ODIA Defense Briefing - From Resources to Readiness - Connecting Navy Priorities to Oklahoma Capability w/ Rear Admiral Ben Reynolds, U.S. Navy

The conference brings together leaders from across Oklahoma’s oil and natural gas industry. Business sessions, keynote presentations, and panel discussions address timely industry topics, including state and federal issues affecting the industry and issues and innovations shaping Oklahoma energy. The program also includes a board meeting and an Alliance speed-networking session. The conference concludes with the Petroleum Alliance Fundraising Auction, which recognizes contributions to the 2026 charity of the year, Wes Welker Foundation.

The briefing recounts the HIDE program at North American Aviation in Tulsa and the engineers who worked on low-observable systems for aircraft, missiles, and submarines. Topics include structural radar absorbers used on the AGM-28 Hound Dog missile; radar-absorbing systems on the B-1B; and the HIDE-descended B-1B and Tomahawk programs. The discussion also connects Oklahoma’s aerospace talent development and Tinker modernization to Guard and industry responses to emerging threats such as drone defense. The engineers will share the story publicly together in the city where they built the program.

The discussion traces the HIDE group’s early stealth work in Tulsa, beginning with efforts to reduce the detectability of the AGM-28 Hound Dog cruise missile using structural radar absorbers. The program’s work later touched stealth drones flown in Vietnam, stealth-related submarine technology, and the B-1B bomber. The event connects that history to Oklahoma’s defense industry.

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 meeting brings together leaders from the Department of War, industry, manufacturing institutes, and academia to address the future of American defense manufacturing. Program themes include industrial surge and production capacity, supply-chain resilience, advanced manufacturing, manufacturing modernization, and priorities for strengthening the Defense Industrial Base. The format includes high-level briefings, panel discussions, and fireside chats with senior leaders.

Focuses on moving Indo-Pacific strategy into implementation through operational readiness, deterrence, forward force posture, alliances and partnerships, defense industrial capacity, and regional economic resilience. Themes include delivering combat power forward through speed, scale, and sustainment; coalition integration and networked deterrence; mobilizing industrial capacity; decision advantage through AI, data, and the information domain; and securing supply chains and strategic resources. Discussion topics include distributed logistics and sustainment, forward maintenance and repair, space-enabled sensing and missile defense, information-sharing and interoperability, integration of Pacific Island nations, production and repair acceleration, acquisition and contracting authorities, allied industrial capacity, private investment, operational uses of AI and data, and manufacturing and energy investments that reduce strategic vulnerabilities. The forum emphasizes operational examples, identifying barriers to execution, connecting industry and venture capital with government needs, and developing actionable recommendations for policymakers, planners, and industry.

The conference focuses on translating congressional mandates in the National Defense Authorization Act into industry responses and aligning industry capacity and capability with Navy construction plans, status, and priorities. Its agenda covers U.S. naval and maritime policy; Navy priorities for SDF investments in the MIB/SIB; the state of the public shipyards; the Ford Class Aircraft Carrier Program; shipyard procurement needs; and AUKUS. A lunch presentation is titled “Global Risk Assessment.”

OMA's Manufacturing Day at the Capitol brings industry leaders from across Oklahoma together for face-to-face conversations with legislators and state officials. Discussion topics include workforce challenges, supply chain needs, and long-term investment. Participants meet directly with policymakers, build relationships, and share real-world insight on what it takes to grow and compete in Oklahoma; lawmakers hear how their decisions affect companies on the ground.

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.

The dialogue covers government updates on matters affecting U.S.-Japan defense industry cooperation, including the two new administrations and key players; joint U.S.-Japan DICAS and U.S.-led multilateral PIPIR activities; Industry Base Policy; and U.S.-Japan defense cooperation. The event is closed to press/media.