AUSA Annual Meeting & Exposition
Washington, D.C. / United States
The anchor event for anyone selling to the US Army. Program offices and primes are present in force; ideal for SMEs seeking subcontracting and teaming opportunities.
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North AmericaConferences & summitsPast event
11–12 Mar 2026
Tectonic Defense Summit
Inn Cahoots, 1221 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702 · Austin, United States
- Dates
- Wed, 11 March 2026 – Thu, 12 March 2026
- Venue
- Inn Cahoots, 1221 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702
- Location
- Austin, United States
- Organizer
- Arkaea Media Group (Tectonic Defense)
- Cost
- paid
- Scale
- intimate
- Recurrence
- annual
- Format
- On-site
Market intel
Moderate pricingmedium confidence
The 2026 Tectonic Defense Summit was the second annual edition of a high-selectivity, intimate defense-innovation conference produced by Arkaea Media Group (publisher of Tectonic Defense).
- All paid ticket tiers sold out ahead of the event, and the speaker roster drew senior representatives from DIU, DARPA, Army Futures Command, AFRL, and USSOCOM alongside leading defense-tech startups and top-tier VCs.
- No post-event 'numbers' report with verified attendance figures has been published.
Notable exhibitors
Anduril IndustriesSkydioPalantirOverland AISaronicEpirusFirestorm LabsSaildrone
AI-researched Sat, 22 August 2026. Estimates from public sources. Verify with the organizer.
Why it matters
The summit is one of the few defense-innovation events where venture capital decision-makers, non-traditional defense startups, and senior military acquisition officials share the same room, making it a high-leverage venue for SMEs and startups seeking investor introductions and government feedback in a single event.
- All three paid ticket tiers sold out for the 2026 edition, signalling strong demand from the defense-tech ecosystem concentrated in Austin.
- The event's focus on capital formation—including sessions on 'Growth Capital: Building Neoprimes' and M&A roll-up strategies—makes it directly actionable for companies at Series A through growth stages navigating the valley of death.
Registration
About
The Tectonic Defense Summit is an annual two-day conference held in Austin, Texas, convening defense-tech founders, venture investors, military leaders, and policymakers to discuss the rapidly evolving defense-innovation landscape.
- The 2026 edition, the second annual, featured curated panels and fireside chats across topics including autonomous systems, space, munitions, maritime autonomy, capital formation, and Indo-Pacific strategy.
- The event is deliberately formatted as an 'anti-conference'—eschewing conventional ballrooms and slide-heavy presentations in favor of candid, high-signal conversations at a culturally relevant Austin venue.
- Military and full-time government personnel can attend free of charge upon approval.
Topics
Autonomy & RoboticsUAS / DronesAISpaceMunitions & Missiles
Who it's for
StartupsInvestorsInstitutionsSMEs
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