2026 AUSA Annual Meeting & Exposition

The symposium focuses on Army materiel readiness, sustainment, logistics, acquisition, modernization, and the defense industrial base. Its stated themes include logistics, maintenance, supply, and lifecycle management; accelerating capability development and integrating emerging technologies; and partnerships among Army organizations, government, industry, and academia. Programming is described as strategic discussions and professional development centered on acquisition, experimentation, readiness, and modernization. The event is open to interested parties, subject to AUSA’s stated identifiable-relationship criteria and its right to deny admission or cancel registration.

The 2026 conference marks NTSA’s 60th anniversary and centers on the U.S. Army lead-service theme, “Beyond the Battlefield: Training Readiness and Lethality for All-Domain Dominance!” The program combines executive presentations, technical papers, tutorials, professional development workshops, special events, and Next Big Thing talks focused on modeling, simulation, training, education, AI, autonomous systems, synthetic environments, operational test and evaluation, acquisition modernization, digital engineering, digital twins, cyber and information warfare, and the defense industrial base. Featured content includes an Industry Keynote by Brandon Tseng, President & Co-Founder, Shield AI; a Featured Government Keynote by Amy Henninger, SES, Ph.D., Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E), DoW; and senior-leader discussions involving LTGEN Austin, USMC; MAJ GEN Cropsey, USAF; and MAJ GEN Smith, USSF. Special events include the Congressional M&S Caucus; Digital First discussions on defense acquisition through AI, digital engineering, simulation, and digital twins; Building an AI Ready Military Force; a Naval Aviation Flag Officer Panel; NATO mission-space digital twins; Air Force maintenance training; cyber, electromagnetic, wargaming, and information warfare; and program briefs on training acquisition and the All-Domain Marine. The program also includes perspectives from government, industry, academia, and international partners.

The summit brings together the Army Aviation community for professional sessions, leadership panels, project manager program updates, open-mic workshops, and an exhibit hall. Program topics include increasing Army combat power; the Army in transition; future combat; driving innovation; sustaining combat power; special operations aviation; Cheyenne capabilities and opportunities; cavalry heritage and combined-arms, all-domain maneuver; evolving the combat aviation brigade for joint all-domain maneuver; allied-nation defense; airspace management; next-generation command and control; joint targeting; and contested logistics. Project updates cover Attack, AMSA, Utility, Cargo, and FLRAA-Cheyenne programs. The program also includes aviation warrant officer readiness and an enlisted branch update. The opening professional session features a keynote on increasing Army combat power. The exhibit hall and professional sessions are listed as free for attendees; separately ticketed meals and events have additional prices.

Theme: EMS Superiority – Challenges and Opportunities Across the Globe. The convention addresses the evolving landscape of electromagnetic warfare and electromagnetic spectrum operations, including the policies, partnerships, and technologies needed to achieve superiority in a contested and congested domain. Programming includes keynote presentations from senior military commanders and industry thought leaders; technical sessions on electromagnetic warfare, cyber operations, and spectrum dominance; interactive breakouts; expert-led panel discussions; and program manager briefings specific to the Navy, Army, and Air Force. The expo hall features technologies and solutions from defense contractors, emerging technology companies, and research institutions.

The program focuses on weapon-system maintenance and sustainment, readiness, and defense industrial base revitalization. Plenary and breakout sessions examine acquisition authorities and faster capability delivery; domestic manufacturing, industrial-base investment, and workforce capacity; contested logistics and forward maintenance; munitions lifecycle management; resilient supply chains; and the application of AI, advanced manufacturing, software, and digital engineering to sustainment. Specific discussions include the Portfolio Acquisition Executive authorities under the Warfighting Acquisition System; the Major Weapon Systems and Critical Munitions Readiness Campaign Plan; EO 14415 supply-chain mapping and illumination; and public-private co-production, technical data and right to repair, intellectual property, and capital requirements for industrial-base expansion. The Weapon Systems Software Summit covers applied AI and autonomous systems, DevSecOps and software factories, cybersecurity and Zero Trust, digital engineering, data and cloud architecture, acquisition policy, and workforce and talent management. Associated forums address corrosion prevention, provisioning and cataloging, defense working-capital funds, depot capabilities, allied co-sustainment, and supply-chain risk management. The program also includes a Maintenance Innovation Challenge and a co-located Maintenance and Logistics Exhibition with a Maintenance Yard.

A professional development event for the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Space Force, and the aerospace and defense industry, focused on critical concerns and challenges of joint warfare. The symposium draws speakers from the Air Force, Space Force, combatant commands, industry, and the joint force, and includes dynamic exhibits. A 2027 agenda and named speakers were not listed on the event pages reviewed.

The program aligns U.S. military priorities, executive-order implementation, congressional funding, acquisition pathways, industrial-base capacity, and operational requirements for uncrewed systems. Sessions address defense acquisition reform; FY27 funding and investment signals; the Drone Dominance Program; domestic manufacturing capacity and supply-chain resilience; small-business pathways into defense markets; and export markets, financing, and export controls. Other themes include Army and Air Force autonomy fielding, congressional oversight, lessons from Ukraine, maritime security, undersea infrastructure, and scaling uncrewed surface and undersea systems. The program identifies Executive Orders 14265, 14268, 14307, 14372, and 14415 among the policy frameworks discussed. Featured speakers include Admiral Thomas Allan, Jr., Vice Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard; William Kimmitt, Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade; and Emil Michael, Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering and Department of War Chief Technology Officer. Registration is restricted to U.S. citizens and citizens of allied or partner nations; the event is closed to media.

The forum focuses on the Army Aviation Roadmap and the industrial base, sustainment, and acquisition. Its program includes discussion of Army transformation and the organic industrial base, with opportunities for briefings involving project managers, Army aviation transformation and future-capability leaders, original equipment manufacturers, and other industry leaders. Professional sessions address the industrial base, the Army Aviation Roadmap, sustainment and the organic industrial base, acquisition, integration of the Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Maneuver Air portfolio, force modernization, the operating environment, the Pentagon landscape, and future warfighting concepts. Exhibit-hall open-mic panels cover cargo; attack and reconnaissance; utility aircraft; uncrewed aircraft systems; next-generation command and control; AMCOM sustainment; counter-drone systems; aviation mission systems and architecture; tactical aviation and ground munitions; and MV-75 Cheyenne opportunities.

Hosted by the Society of American Military Engineers, the conference brings together military, government, industry, and academic professionals to address engineering solutions for national security, infrastructure resilience, readiness, and mission success. Programming includes technical sessions, workshops, panels, leadership and professional-development discussions, federal acquisition insights, emerging technologies, and an expo featuring solutions for mission readiness and infrastructure modernization.