The Annual Gathering convenes the Virtuous Insurgency – entrepreneurs, operators, technologists, economists, artists, policymakers, and civic builders shaping the future of national security from the ground up.

In an era defined by artificial intelligence, autonomy, biotechnology, and exponential systems, the 2026 DEF Annual Gathering returns to a first principle:

Technology does not win wars. People do.

This event is a recognition that every breakthrough—technical, operational, or strategic—depends on human judgment and cultural proclivities. As systems grow faster and more autonomous and global economic dynamics shift, the strategic edge belongs to those who deliberately adapt and design the underlying systemic operating system(s), be it social, economic, or technological.

This gathering is not a traditional conference. It is a working convening built around applied learning, lived experience, and cross-sector problem solving—where civil society, national security institutions, practitioners, policy architects, and entrepreneurs meet as collaborators rather than spectators.

The DEF Annual Gathering exists to strengthen the connective tissue between formal and informal actors seeking to positively impact national security.