Northrop Grumman Black Hills Defense & Industry Symposium

The Black Hills Defense and Industry Symposium is coming to The Box Elder Event Center, April 10-11, 2024. This annual event will bring leaders of academia, research, industry, the military, the federal government, and the Black Hills community together for meaningful dialogue highlighting the importance of collaborative relations in western South Dakota. Leaders will discuss how attendees can contribute to solutions for stronger national defense and bolstered regional economic development.

The 2024 Symposium will feature high-level discussions and breakout sessions regarding PFOS/PFOA, critical minerals, Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), partnerships between prime and subcontractors, military family quality of life, along with important information regarding the B-21 Raider. We encourage all Black Hills residents to register and attend.

Day 1 (April 10) will kick off at 8:30 a.m., starting with a technical seminar focused on PFOS/PFOA. At 1 p.m., a separate, simultaneous session will kick off featuring panels of military and civilian experts who will participate in a war gaming simulation called The Perils of Theater Nuclear Escalation. Following these opening sessions, the Symposium will feature a high-level military speaker at 4:30 p.m. At 5 p.m., South Dakota School of Mines will host a welcome reception for all attendees in the foyer of The Box Elder Events Center.

Day 2 (April 11) will feature general sessions in addition to 16 different breakout session offerings throughout the day. Featured speakers include Congressman Dusty Johnson, Major General Mark Morrell (South Dakota National Guard Adjutant General), Lieutenant General Caroline Miller (Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower, Personnel and Services), Sean Jackson (VP, B-21 Program Manager, Northrop Grumman), and Colonel Derek Oakley (Ellsworth Air Force Base Commander).

Mission

The Black Hills Defense & Industry Symposium is a 2-day long regional conference featuring discussions around defense entrepreneurship, development, national security, military quality of life, critical minerals, and local industry opportunities. We feature key leaders from the US Congress, Department of Defense, US Air Force, National Guard, US Army Corps of Engineers, and many more. We expect approximately 500 attendees at this event. This is an opportunity to be a part of a premier event focused on the growing defense industry of the area.

Dusty Johnson

Dusty Johnson brings an energetic and optimistic leadership style to Washington as South Dakota’s lone voice in the U.S. House of Representatives. As a “policy guy,” he works hard to be a knowledgeable and value-added member on issues related to his committee assignments: Agriculture, Transportation & Infrastructure, and the Select Committee on China.

Northrop Grumman

Events

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

7:30am

Doors open

7:30am - 5:00pm

Event check-in & badge pick-up

8:30am - 4:30pm

PFOS/PFOA Technical Seminar - Lancer Salon C/D

8:30am

Welcome / Pledge of Allegiance

8:40am

PFOS/PFOA Technical Seminar*
Starting with technical presentations and discussions focused on PFOS/PFOA challenges locally and nationally. We will have experts from academia, government, and industry highlighting technologies, remediation, and local perspectives. Audience participation in the discussion will be intermixed during the event.

11:00am - 1:00pm

Lunch on your own

1:00pm - 4:30pm

PFOS/PFOA Technical Seminar*

1:00pm - 4:30pm

The Perils of Theater Nuclear Escalation War Game - Main Ballroom - Presented by South Dakota Ellsworth Development Authority

1:00pm

War Game* Kickoff
Brig. Gen. Jonathan Ellis, USAF (Ret.) – Opening video – “The Watch”
General Timothy Ray, USAF (Ret.), President & Chief Executive Office, Business Executives for National Security - Main Ballroom

1:15pm - 4:20pm

War Game Begins
Dr. Christopher Yeaw, PhD, Associate Executive Director for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Programs
War Game Scenario: Based on a near-peer, nuclear-capable INDO-PACOM threat as the perils inherent in theater nuclear employment based on a real-world threat with realistic “Blue Team” inputs. This exercise will be the realization of how vulnerable our nation may be in confronting an adversary that can capably execute nuclear escalation.

4:30pm

Opening General Session - Main Ballroom
Brig. Gen. Gentry W. Boswell, USAF (Ret.), Vice President of Defense Industry Operations at VRC Metal Systems

5:00pm - 7:00pm

South Dakota Mines Social- Foyer

* Simultaneous, in-depth sessions.

Thursday, April 11, 2024

6:30am

Doors open

7:00am

Networking/Coffee Social - Foyer

8:00am

General Session - Main Ballroom
Welcome
Congressman Dusty Johnson, via video
Major General Mark Morrell, SDNG Adjutant General

9:00am

Track Session A

10:00am

Connection Break - Foyer

11:00am

Track Session B

12:00pm

Black Hills MAC Chow Hall Luncheon - Main Ballroom
Social & buffet lunch
Welcome: Tim Houghton, HS Precision, CFO, Black Hills Symposium Chair
Featured Speaker: Nancy Balkus, P.E., Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Environment, Safety and Infrastructure, Headquarters USAF
Featured Speaker: Lt Gen Caroline Miller, Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower Personnel and Services, Headquarters USAF

1:30pm

Track Session C

2:30pm

Track Session D

3:30pm

General Session - Main Ballroom
Sean Jackson VP, B-21 Program Manager, Northrop Grumman
B21 Raider Update
Col. Derek Oakley, 28th Bomb Wing Commander - Main Ballroom

4:00pm - 5:00pm

Social - Presented by Elevate Rapid City & HS Precision - Foyer
Prize Drawings

5:30pm

Tours depart
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, Cold Spray Lab Tour
Mt. Rushmore & Dinner Tour

Track Sessions

Critical Minerals

9:00 - Applied Research
11:00 - Workforce
1:30 - Commercialization
2:30 - Policy

PFOS/PFOA

9:00 - Rural Water Systems
11:00 - Innovation — R&D, Technology, Transfer & Opportunities
1:30 - Collaboration — Government, Industry, Academic Partnerships
2:30 - Military Construction, PFAS, Sustainability

Innovation/Doing Business with the Air Force & Quality of Life

9:00 - Innovation - Small Business Innovation Research Projects
11:00 - Contracting with the Government - Small Businesses - Commodities and Services
1:30 - Quality of Life -Family Programs (childcare, housing, etc)
3:00 - Quality of Life - Employment Opportunities for Military Community & Businesses

Partnering with the DOD/General Contractor

9:00 - Design & Construction Opportunities
11:00 - AI & BIM — What it means for A/Es and Contractors
1:30 - Match Making Opportunities (DOD, Primes)
Northrop GrummanBlack Hills WireBlack Hills Military Advisory Coalition
The Box Elder Event Center
631 WaTiki Way
Box Elder, SD 57719

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