Photo By Kelley Stirling | Capt. Chris Matassa, commanding officer of Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock...... read more read more
NORFOLK, Va. – Navy leaders joined academia and industry representatives at the Department of the Navy Digital Warfighting Symposium 2026 from May 11-14 in Norfolk. The Navy-focused event, held in conjunction with the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA) East 2026 Maritime Operations and Information Warfare Summit, highlighted the urgent need for speed within the fast-growing digital ecosystem.
Vice Adm. Heidi Berg, Fleet Cyber Force commander, highlighted three key strategies in the opening remarks.
“One is a deep understanding of the adversary and what the adversaries are doing in this space…and the speed by which we have to operate,” Berg said. “The adversary is harnessing artificial intelligence, machine learning and creating an environment in which known cyber vulnerabilities and any chink in our armor will be identified and exploited.”
Second, Berg said the Navy must quickly and constantly modernize and upgrade its cyber architecture. She identified people as her third key strategy.
“Warfighting is a human enterprise,” Berg said. “How we are identifying and building awareness across this nation to keep ensuring that we are driving talent into the force, into the fleet, into the industry, and that we are building the talent we are going to need to execute in this place.”
A panel of Navy Warfare Center leaders further highlighted these concepts while discussing the implications of maritime warfare dominance. Dr. Julie Stark, director of the Navy’s Mid-Atlantic Tech Bridge (MATB), moderated the panel, which delved into driving the future of information warfare, how industry and academia can collaborate, and the resources required to accomplish information dominance.
The panel included Capt. Chris Matassa, commanding officer of Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division; Nigel Thijs, technical director of NSWC Philadelphia; Stephen O’Grady, deputy technical director from Naval Undersea Warfare Center Newport; and David Smoak, chief engineer from Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic.
“I would go all out for a digital ecosystem,” Smoak said when Stark asked what he might do if he had a blank check to improve information warfare capabilities. “Fully integrated tool sets, multi-classification level. Manage them from a perspective of fight tonight, fight tomorrow and fight the future. From our perspective, to have this integrated digital ecosystem, industry, academia, warfighters, and the warfare development centers all working together, we could actually start delivering genuinely, much, much faster from an information warfare perspective.”
The MATB served as a key player in the success of the symposium, which saw more than 1,800 attendees. While the AFCEA Hampton Roads chapter hosted the event, the MATB works as a connector between industry and the Department of War (DoW), to foster collaboration in science and technology, particularly in the Hampton Roads area.
Working with 757 Collab, the MATB initiated the Defense Technology Accelerator (DTA) program to help emerging technology companies connect with the DoW. A year ago, the program kicked off with extensive mentoring sessions for 12 companies chosen from more than 150 applications.
The program culminated at the AFCEA summit’s Passageway to Innovation, where the DTA companies pitched their technologies, provided demonstrations and engaged with potential collaborators. Additionally, the city of Norfolk hosted a DTA Tech Showcase at the Nauticus Maritime Museum.
“What made the DTA unique was the amount of Government SMEs from multiple agencies that mentored the DTA CEOs,” Stark said. “These incredible interactions led to 10 of the 12 companies establishing agreements or contracts with various government organizations. The DTA will have a direct impact transferring technology to our nation’s warfighters faster.“
To support these ongoing efforts, the MATB uses its https://www.linkedin.com/company/navalx-mid-atlantic-tech-bridge platform to showcase upcoming initiatives. Beyond participating in major summits, the organization regularly coordinates Tech Scans, Tech Talks, Industry Days, science and technology workshops and small business workshops to identify innovative solutions for the DoW.
| Date Taken: | 12.31.1969 |
| Date Posted: | 05.20.2026 15:04 |
| Story ID: | 565790 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 46 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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