FORT WAYNE – Today, Rep. Jim Banks (IN-03), hosted the second annual Northeast Indiana Defense Summit at Purdue University Fort Wayne to boost investment in Indiana’s growing defense industry by improving cooperation between defense manufacturers, defense innovators, higher education, and federal and state government.
Secretary of the U.S. Air Force Frank Kendall and House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party Chairman Mike Gallagher delivered the keynote addresses.
At the summit, Anduril Industry founder Palmer Luckey announced his firm’s acquisition of Adranos, a solid rocket motor manufacturer founded at Purdue that operates a fuel production facility in Indiana.
“Our inaugural defense summit last year was a big hit,” said Rep. Banks. “I was worried about topping it, but this year’s amazing guests pulled it off. I’d like to thank Secretary Kendall, Chairman Gallagher, Dr. Chiang, and the many national defense industry innovators and regional leaders here for making today’s event a resounding success.
As our nation continues to respond to the China threat, Indiana is perfectly positioned to expand its defense industry footprint and make even larger contributions to our national security. Today’s summit will help speed up that process.”
Summit Agenda:
I. Welcome:
- Rep. Jim Banks (IN-03)
- Dr. Mung Chiang, Purdue University President
II. Northeast Indiana’s Defense Footprint:
- Moderator—Rep. Jim Banks (IN-03)
- Derek Fahrer, BAE Systems
- Rob Mitrevski, L3Harris Technologies
- Todd Hack, General Dynamics Mission Systems
- Jeff Polhamus, Raytheon Technologies
III. Silicon Valley and Defense Innovation:
- Moderator—James Cross, Silicon Valley Defense Group
- Shey Sabripour, Founder and CEO, Cesium Astro
- Delian Asparouhov, Co-Founder, Varda Space Industries
IV. If You Want Peace, Wage Cold War:
- Rep. Mike Gallagher (WI-06), Chairman of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party
V. Secretary of the Air Force Speech & Discussion:
- Moderator: Rep. Jim Banks (IN-03)
- The Honorable Frank Kendall III, Secretary of the United States Air Force
VI. Innovation in Warfare:
- Moderator: Gerry Dick, President and Managing Editor, Inside INdiana Business
- Palmer Luckey, Founder, Anduril Industries
