the US is working to develop a defense industrial base that can meet the speed, scale, and resilience required for sustained competition and conflict.

Rear Admiral Michael Mattis, U.S. Navy, and Lieutenant General Michael Williamson, U.S. Army (Ret.) will share their insights in the second-day plenary session, “Forging the Shield: Collaborative Development for Immediate Warfighting Advantage," chaired by NPS professor Ray Jones. They will be joined by current NPS Masters student Ariel Dvorjetski, Program Executive Officer for Weapons for the Israeli Air Force.

Flag officers Vice Admiral Dave Lewis, USN (Ret.), Rear Admiral Kurt Rothenhaus, USN, and Vice Admiral Terry Blake, USN (Ret.) will chair panels exploring how to modernize acquisition and convert innovation into executable, sustained warfighting advantage. Drawing on decades of senior operational and acquisition experience, they will guide discussions that connect research and policy to the real constraints, tradeoffs, and timelines of delivering capability at speed.

NPS professor Dr. Dale L. Moore will chair a panel exploring investment and acquisition strategies for scaling defense production.  And Major Dillon Pierce - whose doctoral research inspired the recent Tactical Missile Innovation Challenge, sponsored by NPS and the Office of Naval Research - will present a paper titled “Embedded Capability Development: A Case Study in Rapid Missile Prototyping and Transition.” 

Together, these NPS alumni — now leading at the highest levels of defense, acquisition, industry, and research — illustrate the role our graduates play in shaping the systems, strategies, and decisions that underpin warfighting advantage.

And their participation in the event - alongside other senior leaders from the services, academia and industry - ensures that this year's Annual Acquisition Research Symposium & Innovation Summit will be defined by rigorous debate, practical insight, and a clear focus on delivering capability at speed.

The event takes place virtually on May 6 & 7, 2026. Go here to see the full program and complete your registration.