DoD Unmanned Systems Summit

“Improving the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Current and Near Term Systems”

March 25 -26, 2014  

Mary M. Gates Learning Center, Alexandria, VA

DSI’s DoD Unmanned Systems Summit is designed as an educational and training “Town Hall” forum, where thought leaders and key policy-makers across military and civilian organizations can come together for actionable discussions and debate. The Summit will offer a full spectrum viewpoint towards air/land/sea systems.

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Why should you attend the Summit?

 

2014 Summit Speakers Include:

  • Mr. Earl Wyatt, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Rapid Fielding (RF),  OSD (AT&L) discussing rapid fielding’s future lines of operations and multi-domain technologies and concepts to satisfy DoD, Joint-Service and COCOM priorities
  • Mr. Dyke Weatherington, Director, UW & ISR,  Strategic and Tactical Systems, USD (AT&L), who will address the  DoD budgetary environment and planning for the future, and current unmanned programs, along with a discussion of the UAS TF and the recently released Unmanned Systems Integrated Roadmap
  • RDML Mathias Winter, USN, PEO, Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons(PEO(U&W)) providing a discussion on PEO U&W priorities towards advancing the effectiveness and efficiency of current and near term systems
  • CAPT David Honabach, USN, Unmanned Maritime Systems, PMS 406 Major Acquisition PM  speaking on the challenges and risks identified with autonomy for current USV and UUV platforms, moving towards Open Architecture (OA) in unmanned systems, multi-systems collaborative challenges, and a status report of LDUUV
  • Mr. Stuart Timerman, SES, DSO, DISA  on spectrum management for ISR
  • LTC Stuart Hatfield, USA, Soldier Team Chief FDD, Army G-8  speaking on reducing  capability redundancies while gaining  efficiencies with UGVs
  • LtCol James Hamill, USMC, UAS Requirements Officer, HQMC, CD&I addressing unmanned aerial system integration into the Marine Corps
  • Mr. Scott Littlefield, PM, DARPA, on HYDRA and ACTUV programs along with a perspective towards developmental path with modular payloads for Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) and Mine Counter-Measures (MCM)
  • Dr. Brett Piekarski, Chief, Micro & Nano Materials & Devices Branch, ARL speaking on the Army’s current R&D efforts with the MAST (Micro Autonomous Systems and Technology) alliance
  • Download agenda for other confirmed sessions

 

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BACKGROUND:

  •  The focus of  U.S. military Services  in times of budget constraints and shifting theaters of operation is on operational efficiency. Unmanned systems can no longer assume just one role or function. Systems will need to be able to carry out a broader range of surveillance missions, demonstrating interoperability with other platforms.
  • Next-generation systems will need to prove they have a systems architecture that can rapidly integrate a wide range of capabilities. Open architectures and a SOA approach towards the evolution of unmanned Common Control Systems is already at the forefront.
  • Advanced UAV sensor payloads are acquiring a wealth of data but bandwidth is often limited. High performance onboard data processing will need to be improved upon to increase the efficiency of data being streamed off of a platform, while taking into account SWaP especially on smaller UAVs.
  • Autonomous activity continues to make advancements. But it  is “ not about making widgets…It is [about]making existing/future systems more self-governing.”  DoD 8 November 2012Autonomy Priority Steering Council Brief.
  • Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) options are of increasing interest, especially those that allow integration among unrelated unmanned systems from different manufacturers into a single system: requirements moving forward will focus on common architectures and a SOA approach.

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Key areas this symposium will address:

 

  •  Interoperability, Modularity, and Commonality

  •  Manned – Unmanned teaming with improved persistence, protection, endurance, and autonomy

  •  Advancing  networked underwater surveillance system

  • UAVs in a Network Centric Environment (Agile UAV NCE)

  •  Beyond-line-of-sight capability

  •  Autonomy

  •  Weaponization

  • Supporting Technologies: Sensors & Radars

  • Spectrum

A few key overarching questions for consideration include:

1. With ever tightening budget constraints AND oversight, how do we develop a truly joint and coordinated strategy?

2.  It took us many decades to develop a joint Warfighter doctrine and TTPs for humans, what does that look like for a battlefield  populated with unmanned systems?
a.) How will we achieve coordinated and automated command and control of multi-service, multi-function UAS?
b.) What is the mix of autonomy and human-in-the-loop control?
c.) How are we developing the modulation, simulation, and analysis tools to understand a complex battlefield populated with unmanned systems and ultimately develop a set of requirements?

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COMPLIANT:
The DoD Unmanned Systems & Robotics Summit is compliant with Department of Defense operating guidelines, and adheres to the most recent standards of the Office of General Council, Standards of Conduct Office:
*Currently, SOCO advisory 09-03: 7.(a)… purposes of jer 3-211 (a)(7) the Office of Government Ethics (OGE), OGE standards of ethical conduct for employees of the executive branch: currently 5 cfr part 2635 and 31 u.s.c. 1353 as it pertains to OGE standards
*Qualifies as training in compliance with 5 U.S.C. Chapter 41 and is compliant with The Office of Government Ethics, Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch: currently 5 CFR part 2635 and 31 U.S.C. 1353 as it pertains to OGE Standards.
*The DoD Unmanned Systems & Robotics Summit is open to all Federal employes and is considered a compliant education and training forum.

 

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At our Summit you will have the ability to:

  •  Gain Education & Insight:  Walk away with knowledge gained from our senior level speakers on some of the complex challenges facing the unmanned community today.
  • Build Partnership & Influence:  Help foster ideas. Share your own insight and knowledge during our interactive Town Hall sessions. All attendees are given the opportunity to address our speaker faculty with their questions or comments and will receive a pre-Summit questionnaire for precise questions and subject matters you would like our speakers to address.

 

 

Supporters

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Advisory Board

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DSI strives to provide the most up to date, mission relevant, topics and discussion points for our meetings. In order to assure that we are providing the best subject content possible, our Advisory Board Members have volunteered to share their respective insight and expertise with us. We are truly grateful to have their support and guidance as we strive to continually create truly effective meetings and events for all. Learn more about our Advisory Board Members.