{"id":18885,"date":"2024-06-11T11:20:13","date_gmt":"2024-06-11T11:20:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.blueoceanglobaltech.com\/blog\/?p=18885"},"modified":"2024-09-27T11:29:20","modified_gmt":"2024-09-27T11:29:20","slug":"us-defense-leadership-forum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.blueoceanglobaltech.com\/blog\/us-defense-leadership-forum\/","title":{"rendered":"US Defense Leadership Forum"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row full_width=&#8221;stretch_row_content&#8221; el_id=&#8221;blogmain&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1670237436707{padding-right: 10% !important;}&#8221;][vc_column css_animation=&#8221;slideInLeft&#8221; width=&#8221;1\/3&#8243; el_id=&#8221;leftsection&#8221;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><a class=\"scrollTo\" href=\"#one\"> 2024 Air Force Contracting Summit<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><a class=\"scrollTo\" href=\"#two\">Day 1 Keynote Addresses and Highlights <\/a><\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><a class=\"scrollTo\" href=\"#three\">Day 2 Speakers and Activities<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><a class=\"scrollTo\" href=\"#four\">USDLF Future Events <\/a><\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text][\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243; el_id=&#8221;rightsection&#8221;][vc_row_inner el_id=&#8221;one&#8221;][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In its 11th consecutive year, the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usdlf.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">U.S. Defense Leadership Forum<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (USDLF) once again organized the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usdlf.org\/air-force-contracting-summit-24\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2024 Air Force Contracting Summit<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in Orlando, Florida, from February 22 to 23, 2024, as a commitment to advancing national defense interests and building collaboration within the government contracting community.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>2024 Air Force Contracting Summit<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_18891\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18891\" style=\"width: 612px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-18891\" src=\"https:\/\/www.blueoceanglobaltech.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/image-2-1.jpg\" alt=\"US Defense Leadership Forum\" width=\"612\" height=\"331\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.blueoceanglobaltech.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/image-2-1.jpg 1254w, https:\/\/www.blueoceanglobaltech.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/image-2-1-300x162.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.blueoceanglobaltech.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/image-2-1-1024x554.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.blueoceanglobaltech.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/image-2-1-768x415.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 612px) 100vw, 612px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-18891\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sameer shares perspective during his Digital Reputation in Government Contracting keynote. Photo Credit: US Defence Leadership Forum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This summit convenes diverse participants, including Air Force command &amp; base officials, subcontractors, contracting officers and experts, financing sources, and business leaders from across the nation who join in person and virtually to engage in the Air Force Contracting Summit. Over the years, USDLF\u2019s Summit organizers have successfully brought together more than 10,000 stakeholders, with over 1,000 speakers participating.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a leading organization dedicated to promoting dialogue and cooperation among stakeholders in the defense sector, the USDLF aims to address critical challenges facing national security while supporting the defense industry. Its goal is to organize esteemed educational forums and conferences that provide the latest information on the Department of Defense budgets and the mission and contracting priorities of the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Marine Corps. Additionally, USDLF focuses on specific military commands and bases, offering insights into new military contracts across various procurement areas, including ships, aircraft, tanks, missiles, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This year\u2019s Air Force Contracting Summit excels as one of the top national defense contracting events of 2024. This Summit provided attendees with the latest information on:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Air Force FY2024 Budget &#8211; Major Procurement Developments<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Air Force Mission &amp; Contracting Priorities for Special Operations, Aircraft, Air Warfare, Armaments, Avionics, Logistics, Facilities, Energy, Construction, Engineering, Technology, Cyber, Space, and more<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Latest on New Contracts from the Missile Defense Agency&#8217;s $10.9 Billion 2024 Budget<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Air Force &#8216;Base of the Future&#8217; and Energy Resilience Opportunities<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Air Force Command Mission &amp; Contracting Priorities<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Air Force and Department of Defense Contracting Priorities<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Multi-Year Contract Vehicles &#8211; Prime Contractor &amp; Small Business Tracks<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">New Contracting