People Category: Panelist

Mr. Aaron Kofford is a technology innovator focused on national security. He has created, developed, and fielded large scale technology efforts in many challenging fields including artificial intelligence, ocean acoustics, submarine warfare, electronic warfare, autonomy, large-scale distributed systems, advanced tactical networking, military deception, and space launch systems.

Kofford joined DARPA’s commercial strategy team in February of 2024 to work with industry, government, small businesses and invetors to more rapidly adopt DARPA technology. Aaron comes to commercial strategy from DARPA’s Strategic Technology Office (STO) where he served as a program manager since 2019.

Prior to comming to DARPA, Aaron worked problems for NASA, the Intelligence Community and other DoD agencies.

Aaron earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Colorado School of Mines.

Colonel Ryan S. Simms is the Director of Engagements and Chief of the Air and Space Force Foreign Liaison Office in the office of Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force, International Affairs (SAF/IA). He leads principal advisors to USAF and USSF senior
leaders on security cooperation efforts with key nations through cooperative engagement with foreign senior defense officials worldwide. He also directs all foreign service attaché affairs and engagements on behalf of SAF/IA and Department of the Air Force senior leadership. Col Simms serves at SAF/IA following an overseas assignment as Assistant Chief of Staff, Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Operations for the NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance Force and graduation from Air War College at Maxwell AFB, AL. Prior assignments include command of the Air Force’s largest high-altitude remotely piloted aircraft squadron, and direct service to the Secretary of the Air Force and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force as ISR and RPA Policy Specialist,
Headquarters Air Force Executive Action Group. In addition to operational experience as a manned and unmanned pilot, Col Simms draws from proficiency in international and diplomatic policy to facilitate key communication and decisions among the Secretariat, Air Staff, Joint Staff, and other Services on the Air Force’s top priorities

An Air Force Academy graduate of 2001, Col Simms followed his initial tour as an airlift wing staff officer with pilot training and assignment to McChord AFB, WA as aircraft commander of the C-17 Globemaster. Logging over 1,500 hours, Col Simms flew over 100 combat airlift missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as theater airlift missions throughout the Middle East, Southwest Asia, Europe, and the Pacific. He later transferred to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing, Beale to support operations ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM as RQ-4 Global Hawk instructor and evaluator. Following two deployments as a launch-and-recovery pilot overseas, Col Simms distinguished himself as the Wing’s lead RQ-4 tactician and subject matter expert in high altitude ISR, creating enroute procedures and drafting unprecedented military policies that paved the way for routine transit of RPAs through international airspace. During his
time at Beale, he authored tactics, techniques, and procedures for two new airframes, the RQ-4B and EQ- 4B, enabled the historic deployment of two new forward operating locations overseas, and coordinated RQ-4 humanitarian aid/disaster relief efforts in the US, Haiti, and Japan.

Throughout his years of service, Col Simms performed numerous other roles, including Air Operations Center ISR Division Officer, Mission Planner, Standardization and Evaluation Officer, and Executive Officer for operational and staff-level commanders. He is a Command Pilot with over 2,700 flying hours.

Samuel Bendett’s research focuses on Russian defense and technology developments; uncrewed, robotic and autonomous military systems; artificial intelligence; and Russian military capabilities. Bendett’s analyses, views and commentary on Russia’s military robotics, autonomous systems and artificial intelligence capabilities have appeared in numerous global publications and news outlets.

Prior to joining CNA, Bendett worked at the National Defense University on emerging and disruptive technologies to aid the Department of Defense (DOD) in responding to domestic and international crisis situations. His previous experience includes working for the U.S. Congress, the private sector and nonprofit organizations on foreign policy, international conflict resolution, and defense and security issues.

Bendett is also an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, an honorary “mad scientist” with the Mad Scientist Initiative of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, and a Russian military autonomy and artificial intelligence subject matter expert for the DOD’s Defense Systems Information Analysis Center.

Bendett received a Master of Arts in law and diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University as well as a Bachelor of Arts in politics and English from Brandeis University. He has native fluency in Russian.

George Rumford is the Director of the Department of Defense (DoD) Test Resource Management Center (TRMC), a field activity that reports directly to the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering within the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

The TRMC mission is the readiness of DoD test and evaluation (T&E) capabilities, infrastructure, and workforce to support DoD modernization. The TRMC provides governance over DoD test resources (open-air test ranges, ground test facilities, hardware-in-the-loop laboratories, measurement facilities, software testbeds, and modeling and simulation used for testing), including the Major Range and Test Facility Base (MRTFB). In this capacity, the Director is statutorily required to review and certify the T&E resource budgets for each Service and Defense Agency for adequacy for their mission. In addition, as the Executive Agent for Cyber Test Ranges, Mr. Rumford is responsible for the Department’s cyber test capabilities, including the National Cyber Range Complex.

