TODAY’S FOCUS:  11th annual Defense Summit set for Dec. 5-8 in North Charleston

By Heather Walker, special to Charleston Currents  |  Cyber-attacks are on the rise. The most recent cyber-attack impacted 143 million American’s personal information. There is no better time for industry leaders to convene to discuss hot topics involving cyber security, cyber intelligence, and cyber warfare at the CDCA Defense Summit one of the largest in the Southeast.

Walker

Most people don’t know that aside from Charleston’s idyllic beaches and laid back lifestyle, there is a burgeoning, defense tech community. The 2017 economic report for South Carolina states that defense contributes more than $24.1 billion to the annual budget. The dramatic growth of this community involves some of the most innovative offerings surrounding the defense industry.

In December, 1,500 industry leaders will descend upon Charleston to have a meeting of the minds to discuss the state of the defense, defense contracting, and technology innovation industry. In its 11^th year, the event has grown by leaps and bounds in the last two years—nearly doubling in size.

This year, the organization is bringing in even more heavy-hitters, including Peter Singer. Singer is not only the acclaimed author of GhostFleet, but is also a strategist and Senior Fellow at the New America Foundation. He’s been named by Defense News as one of the 100 most influential people in defense issues. Onalytica social media data named him as one of the ten most influential voices in the world on cybersecurity.

“Innovation in technology doesn’t just increase our preparedness.  It is a critical part of our nation’s defense planning,” says Singer. “It is an honor to be part of a forum designed to discuss best practices and create strategies to improve our defense and cybersecurity capabilities. The information sharing that comes from bringing together government agencies and defense business partners is vital for our future.”

The Charleston Defense Contractors Association (CDCA)is a non-profit advocacy group focused on the growth of defense and technology-related industries in Charleston and surrounding areas. The organization is dedicated to bringing more jobs focused on defense to the industry, which it does by partnering with member companies to ensure acquisition and innovation moves beyond bureaucracy.  Bringing brilliant minds, like Peter, together with today’s leaders in cyber warfare like SPAWAR Atlantic, PhishLabs and more, ensures real deals are done and talk isn’t the only focus of the day. The 2017 CDCA Summit theme, “Powered by Technology, Energized by Community,” is intentionally designed to create an environment of collaboration while continuing to position South Carolina as a burgeoning major military and defense technology hub – affectionately called “Silicon Harbor.” Here is an early list of participants:

• Keynote speaker—21^st-century warfare specialist Peter W. Singerand author of multiple award-winning books. His recent debut novel Ghost Fleet melds together nonfiction and fiction about the future of Tech and the Next World War.
• Thought leaders—This year’s Summit speakers include a roster of government and industry leaders, including Rear Admiral Christian Becker, Commander Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command; Rear Admiral Carl P. Chebi, Program Executive Officer for Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence;  Ruth Youngs Lew, SES, Program Executive Officer for Enterprise Information Systems; Dan Craytor, Chief Technology Officer, US Public Sector Services, Microsoft; Thomas A. Baer, Principal Cyber Security Strategist for Bear Cyber Technologies; Nigel LeBlanc, Founder/CEO, Cyber Warrior Network; Joseph Opacki, VP of threat research, analysis and intelligence, PhishLabs; and Captain Geno Paluso, Citadel Commandant of Cadets.
• Sponsors—Market-leading sponsors include: Accelera, Accenture, Amazon Web Services, BCF Solutions, Booz Allen Hamilton, Brocade, CACI, CDW-G, Chugach Government Solutions, COLSA, Consortium Management Group, CSRA, General Dynamics Mission Systems, GRSi, AMSEC, iGov, Interclypse, KBRwyle, Leidos, M2 Technology, Main Sail, ManTech International Corporation, McAfee, Mercom, Modus 21, NETSCOUT, Network Runners, NOVA Power Solutions, Nutanix, Parsons, PwC, Life Cycle Engineering, Point Rock Solutions, Professional Solutions Delivered, Red Seal, Rollout Systems, Scientific Research Corporation, Sentar, Strategic Operational Solutions, Symantec, UEC Electronics, ViON Corporation, VMware, and Walker and Associates.

Conference attendees also discuss how to bring cutting-edge solutions to evolving defense mission needs, particularly in the areas of cybersecurity, communications, and electronic and information warfare.

• Learn more or register at http://summit.charlestondca.org/.

The CDCA focuses heavily on encouraging and supporting STEM and robotics programs. The organization’s annual Mobile App competition recently opened for participation. Past winners have received job offers, scholarships and cash awards.

The winners of this year’s 7^th Annual Student Mobile App Competition—open to middle school to college graduates throughout the Southeast—are announced during the Summit. Participating students receive exposure to future employers, scholarships and $10K in prizes. (Online Letters of Intent to participate in the contest are accepted now through Oct. 27, 2017. Submissions are due by Nov. 15, 2017.)

The winners of the 2^nd Annual Marine Corps Mobile App Challenge are also announced during the Summit.

Heather Walker is vice president of the Charleston Defense Contractors Association.

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