Opportunities with Foreign Military Sales (FMS)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">OTA&#8217;s and Other Innovation Acquisition Strategies and Programs<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">New Contracting Opportunities for Prime Defense Contractors &amp; Subcontractors<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">New Pentagon and Air Force Cyber Protection\/CMMC Strategies<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">U.S. Space Force Developments &amp; Contracting Priorities<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Teaming, Subcontracting &amp; Mentor Prot\u00e9g\u00e9 Opportunities<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Public and Private Financing Sources<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Small Business Resources<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Matchmaking Sessions featuring Government Agencies and Prime Contractors<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner el_id=&#8221;two&#8221;][vc_column_inner][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2>Day 1 Keynote Addresses and Highlights<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The two-day summit kicked off with engaging sessions led by esteemed speakers and experts in the field. Day one began with welcoming remarks from Summit Moderator Charles F. Sills, setting the stage for insightful discussions to follow. Attendees had the opportunity to hear Representative Rob Wittman (R-VA), Vice Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and Chairman of Tactical Air and Land Forces, deliver a congressional keynote address that provided valuable insights into current defense priorities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Throughout the day, attendees participated in sessions covering various topics, including Acceleration Innovation in Air Force Acquisitions, USSOCOM contracting, and Air Force cyber challenges. Moreover, keynote addresses at the Summit have showcased a range of best practices aligned with the USDLF\u2019s objectives.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kristiane Smith, Principal Sales Engineer at UNANET, shed light on <\/span><strong><i>F<\/i><i>orecasting (and Achieving) Growth in 2024<\/i><\/strong><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wesley J. Jefferies, Industry Liaison, OUSD (A&amp;S) Office of Industrial Base Policy, Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) Program, Innovation Capability and Modernization (ICAM) Office, U.S. Department of Defense discussed <\/span><strong><i>Defense Department \u2013 Defense Industrial Base (DIB) Policy<\/i><\/strong><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brian Liesveld, CEO of DEFENSEWERX, delved into <\/span><em><strong>Air Force \u2018Innovation Hub\u2019 Opportunities<\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dr. Rupak Doshi, CEO of OmniSync Incorporated, provided insights into <\/span><b><i>Streamlining Contracting &amp; the SBIR Process\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dr. David G. Smith, Director of the Air Force Production and Flight Test Facility, spoke about <\/span><b><i>Empowering the Military Industrial Base \u2013 The \u2018Why\u2019 Behind the Work\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Steven Truitt, the Principal Program Manager, Office of the CTO, Strategic Missions and Technologies at Microsoft, discussed the <\/span><b><i>Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Defense Acquisition\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Anna Wheeler, CISA Campaign Lead at Homeland and Force Protection, addressed <\/span><b><i>Air Force Cyber Challenges<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Debbie Goode, Partner atCarr, Riggs &amp; Ingram LLC, also gave her insights<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sameersomal.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sameer Somal<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, CFA, CFP, CAIA, CEO &amp; Co-Founder of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.blueoceanglobaltech.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Blue Ocean Global Technology<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &amp; Christie Jackson, Vice President, Regulation &amp; Compliance at <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/usfcr.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">USFCR<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> spoke on <\/span><b><i>Best Practices for Digital Reputation in Government Contracting,<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> where they offered invaluable insights focusing on actionable strategies on the System for Award Management (SAM) and the General Services Administration (GSA).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These sessions facilitated meaningful discussions and knowledge-sharing among attendees.\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner el_id=&#8221;three&#8221;][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2>Day 2 Speakers and Activities<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Day Two of the Summit continued the momentum with prime contractor briefings, Air Force Acquisition updates, and discussions centered around Accelerating Innovation Through Targeted Air Force Acquisitions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Industry experts also provided valuable insights during the event on a variety of topics, including:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b><i>\u201cIs CMMC For Me?