CDAO Defense and Security 2026 will bring defense, intelligence, and technology leaders to Washington, D.C. on September 22 and 23 to examine how artificial intelligence, advanced analytics, autonomous systems, and resilient data architectures are reshaping modern defense operations. The two day conference, organized by Corinium Global Intelligence, centers on a single question facing the Joint Force: how to turn AI experimentation into real decision advantage.
Key Highlights
- CDAO Defense and Security 2026 takes place September 22 and 23 in Washington, D.C.
- Confirmed speakers come from the U.S. Joint Staff, U.S. Cyber Command, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Space Force, Defense Logistics Agency, DARPA, and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency
- The agenda covers CJADC2, human machine teaming, cyber resilience, and the defense industrial base
- The event is held alongside Corinium’s CDAO Government conference in the same city and week
- Registration is open at the official CDAO Defense and Security site
Moving Past Experimentation
At a time of intensifying strategic competition, defense organizations are under pressure to move beyond pilot programs and scale AI enabled capabilities across intelligence, operations, cyber, logistics, and autonomous systems. CDAO Defense and Security 2026 is built as a forum for senior leaders to examine the policy, technology, partnership, and workforce decisions that determine whether that scaling actually happens.
Governments outside the United States are racing on a parallel track. The billion dollar bet on quantum computing defense already underway in Washington reflects how seriously federal agencies now treat next generation compute and AI as national security infrastructure rather than back office tooling, a framing that runs through much of the CDAO Defense and Security agenda.
Building the Digital Foundations of the Joint Force
Sessions will focus on how the Joint Force can connect sensors, platforms, commanders, and operational systems through CJADC2, the Pentagon’s effort to build an integrated, multi domain battle network. Speakers will address the interoperability, cybersecurity, and trust challenges that come with linking previously siloed systems, along with the practical question of transitioning emerging technologies from research labs into mission ready capability.
Human machine teaming is a recurring theme. As autonomous systems take on a larger share of intelligence, surveillance, and logistics work, defense leaders are focused on establishing the trust frameworks that let operators rely on AI recommendations without ceding accountability. That tension between speed and oversight echoes debates playing out in civilian AI adoption, where organizations are working through similar questions about where automation ends and human judgment begins.
Cyber Resilience as a Core Requirement
Protecting AI enabled digital infrastructure is treated as a first order priority rather than an afterthought. Sessions will examine how defense organizations are hardening networks against increasingly sophisticated threat actors while continuing to modernize. The scale of the challenge is not unique to government. Commercial security teams tracking state sponsored attack campaigns have documented the same pattern of adversaries targeting emerging technology stacks faster than defenders can secure them, underscoring why cyber resilience sits at the center of the CDAO Defense and Security agenda.
Who Is Speaking
The 2026 program features speakers from the U.S. Joint Staff, U.S. Cyber Command, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Space Force, the Defense Logistics Agency, DARPA, the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, AFWERX, and Station DC, alongside technology and innovation leaders supporting the future of defense capabilities.
CDAO Defense and Security 2026 will be held alongside Corinium’s CDAO Government conference, bringing defense and civilian government leaders into the same building to exchange insight on data strategy, artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, and mission driven innovation across the public sector.
Registration and Contact
CDAO Defense and Security 2026 takes place September 22 and 23, 2026, in Washington, D.C. The full agenda and registration details are available online. Press inquiries can be directed to inquiries@coriniumintel.com.
Press Release, Corinium Global Intelligence
