Meeting Notices - National Online Forum

National Online Forum webinar on Wednesday, May 21, 2025

The current landscape of research and development (R&D) faces significant challenges, including information overload and inefficient processes. This is particularly evident in the “Valley of Death,” where many innovations struggle to transition from the lab to the market. However, these challenges also present opportunities for transformation through artificial intelligence (AI). According to McKinsey research, generative AI could create between $2.6 trillion and $4.4 trillion in value, with “Product R&D” and “Software Engineering for Product Development” being the areas with the most significant potential impact.

Please join us on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 8:00-9:00 am Pacific Time, when Has Patel, President, Infologic, Inc. will introduce a framework for R&D process management designed to bridge the “Valley of Death” in defense R&D. By integrating federally developed Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) and Manufacturing Readiness Levels (MRLs) with Multimodal Innovation and Value Creation Matrices, this framework aligns with the Department of Defense’s 2023 National Defense Science and Technology Strategy.

The webinar is free for members and $25 for non-members. For more information and to register to attend the meeting go to https://adfnofmay25.eventbrite.com

Information about joining The A&D Forum is at https://aerospacedefenseforum.org

National Online Forum webinar on Wednesday, November 13, 2024

Please join us on Wednesday, November 13, 2024, 8:00-9:00 am Pacific Time, when Justin Cadman, Partner, Quilty Space, and a longtime investment banker and financier to the space industry, provides a finger on the pulse of deal dynamics across the space sector.

Acquirer and investor interest in the space industry has lunged forward over the last decade as technological advancements, shifting economics including lower-cost access to space, and the growing criticality of space as a warfighting domain have made space-based capabilities more important than ever before.

In 2021, investor space mania reached its pinnacle, and while deal volumes have receded in the last three years since those heady times, overall interest remains strong.

The session will examine the current transaction landscape, themes that will drive the next phase of space deal activity, and factors that drive success for acquirers, investors, and potential targets alike in today’s dynamic space industry. Attendees will benefit from a practitioner’s view of how to navigate the changing space landscape as they consider inorganic growth strategies, financing alternatives, and potential exits.

The webinar is free for members and $25 for non-members. For more information and to register to attend the meeting go to https://adfnofnov24.eventbrite.com

Information about joining The A&D Forum is at https://aerospacedefenseforum.org

National Online Forum webinar on Wednesday, September 11, 2024

Please join us on Wednesday, September 11, 2024, 8:00-9:00 am Pacific Time, when David Conrad, Vice President, Business Development, PTI Technologies will give us his annual first-hand account from someone who attended the Farnborough Airshow 2024. Learn about some of the major challenges and changes happening in the aerospace industry. Bring your questions and concerns for a lively discussion of the future direction of aviation and the aerospace industry.

The webinar is free for members and $25 for non-members. For more information and to register to attend the meeting go to https://adfnofsep24.eventbrite.com

Information about joining The A&D Forum is at https://aerospacedefenseforum.org

National Online Forum webinar on Wednesday, August 21, 2024

Please join us on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, 8:00-9:00 am Pacific Time, when Eric Schrock, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, Director of Technology (Retired) will briefly review a history of the Skunk Works, highlighting common threads that made historical Skunk Works projects outstanding engineering achievements.

Afterward, an examination of those key threads and Kelly Johnson’s 14 Operating Rules will highlight essentials for Skunk Works-like projects, followed by a discussion on innovation and how it is applied across the product life cycle. Finally, threats to innovation within the business are discussed, followed by a concise set of lessons learned from a career in the Skunk Works. Attendees will leave the presentation with a fresh perspective on innovation organizations in their own business, and how Skunk Works principles can be applied to them in order to improve their competitiveness.

The webinar is free for members and $25 for non-members. For more information and to register to attend the meeting go to https://adfnofaug24.eventbrite.com

Information about joining The A&D Forum is at https://aerospacedefenseforum.org

National Online Forum webinar on Wednesday, June 19, 2024

Please join us on Wednesday, June 19, 2024, 8:00-9:00 am Pacific Time, when Zach Ledner, Director of Partnerships, Voxel AI will present how manufacturers are leveraging AI to improve, to enhance their safety programs and safety culture. Uncover current safety technology trends and their limitations while learning about seemingly futuristic technologies that are becoming more prevalent in manufacturing businesses across the globe.

While many technologies such as robotics and computer vision offer the promise of increased efficiency and productivity, the positive safety impact of these technologies should not be underestimated as it can further justify the return on investment all while ensuring that employees are returning home from work in the same manner in which they arrived.

The webinar is free for members and $25 for non-members. For more information and to register to attend the meeting go to https://adfnofjun24.eventbrite.com

Information about joining The A&D Forum is at https://aerospacedefenseforum.org

National Online Forum webinar on Wednesday, May 15, 2024

The United States is moving rapidly to restore strategic defense related manufacturing within North America. Initiatives such as the CHIPS and Science Act and Build Submarines show this work in action. This work to reestablish manufacturing coincides with the arrival of Artificial Intelligence as a viable business tool. New manufacturing processes and methods need to include Automation, Analytics and Artificial Intelligence – the “Three A’s”.

Many companies have IT departments that focus on Infrastructure and purchase software as a service through cloud-based suppliers. As such, the integration of advanced analytics and AI is daunting, and yet something we are told must be in our roadmap.

Please join us on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, 8:00-9:00 am Pacific Time, when Richard L. (Rick) Koski, Vice President of Enterprise Systems, BACS Consulting Group, will discuss the basic mechanisms of the Three A’s and provide practical advice on how to enable low risk integration of these capabilities into business.

The webinar is free for members and $25 for non-members. For more information and to register to attend the meeting go to https://adfnofmay24.eventbrite.com

Information about joining The A&D Forum is at https://aerospacedefenseforum.org

National Online Forum webinar on Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Please join us on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, 8:00-9:00 am Pacific Time, when Richard Aboulafia, Managing Director, AeroDynamic Advisory, will give us a look at how aero markets are performing in a time of high demand, high global volatility, and serious continued production problems.

The webinar is free for members and $25 for non-members.  For more information and to register to attend the meeting go to https://adfnofapr24.eventbrite.com

Information about joining The A&D Forum is at https://aerospacedefenseforum.org

National Online Forum webinar on Wednesday, February 21, 2024

From launching the very first U.S. satellite in 1958 to landing rovers on Mars, from fighting climate change to discovering thousands of other worlds, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory dares mighty things by imagining and then achieving what others might think impossible.

With a full manifest of missions, JPL seeks to have an expanded positive impact on the space ecosystem for decades to come.

Please join us on Wednesday, November 15, 2023, 8:00-9:00 am Pacific Time, when Dr. Laurie Leshin, Director, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, will delve into JPL’s rich legacy and its present-day identity, showcasing how innovation is embedded in JPL’s DNA, and explore the benefits of advancing science and technology for the benefit of humanity.

The webinar is free for members and $25 for non-members. For more information and to register to attend the meeting go to https://adfnoffeb24.eventbrite.com.

Information about joining The A&D Forum is at https://aerospacedefenseforum.org.