\u201d <\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">addressed by Michael Dempsey, Managing Partner, at CISEVE \u2013 Gold Sponsor\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A comprehensive <\/span><b><i>GSA Brief on Air Force Contracting<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> delivered by Phil Lowther, DoD Account Executive\/National Account Manager, U.S. Air Force &amp; U.S. Space Force, Office of Customer and Stakeholder Engagement (CASE), Federal Acquisition Service, and the U.S. General Services Administration and Javier Piquero, a Senior National Account Manager, U.S. Air Force &amp; U.S. Space Force, Office of Customer and Stakeholder Engagement (CASE), Federal Acquisition Service, and U.S. General Services Administration<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Insights into <\/span><b><i>Space Defense Acquisition<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> provided by a panel consisting of David Hutchins, Senior Industry Analyst at Forecast International; Julia Barney, Director of Fundraising and Events, The Astronauts Memorial Foundation and The Center for Space Education; Laura DiBella, a Government Affairs Advisor, Adams and Reese LLP and Chair, for The Aerospace Alliance, and formerly President of Business Development, FloridaCommerce; and Alexandra Sanchez, the Economic Development Manager, Aviation &amp; Aerospace, Select Florida, and FloridaCommerce\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_18879\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18879\" style=\"width: 604px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-18879\" src=\"https:\/\/www.blueoceanglobaltech.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/image-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"604\" height=\"399\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.blueoceanglobaltech.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/image-3.jpg 985w, https:\/\/www.blueoceanglobaltech.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/image-3-300x198.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.blueoceanglobaltech.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/image-3-768x508.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 604px) 100vw, 604px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-18879\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sameer Somal; Christie Jackson, VP &#8211; Regulation &amp; Compliance, USFCR; William Loiry, Chairman USDLF; Eric Schrandt, Sr. Registration &amp; Contracting Specialist, USFCR share smiles at the chairman\u2019s executive reception.<br \/>Photo Credit: United States Defense Leadership Forum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner el_id=&#8221;four&#8221;][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2>USDLF Future Events<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Looking ahead, the USDLF announced upcoming events aimed at furthering its mission, including the American Small Business Contracting Summit in April 2024, the Navy Contracting Summit in June 2024, the Atlantic Defense Contracting Summit in July 2024, and the Pacific Defense Contracting Summit in October 2024.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe Air Force Contracting Summit serves as a critical platform where industry leaders, government officials, and experts converge to collaboratively address our nation&#8217;s defense priorities. Fostering such dialogue and knowledge sharing is paramount to cultivating unique and transparent relationships within the government contracting community. Through events like these, we are equipped to effectively navigate challenges, seize opportunities, and ultimately fulfill the needs of our nation with agility and innovation.&#8221; &#8211; William Loiry, Chairman of USDLF<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These events will continue to provide valuable opportunities for stakeholders to collaborate, share expertise, and address pressing issues in defense contracting and national security.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For more information about the US Defense Leadership Forum and upcoming events, please visit <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.usdlf.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">www.usdlf.org<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We are a team of global professionals committed to learning, excellence and helping our clients achieve optimal results. We appreciate your sense of urgency and value your most precious asset \u2013 reputation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18910,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,85,50,556],"tags":[510,509,336,508,511],"class_list":["post-18885","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-blogging","category-event-updates","category-public-relations","tag-2024-air-force-contracting-summit","tag-air-force-contracting-summit","tag-blue-ocean-global-technology","tag-us-defense-leadership-forum","tag-usdlf","entry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.blueoceanglobaltech.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18885","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.blueoceanglobaltech.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.blueoceanglobaltech.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.blueoceanglobaltech.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.blueoceanglobaltech.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18885"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.blueoceanglobaltech.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18885\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18892,"href":"https:\/\/www.blueoceanglobaltech.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18885\/revisions\/18892"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.blueoceanglobaltech.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18910"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.blueoceanglobaltech.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18885"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.blueoceanglobaltech.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18885"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.blueoceanglobaltech.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18885"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}