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Hello,
We look forward to seeing everyone on October 27-28, 2026 at Defense Investment Forum (DIF) '26.
In this week's newsletter we highlight some of the DIF '26 FlashtTalk presenters, speakers from the US Naval War College and Naval Undersea Warfare Center and say "thank you" to our newest sponsors: Bowhead Group, Feeney IP Law, and Axiotrop!
News of interest to the industry:
- "3 Louisiana Shipyards to Build 30 Drone Ships in $1.2B Navy MUSV Deal". Edison Chouest is one of 3 boat yards that will be building unmanned surface vessels for the US Navy. At DIF '26, we'll be hearing from John Griffin, VP of Defense Strategy, Edison Chouest Offshore, so we thought this article might be of interest. See below.
Upcoming Events:
Defense Investment Forum: October 28th, 2026, Wyndham Newport Hotel, Middletown, RI. Register today! (Registration and Room block information below)
Blue Innovation Symposium: March 8-10, 2027, Wyndham Newport Hotel, Middletown, RI (Registration opening soon)
We look forward to seeing you there!
In the meantime, if you have information to share with the bluetech community, please send it to: info@blueventureforum.org.
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Defense Investment Forum (DIF) '26
Register to attend, sponsor, or exhibit at the Defense Investment Forum today. Thank you to our current sponsors including Rhode Island Commerce Corporation, VR Industries, Structural Battery Company, D2 Inc., Poseidon's Forge, University of Rhode Island (URI), URI Ventures, Bowhead Group, Feeney IP Law, and Axiotrop. Thank you to Marine Technology Reporter (MTR) for joining us as this year's media sponsor!
Register to attend or sponsor here.
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FlashTalk Presenters
The following companies will be presenting at DIF '26
(More announced in next week's newsletter)
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James Homes, Professor, Naval War College
James Holmes holds the J. C. Wylie Chair of Maritime Strategy at the Naval War College and served on the faculty of the University of Georgia School of Public and International Affairs. A former U.S. Navy surface-warfare officer, he was the last gunnery officer in history to fire a battleship’s big guns in anger, during the first Gulf War in 1991. He earned the Naval War College Foundation Award in 1994, signifying the top graduate in his class. His books include Red Star over the Pacific, an Atlantic Monthly Best Book of 2010 and a fixture on the Navy Professional Reading List. General James Mattis deems him “troublesome.”
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Trevor Kelly-Bissonnette, Director, International Cooperation at NAVSEA Warfare Centers (NSWC/NUWC) (Ret.)
In here role at NAVSEA, she was responsible for the leadership and oversight of the warfare center's international and security assistant programs since 2020.
(Prior posts include a long tenure (30+ years) working national and international Test and Evaluation, including leadership of the NATO FORACS (Naval Forces Weapons and Accuracy Check Sites) Project with three test ranges in operation (Greece, Norway, and one affiliated in United States) and a project office located at NATO HQ, in Brussels.)
| | Speakers (previously announced) | | |
Commander David Brannighan, Royal Navy, British Defence Staff USA
| |  | Max Conway, General Partner, DYNE Ventures | | |
Defense Investment Forum
October 27-28, 2026
Thank you to our Exhibitors and Partners!
| | DIF '26 Official Media Sponsor | | |
Defense Investment Forum (DIF) Opening Event and Welcome Reception
2:00PM-6:30PM
October 27, 2026
University of Rhode Island Bay Campus
Included in your DIF Registration
Join us at URI's Bay campus for this special opening event for DIF '26.
Overlooking the West Passage of Narragansett Bay, the URI Bay Campus is home to URI’s highly acclaimed School of Ocean Engineering and the Graduate School of Oceanography providing multiple opportunities to partner with faculty and students. The newly opened 32,000-square foot Ocean Robotics Laboratory (ORL) is a shared facility designed to develop, test and deploy next-generation maritime technologies while the recently renovated Pier provides access for in-water field testing and validation.
The campus is also home to the Ocean Technology Center, a 10,000- square foot business incubator and entrepreneurship hub. Join us for a fireside chat, take a tour and wrap up the afternoon with a networking reception all while exploring ways to collaborate with the University of Rhode Island’s research and innovation community—from research partnerships and technology licensing to access to specialized facilities.
Defense Investment Forum (DIF) '26
8:00AM-6:30PM
October 28, 2026
Wyndham Newport Hotel, Middletown, RI
(Room Block Info Here)
Registration to attend or exhibit is now open!
The Defense Investment Forum (DIF) is dedicated to exploring geopolitical developments, emerging technologies, and capital trends shaping the future of maritime defense. Bringing together investors, naval and maritime industry leaders, government stakeholders, founders, and strategic partners, the forum serves as a platform for high-level discussion on emerging opportunities across autonomous systems, subsea technologies, maritime cybersecurity, dual-use innovation, ocean surveillance, resilient supply chains, and next-generation defense infrastructure.
We expect this event to sell out, so please register as soon as possible.
| | News of Interest to the Industry | | "3 Louisiana Shipyards to Build 30 Drone Ships in $1.2B Navy MUSV Deal", US Naval Institute News | | |
Three Louisiana-based shipyards will build unmanned surface vessels for the U.S. Navy following recent at-sea testing, the service announced Tuesday.
The three companies – Saronic, HII and Galliano Marine Service – will each build 10 medium unmanned surface vessels, or MUSVs, at about $40 million per hull, the Navy’s acting direct reporting portfolio manager for robotic and autonomous systems Chris Miller told reporters in a virtual roundtable.
The Navy issued the awards using other transaction authorities but did not specify how much each company received. A service news release described the $40 million figure as an average cost per vessel. The funding comes from the reconciliation legislation known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that Congress passed last year.
CONTINUE READING AT USNI NEWS
| | Save the Date: March 8-10, 2027 | | Blue Venture Forum Founding Sponsor | | | | |
