National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA)

The Mastering the Art of Business Development® Workshop is an educational and professional development program which focuses on the thinking, process and discipline required for professional Business Development. This 2-day workshop fosters participants’ understanding of the core competencies required for success in the Business Development role.

Business Development is primarily a relationship development and intelligence gathering process. Participants will learn how to leverage the principles of behavioral psychology to identify valid prospects and pipeline opportunities, effectively qualify them and develop win-win business relationships for their organizations, their clients and themselves.

This interactive, participant-centered workshop introduces the MBDi Business Development Process®, with its early shaping Opportunity Identification & Qualification component and the MBDi HUMINT® Client Engagement Process. This Client Engagement Process guides participants through a series of planning phases and client engagement steps designed to change how participants think, behave and engage prospects and clients within their Business Development role.

Through the instructor’s use of Socratic teaching techniques, participants will acquire the knowledge, thinking, skills and discipline required to proactively engage clients from a Strategic Hunting, Organic Farming or Program Management perspective. Participants have described this workshop as a career-transforming experience.

During this interactive, participant-centered workshop, participants will:

• Explore the concepts of self-identity and role-identity and how to differentiate between goals and purpose in professional and personal life.
•  Learn how to deal with rejection, risk-taking and failure and gain a better understanding of the importance of leadership, integrity and character in developing business.
• Acquire a better understanding of the psychology of human behavior and how it applies to their own self-knowledge and understanding of others.
• Review the fundamentals of the MBDi Business Development Process and how the rules of the relationship are established.
• Learn how to control the client interview process and gain valuable insights into how and why people buy.
• Learn a proven 4 phase Client Engagement Process that produces high value, human intelligence that drives Opportunity Identification & Qualification (OI&Q)i.
• Learn account planning, intelligence gathering, call planning and script development with role playing of specific client calls.
• Experience how individuals’ bond and position in different roles and at different levels within an organization
• Understand how to control the decision-making process in the procurement cycle and master the skills needed for prospecting, qualifying and closing business.
• Learn how to overcome the psychological limitations and barriers implicit in developing business and how to successfully integrate these processes and skills into the daily practice of client engagement.

Delegates attending this year's conference will have the opportunity to hear views from various nations on key issues facing the missile defense community and to discuss national policies and operational issues related to defeating ballistic missile threats.  Expected attendance includes government and industry representatives from over 20 countries.

Conference Structure
The material being presented on the opening day of the conference will be appropriate for public dissemination, though media will not be in attendance.  Controlled unclassified sessions (days 2 and 3) will provide authorized delegates access to information that is protected by limited distribution and other need-to-know controls, with access or distribution limits have been in accordance with applicable national laws or regulations. It includes information that has been declassified but remains controlled.

Please check back soon for additional details!

Kick off the new year with the NDIA Cybersecurity Division’s October 28 virtual meeting. Meet the new Cybersecurity Division leadership, hear about planned Division activities for the coming year, engage in discussion of the recent NDIA CMMC Survey, and learn about key emerging legislative and regulatory developments.

In this Human Systems Insights conversation, Allison Reardon, Director of Industry Engagement and Director of Technology Transition and Partnerships at MITRE, will explore what it takes to move emerging technologies from promising ideas to capabilities that create real mission impact. Drawing on her experience spanning government, industry, investment, and technology transition, Allison will discuss how the human dimension can remain central as AI, autonomy, and other emerging technologies move from research into operational systems.

The conversation will examine how researchers, technologists, acquisition organizations, and industry can work together more effectively; what helps—or prevents—innovative human-centered technologies from crossing the transition gap; and how considerations such as user needs, trust, cognitive demands, adoption, and operational context can influence whether a technology ultimately succeeds. We will also look at how the Human Systems community can engage earlier and more effectively with industry and transition partners so that advances in human-machine teaming and decision support are not only technically sound, but deployable, sustainable, and valuable to the Warfighter.

Onsite Registration Will Be Available!

This bi-annual conference, presented in partnership with the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA), serves as the forum for executive-level security leadership and policy-makers across the federal agencies and U.S. Industry to convene to address major government security topics. Don't miss this opportunity for candid discussion, high-level networking, and updates on important subjects. 

Themes and challenges addressed include:

• Continuing security clearance reforms and implementation
• Insider threat guidance
• Transitioning cybersecurity requirements and policy
• Sharing knowledge of "the business" of security
• Late-breaking special security and NISPOM issues, and more

A series of moderated expert panels and key leadership speakers provide insights from diverse perspectives, enabling participants to identify critical issues and needs in order to develop government-and industry-partnered creative solutions--solutions that can advance our nation’s security and mission success.

