A distinguished panel of defence experts will discuss how to bring innovation to defence acquisition processes to support rapid fielding of capabilities to defend against urgent and emerging threats on the closing day of NITEC17.
"It is well understood that there is a mismatch between the speed of technological development in the Alliance's dynamic private sector and NATO's agility in implementing that technology," said NCI Agency General Manager Koen Gijsbers. "We look forward to hearing from defence experts who will offer fresh thinking on this challenge at NITEC17."
The panel on "Innovating Defence Acquisition" will include Admiral Matthieu Borsboom, Chairman of the Group of Senior Experts; Lt. Gen. Jeffrey "Jeff" Lofgren, Deputy Chief of Staff for Capability Development, NATO Allied Command Transformation; Rear Admiral Patrick Finn, Assistant Deputy Minister (Material), Department of National Defence, Canada; and Mr Keith Webster, Director, International Cooperation for the Under Secretary of Defense (USD) for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (AT&L), U.S. Department of Defense.
Dr Cynthia R. Cook, Director of the RAND Corporation's Acquisition and Technology Policy Center, will moderate the discussion.
"This panel will take a new look at an enduring topic: improving defence acquisition processes," said Dr Cynthia Cook, Director of the Acquisition and Technology Policy Center at the RAND Corporation. "Cyber defence requirements and new technology trends reinforce the need to field capabilities more rapidly. Our panel of defence experts have grappled with different aspects of this problem, and will cover some of the roadblocks to speeding acquisition, explore possible ways around them, and discuss the implications for NATO."
In addition, NITEC17 will close with a presentation by rapporteurs assigned to the Working Better Together: NATO – Industry Collaborative Workshops. They will report on the concepts that received special emphasis during the workshops and discuss the way forward.
See also:
Opening Day Key Topics
Preview of Day 2
The NCI Agency Annual Conference and AFCEA TechNet International (NITEC17) will take place from 24-26 April in Ottawa, Canada, with the theme of "Sharpening NATO's Technological Edge: Adaptive Partnerships and the Innovative Power of Alliance Industry."
To register and view the full agenda, please visit www.nitec.nato.int