LEXINGTON PARK, Md. — On Thursday, June 18, 2026, an audience of more than 150 attended the TPP Drone Symposium: Evolving Warfare: Rise of the Drones! It took place at the SMART Building, USMSM, with dynamic panels and speakers, including VADM Jeffrey Hughes, former deputy chief of staff capability development, Headquarters, Supreme Allied Command Transformation, and a host of subject matter experts.
Ms. Bonnie Green, TPP executive director, welcomed everyone and discussed the importance of the Drone Symposium amid evolving guidance, restrictions and fast-changing scenarios, and the importance of emerging drone and autonomous technologies to the Navy, Joint and Coalition operations.
RADM Scott Sanders, USNR (Ret.), served as moderator and provided a perspective on the topics. Sanders was also an important source of contact and topics in organizing the symposium.
The first speaker, VADM Jeffrey Hughes, USN (Ret.), did an excellent job covering the investment in cost-effective innovation and tailored offsets, including supply chain resilience, force resilience, maritime operations centers, decision advantage and autonomous systems.
The “Drone Hedge Strategy” panel, moderated by Sevan Mehrabian, Deloitte – Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) and National Security, discussed the implications of the Navy’s Hedge strategy, tailoring scalable, rapidly deployable, cost-effective autonomous systems for counter-drone options that deliver combat-ready solutions. Larry Branthoover, NAVAIR Chief Technology Office, PAE Munition/DPAE(A) MNC3 Science and Technology; Lt. Col. Matt Friters, U.S. Army (Ret.), former director of Technology Strategy & Transformation, U.S. Space Force; Lt. Col. Gregg Skinner, USMC (Ret.), PMA 263 PAE RAS; and RADM Douglas W. Sasse III, director, Assessment Division, N81, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, were the expert panelists.
The Honorable Christopher C. Miller, founder and CEO, FPF-Defense, a startup focused on countering drones, shared his perspective. A public servant for 34 years in the Army and national security apparatus of the United States, Chris’ service culminated as the acting secretary of defense in 2020-21, overseeing the military’s $720 billion budget and leading its two million service members and 700,000 civilian employees.
The afternoon session opened with a UAS Show & Tell. This format gave each participating company six to eight minutes for an overview of their drone operations. Presentations were made by local companies Platform Aerospace and OAG, along with LeVanta Tech and Chase Defense Partners.
Air Vice Marshall Chris Mullen, British Embassy military attaché, gave insight into the British cooperation with U.S. forces and their combined effort in Europe and Ukraine. Mullen then joined the next panel, Allies and Partnerships, moderated by Mr. Christopher C. Collins, former executive director, Developmental Test, Evaluation & Assessments (OUSW(R&E)); Dr. Dale Quinn, counselor, Defense Science and Technology at the Embassy of Australia in Washington, D.C.; and VADM Jeffrey Hughes.
The focus then shifted to Counter UAS Technology, with panel moderator Robert “Juice” Newton, Newton Engineering, and panelists LTC Paul Lushenko, Ph.D., chief strategist, Joint Interagency Task Force, U.S. Army; CDR Josh Wofford, U.S. Coast Guard – Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS); Mark Butkiewicz, vice president, Applied Technology Sector, SURVICE Engineering; and Ryan McBeth, OSINT analyst.
RADM Scott Sanders, USNR (Ret.), closed out the symposium, which was followed by a reception at AeroPark.
Drone Symposium sponsors were:
- KBR
- MIL Corp
- Platform Aerospace
- Chase Defense Partners
About The Patuxent Partnership
The Patuxent Partnership is a nonprofit organization that works with government, industry and academia. It is engaged in activities from advancing science and technology to growing the STEM pipeline in Southern Maryland. The organization supports economic development and enhances the quality of life. Its programs, forums and networking foster the exchange of ideas, information and data related to technologies and support workforce development through an array of initiatives.