Join us for the next meeting of the NDIA ICOTE on November 3, 2026 being held at the ITEA FORGE 2026 in Scottsdale, AZ. 

The ICOTE has forged a reputation as a productive forum for enhancing DoW-industry cooperation and collaboration in the pursuit of effective, efficient, and economical test and evaluation processes, standards and procedures that will ensure quality products at affordable costs for the DoW. ICOTE meetings are held quarterly at various venues.

The Aircraft Survivability Symposium is a SECRET//NOFORN event that will include Survivability Tutorials and presentations by senior leaders from industry, government, academia, and the armed services. These presenters will discuss survivability technologies, survivability sustainment and operations, threats and countermeasures, and warfighter lessons learned from recent combat experiences. Government and industry keynotes will present talks on survivability-related areas that will set the overall tone for the symposium’s content. Panels across Government and Industry will also provide a diverse perspective of survivability-related areas. Additionally, the symposium will include warfighters to provide firsthand information on survivability effectiveness in today’s fight, which will inform solutions for tomorrow’s challenges.

The symposium will begin on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, and run through Thursday, November 5, 2026. During both days of presentations, the symposium will have an area for technical poster papers where additional content can be viewed and discussed outside of the formal session presentations. The event will feature displays and extended breaks and is specifically structured to facilitate a relaxed dialogue and continuous networking opportunities among attendees. Finally, NDIA’s Air Combat Survivability Division will recognize individual technical and leadership achievements in a formal awards ceremony.

US defense program and portfolio leaders are managing complexity across platforms, industrial base partners, and mission priorities. In an environment where the pace of change is increasingly outstripping traditional governance models, the ability to understand dependencies, risks, and capability alignment across the portfolio has become a strategic advantage. As programs scale and requirements evolve, fragmented reporting and periodic reviews are no longer sufficient. Leaders need a shared understanding that enables faster decisions, stronger alignment, and earlier identification of emerging risks. In this session, you'll see how defense organizations are creating a live portfolio layer that connects existing program information into a common operating picture. 

What you'll learn: 

• Techniques for connecting program, schedule, and risk information into a navigable portfolio view across complex defense ecosystems. 
• Ways to identify cascading risks and dependencies before they affect capability delivery. 
• Approaches for aligning portfolios with DoD acquisition priorities and service-level capability objectives. 
• Methods for moving beyond static milestone reviews toward continuously updated portfolio intelligence. 
• Practices for maintaining the golden thread from strategic requirements through program execution and delivery. 

Join the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) San Diego Chapter for the NDIA Fall Forum 2026, a two-day event bringing together military, government, and defense industry professionals to strengthen collaboration and support national defense priorities.

The forum provides an opportunity for attendees to connect with defense community stakeholders, build valuable professional relationships, and engage with organizations supporting military missions and the defense industrial base.

Taking place November 17–18, 2026, at the Catamaran Resort Hotel and Spa in San Diego, California, the event welcomes government personnel, active-duty military members, and industry representatives.

Technologies like electric vehicle batteries, smartphones, and drones require minerals like lithium and silicon. As of today, USGS has designated 60 minerals as critical to the U.S. economy and national security. Most are imported, and China, in particular, controls much of the supply chain for minerals like gallium, graphite, and aluminum.

This talk will discuss the current demand for critical minerals, the effects on the defense industry and national security, and potential pathways to address critical mineral supply. In particular, I will discuss GAO’s recent work on how substitution and recycling technologies might reduce critical mineral import reliance.

I/ITSEC is where the future of training, readiness, and national defense takes shape. From the priority to restore warfighter dominance to the need for rapid acquisition and STEM-driven modernization, I/ITSEC delivers hands-on access to the tools, insights, and collaborations that matter most.

Experience battlefield decision-making in the Serious Games Competition. Witness real-time trauma response in Emerging Medical Simulations. Navigate digital battlespaces in the Cyber Pavilion, explore cultural intelligence training with virtual avatars, and prepare your organization for what’s next through The Next Big Thing forum.

Whether you’re in uniform, leading a research lab, shaping acquisition policy, or building the next breakthrough technology—I/ITSEC connects you to the mission. Learn. Engage. Innovate. Your warfighters, your workforce, and your future depend on it.

I/ITSEC attendance and participation is open to Five Eyes (FVEY) partners, NATO member countries, and nations that profess neutrality. This inclusivity ensures diverse perspectives and strengthens international collaboration in the pursuit of shared security, innovation, and training excellence.