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What is Apex Defense?
Apex Defense is a dynamic defense technology event that unites warfighters, acquisition professionals, startups, small and medium businesses, investors and industry leaders to tackle operational challenges from the seabed to space.
The mission is to accelerate the delivery of high-impact, mission-critical solutions to U.S. warfighters and allied forces, addressing urgent needs with near-term solutions.
To do this, Apex Defense puts the requirements of the warfighter at the spine of the program, within an environment that’s built for collaboration and action-orientated dialogue.
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2026 Mission Sets
SUSTAINING FORCES IN A CONTESTED AND DISPERSED THEATRE OF OPERATIONS
ADVANCING INTEROPERABILITY AND INTEGRATION OF AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS FOR MULTI-DOMAIN OPERATIONS
DETECTING, IDENTIFYING AND DEFEATING LOW-COST, RAPIDLY PROLIFERATING UXS THREATS TO INFRASTRUCTURE, PERSONNEL AND MANOEUVRE FORCE
GAINING AN EDGE AND WINNING AUTONOMOUS WARFARE
GENERATING COMBAT POWER INSIDE THE ENEMY'S WEAPONS ENGAGEMENT ZONE
COUNTERING AGAINST NEXT-GEN UNDERSEA THREATS AND PROTECTING CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
FIGHTING IN A CONTESTED EMS AND RETAINING ACCESS TO SPACE-BASED CAPABILITIES
PROTECTING DEPLOYED FORCES AND HOMELANDS FROM ADVANCED AIR AND MISSILE THREATS
2026 CONTRIBUTORS INCLUDED
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Doug Jones
Zach Peterson
Michael Frank
Captain Jerry Daley
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Colonel Ken Bernier
Boaz Mamo
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John Huddleston
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Morgan Hitzig
Arthur Dubois
Vice Admiral Michael Vernazza
Dr Bob Seely MBE
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David Zagaynov
Colonel Scott Shaffer
Woody Glier
Matt Willis
Matthew Day
Mike Shortsleeve
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Artem Sherbinin
Rylan Hamilton
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Tim O'Connor
APEX CONVERSATIONS
Keep updated across a broad range of challenges attached to defense innovation.
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Key Takeaways from Apex Defense 2026
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Apex Defense: US seeks tactical wargaming system
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Apex Defense: US counter-drone marketplace to reach FOC this year
Apex Defense: US Navy lays out new naval warfighting plan
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In Conversation with CSIS’ Dr. Seth Jones
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In Conversation with Cassi CEO Dr. Keith Dear
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In Conversation with Dr. Jennifer McArdle, US Director of Helsing Inc
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Agile procurement front and center as U.S. observes lessons from Ukraine
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In conversation with Anduril's Keith Flynn and Dr Zack Mears on its innovative new Arsenal I facility
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In conversation with Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar on his vision for the US Defence industrial base
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In conversation with Gregory Allen and Douglas Berenson on the isolation of the defense industrial base
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In conversation with Dr Alexander Miller on the future of scalable technology acquisition
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A New War Mindset: The Future of Western Defense Innovation
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In conversation with Ret. Adm. Sir George Zambellas on a 'Darwinian' approach to defence innovation
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In conversation with Raj Shah and Dr. Chris Kirchhoff, on their new book 'Unit X'
In conversation with Dan Fata and Miles Taylor on the new DC technology hub
In conversation with Air Commodore Blythe Crawford on agile innovation and the Ukraine conflict
In conversation with DIU’s Aditi Kumar on innovation, acquisition and organisational change
In conversation with USAF Ret. General David Goldfein
THE APEX EVENT SERIES
Apex Europe forms part of a dynamic technology event series that puts near-term operational needs at the heart of the programme and exhibition; held in parallel with Apex Defense.
Organised by Clarion Defence & Security, renowned for international military and industry events such as DSEI UK, DSEI Germany and DSEI Japan.
We are delighted to bring the Apex event series to London in October 2026, delivering a high-energy, operator-driven environment, focusing sharply on European and NATO operational priorities and the integration of near-term, deployable solutions.
Apex Europe unites operational leaders, acquisition executives, startups, scale-ups, investors, and key industry to problem solve operational challenges which address the pacing threats facing European and Allied Commands.
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