Confronting the Threat of UAS from
the Homeland to the Battlefield
August 19 - 20, 2025 | The Westin Arlington, VA

Name: Counter UAS Summit
Start: 2025-08-19
End: 2025-08-20

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Strategic Insights, Tactical Solutions: Exchange Ideas and Expertise at the Forefront of Counter-UAS Efforts

The seventh annual IDGA Counter-UAS Summit provides a forum comprised of key decision-makers and senior military leaders for discussions on ways to collaboratively combat the threat of UAS to the United States military and civilians. At this year's event we will be in Washington DC August 19th and 20th, 2025. Across two days of learning and collaboration we will engage our audience with high level discussions surrounding kinetic and non-kinetic approaches for countering drones, including exploring case studies on specific incidents, insights into the latest innovative CUAS technologies, the impact of shifting legal authorities, and much more.

This event is for anyone who wants to gain an advanced understanding of the evolving UAS threat and C-UAS technologies and work towards appropriate solutions for their own unique issues. Covering both the civilian and military threat, this event is for individuals who are looking to build vital connections and work collaboratively with the wide range of senior and experienced personnel attending from government administrations, the military, and the industry. This summit strives to be beneficial for solution providers, as well as attendees from the military and federal administrations alike.

IDGA’s Counter-UAS Summit will provide you the unique opportunity to network, connect, and learn from the most influential thought leaders and practitioners, all tirelessly dedicated to mitigating this multi-domain challenge.

Whether you're from law enforcement, defense, or tech, this conference is your opportunity to stay ahead of evolving threats, network with top experts, and drive innovation in securing our skies. Don’t miss out on shaping the future of drone security.

Download the 2024 Agenda

Our 2024 Expert Speaker Faculty Included:

David Shank

Former Commandant, U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery School

US Army

The Honorable Dr. Douglas Schmidt

Director, Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E), The Office of the Director

Department of Defense

G.B. Jones

Chief Safety and Security Officer

FIFA World Cup 2026

Scott Parker

Branch Chief, Advanced Threats Security, Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)

Department of Homeland Security

Kevin M. Jinks

Senior Counsel, Office of Legal Policy

Department of Justice

David Letters

Air Domain Policy Advisor

Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD)

Kirklin Williams

Test and Evaluation Lead, Directed Energy Prototype Office, Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technology Office

US Army

Queron Thompson

Manager, UAS Program Design and Analytics Division

FAA

Jarred D. Pennington

Branch Chief, Unmanned Systems Security Branch, Federal Protective Service

Department of Homeland Security

Steven Willoughby

Deputy Director, C-UAS PMO

Department of Homeland Security

Kevin Gearhart

Chief, Office of Security Technology

Federal Bureau of Prisons

Chappell Ray

Deputy Capability Area Lead, Air & Missile Defense (A), DEVCOM Aviation and Missile Center

US Army

DJ Smith

Technical Surveillance Agent, High Tech Crimes Division, Bureau Of Criminal Investigations

Virginia State Police

Corey Hinderstein

Principal Deputy Administrator

National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of Energy

Major Forrest Craven

Counter-UAS Branch Chief, 9th Air Force

United States Air Forces Central (AFCENT)

Craig Doheny

Acquisition Program Manager, Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Customs and Border Protection

Ryan Berry

Senior Advisor for Aviation Security (detail, liaison from FAA), UAS Security Branch, Office of Security Programs, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)

Department of Homeland Security

Theodore Reddinger

C-UAS Program, System Integration and Monitoring (DS/SSI/SIM), Diplomatic Security Service

Department of State

Special Agent James Peaco

Weapons of Mass Destruction Coordinator

Federal Bureau of Investigation Los Angeles

Sergeant Adam Wright

Emergency Operations Bureau

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

Jennifer Smith , M.Ed

Deputy Director

Joint Counter-small Unmanned Systems University, US Army

Dr. Cynthia Patterson

Chief of Academics

Joint C-sUAS University, US Army

Amir Edwards

Special Operations Divison Commander

Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority

Mitchell Roberts

C-UAS Engineer, Support Contractor, National Urban Security Technology Laborator

Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate

Jonathan Herman

124n/2661 C-UAS Program Manager, AJR-262

FAA ATO

Leo McCloskey

Vice President, Marketing

Echodyne Corp.

Grant Jordan

Chief Executive Officer

SkySafe

Glenn McArthur

Business Development Manager

D-Fend Solutions

Bob Moll

Business Development Manager

Robin Radar Systems

Kristian Brost

General Manager, North America

Robin Radar Systems

Dane Pigott

Chief Executive Officer

Kinard Technologies

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What's New for 2025?

This year’s conference emphasizes the growing use of drones in conflict zones like Ukraine and Israel, highlighting new challenges and adaptive countermeasures.

The conference includes detailed case studies from recent conflicts, offering lessons learned on how C-UAS systems were used in the field.

The event highlights the role of C-UAS in multi-domain operations, showing how these systems protect across air, land, sea, and cyber environments.

This year’s event includes a wider range of industry leaders and tech developers, demonstrating advanced C-UAS solutions and next-generation technologies.

The conference features stronger collaboration between government agencies and military branches, sharing updates on the latest C-UAS policies and defense strategies.

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What did you miss last year?

Check out the 2024 Post Show Report and see why you should join us this August. View the report to:

Meet the Chairman
View our 2024 sponsors
Explore key survey reports
Hear why attendees find this format so valuable
See who attended
Check out daily summaries

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2024 Focus Areas Included:

US Army Updates & Current Lines of Effort

Acquisition and Procurement Strategies and Priorities

Critical National Infrastructure Protection

CUAS for Large Public Gatherings

Updates on the Legal and Policy Landscape

Bolstering Technical and Operational Interoperability

Securing Sensitive Environments

download the 2024 agenda

Attendee Testimonials

Off the charts valuable. Specifically in networking. Accomplishing the recommendations of the Domestic C-sUAS National Action Plan requires dialogue from agencies that often are not usually in the same room. This event allows for thoughts and ideas to be shared which then are brought to disparate locations and socialized. Sometimes that process can assist in speeding up the bureaucracy that stymies innovation.

Smoothest event I’ve attended. Very well planned and executed. The (IDGA) team was highly professional, on point, and amazing.

In all honesty I wouldn't be able to express how valuable this knowledge and information is and would also not want to put a price on it. I am from a UAS operator background and having a good understanding of the CUAS issues and also capabilities helps me to inform other from both a CUAS and Counter CUAS perspective.

The event was highly valuable as it exposed me to the breadth of the C-UAS mission, as well as the challenges, gaps and opportunities associated with this mission. I also enjoyed the fact that the presenters are highly dedicated professionals, who care deeply and want to make a positive difference in protecting the homeland.

The CUAS Summit does a great job convening the right people to make sure conversations are meaningful to each of the attendees.

This was an excellent overview of the state of the art in UAS detection and defense. A great mix of US industry, Civic, and Military participants with the common goal of achieving safer skies and public events.