The March 3 summit will focus on veteran small businesses and their place in the defense industrial space.
The American Legion Veterans Small Business Task Force and strategic partners the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Military Hire will host a defense industrial workforce summit in conjunction with the Washington Conference.
“Veterans and the Defense Industrial Workforce Summit: Strengthening the Defense Industrial Base through Veteran Small Business Integration” will take place 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 3 at the Washington Hilton, 1919 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.
To register for this free event, click here.
The agenda, subject to change:
8-9 a.m.: Registration and networking breakfast.
9-9:15 a.m.: Welcome and opening remarks by the Legion’s chairmen of Veterans Employment & Education and National Security. Emcee Charles Fowler, American Legion Small Business Task Force Chairman.
9:15-9:25 a.m.: Business & Economic Perspective on the Defense Industrial Base (U.S. Chamber of Commerce).
9:25-10 a.m.: Keynote Address: State of the U.S. Defense Industrial Base (Department of Defense, Kristopher Rick, IBAS Workforce Sector Lead).
10-11:15 a.m.: Task Force Value Proposition: Veteran Small Businesses in the Defense Industrial Base. Participating Small Business Task Force members: Charles Fowler, Chairman; Matt Walker, Chair, Taxes Subcommittee; David Vardeman, Chair, Access to Capital Subcommittee; Matt Flynn, Chair, Subcontracting Subcommittee; Mark Gross, Defense Manufacturing.
11:15-11:30 a.m.: Break.
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Panel I: Defense Industrial Base & Supply Chain Resilience. Discussion on supply chain fragility, domestic sourcing, and the role of small and veteran-owned firms in sustaining industrial readiness.
12:30-1:30 p.m.: Networking lunch.
1:30 – 2:30 p.m.: Panel II: Workforce Development, Apprenticeships, and Talent Pipelines. (Featuring Military Hire and partners focused on aligning veteran talent with Defense Industrial Base workforce needs.)
2:30 – 3 p.m.: Fireside Chat: Vets First as a Public–Private Partnership in the Defense Industrial Base. Moderated by Charles Fowler, Chairman, Veterans Small Business Task Force. Participants: Chanel Bankston-Carter, Executive Director, VA OSDBU; Scott Denniston, Service-Disabled Veteran Medical Products Group.
3-3:15 p.m.: Break.
3:15 – 4 p.m.: Audience Q&A and Action-Oriented Discussion. Facilitated discussion focused on practical next steps; areas requiring policy clarity or coordination; feedback from industry, Task Force members, and agency participants.
4:30-5 p.m.: Closing Remarks: Legal Framework and Execution Considerations. James Baehr, Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of General Counsel.
- Careers