USAF, Industry Engage in Tech Discussions at Dayton Defense-Hosted Event; Leidos’ Roger Krone Quoted

Several industry representatives and U.S. Air Force personnel discussed emerging research-and-development efforts during the 2019 Dayton Defense Wright Dialogue in Ohio.

The event, themed “Science and Technology for 2030 and Beyond,” took place from July 16 to 18 and saw industry participants from across the country engage with Air Force Research Laboratory representatives on aerospace R&D opportunities, the service branch said Tuesday.

“There is so much more we have to do,” Roger Krone, CEO of Leidos and 2019 Wash100 Award recipient, said during his keynote speech. “We have to get back to work and start thinking about everything that still needs to be done, and that will require a great deal of out-of-the-box thinking from each and every one of us,” Krone added.

Timothy Sakulich, the lead for AFRL’s implementation of the Air Force S&T strategy, told attendees that the service is working with key stakeholders to “identify, prioritize and drive early action” on the strategy ahead of plans to develop a more comprehensive strategy by October.

The dialogue concluded with David Walker from the Wright Brothers Institute discussing potential government-industry collaboration to implement the branch’s 2030 S&T strategy.