The TRMC forecasts future T&E needs, defining strategic investment portfolios to test hypersonics, directed energy, autonomy and artificial intelligence, electronic warfare, cyber, nuclear effects, space systems, and multi-domain operations. Addressing the highest priority test gaps, the TRMC invests in the development of new and upgraded test resources, executed in partnership with the Services and Defense Agencies, to improve Joint and multi-Service DoD test capabilities that support acquiring advanced warfighting capabilities.

Previously, Mr. Rumford was responsible for Major Initiatives and Technical Analyses in the TRMC, serving as the Program Manager for the Test and Evaluation / Science and Technology (T&E/S&T) Program. Sponsoring advanced technology research and development in industry, academia, and government laboratories, the T&E/S&T Program develops test technologies to upgrade the capabilities at test and training ranges, with a specific focus on supporting modernization priorities aligned with national strategic guidance.

Prior to joining the TRMC, Mr. Rumford worked at the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) and for the Army at White Sands Missile Range, supporting the testing of missile defense systems, space systems, and several multi-range, multi-Service exercises. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Mr. Rumford has received degrees with honors in Electrical Engineering and in Computer Engineering from the University of Missouri.

Dr. Brian Kantsiper is the Chief Engineer at the Space Development Agency (SDA), responsible for overseeing the full integration of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. Before taking the SDA position, he spent 20 years working at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory as a Space Systems Engineer focusing on Guidance, Navigation, and Control and System Engineering. Early in his career, he spent some time at Lockheed Martin as an analyst. Dr. Kantsiper received a Bachelor of Arts in Physics from Princeton University and a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from MIT.

Dr. Kimberly Sablon is the Principal Director for Trusted AI and Autonomy at the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (USD(R&E)).  In this role, she oversees AI/ML and autonomy research activities across the DOD enterprise.  She also has responsibility for shaping the strategic direction for integrated AI and autonomy with an emphasis on trust and responsible decision making.  Previously, Dr. Sablon served as the Army’s S&T Director – setting strategic direction and with responsibility and oversight of $2.6B per year budget.  She also served as the Director for Basic Research in the office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology where she was responsible for formulating and defending selected basic research budgets, programs, plans, priorities and investments to the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), and to Congress.  Dr. Sablon received a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from the University of Arkansas in 2009.  She has published more than 70 peer-reviewed papers and contributed to nine scientific and technical books.

Marcia Holmes serves as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Mission Capabilities. In this role, she supervises an organization whose mission is to accelerate the development and integration of new technologies to maintain United States’ technological superiority. Her responsibilities include identifying, incubating, and transitioning technologies, systems, and system-of-systems to close
time-critical gaps in high-priority missions.

Prior to this position she served as the Deputy Director for Hypersonics, Directed Energy, Space, and Rapid Acquisition, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology) at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. In this position, Ms. Holmes supported the Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office to quickly and efficiently research, develop, prototype, test, evaluate, procure, and field critical enabling technologies and capabilities, including long-range hypersonic weapon systems, high-energy lasers, cyber solutions, and other innovative concepts that address near-term and mid-term threats, consistent with the National Defense Strategy and the Army’s modernization priorities.

Ms. Holmes served as the Deputy Director, Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Aviation and
Missile Center System Simulation, Software, and Integration Directorate. During her tenure, Ms. Holmes also served as Acting Director providing lifecycle software engineering, modeling, and simulation, hardware-in-the-loop, software airworthiness, system security engineering, and program protection capabilities to the Army’s missile and aviation communities, Missile Defense Agency, Space and Missile Defense Command, and other Services and government agencies.

From 2013 to 2016, Ms. Holmes served as the Chief Engineer, Program Executive Office Missiles and Space. In this position, she held technical oversight and authority for 31 major defense programs spanning eight critical Army Project Offices across all phases of the acquisition lifecycle. These systems encompassed a broad portfolio to include the Aviation, Fires, Maneuver, Air, and Space domains. Ms. Holmes orchestrated an integrated early evaluation of advanced threats against emerging weapon system designs, and she served as the Army representative to the Missile Defense Agency’s Joint Systems Engineering Team.

Ms. Holmes began her career as a defense contractor and joined the government workforce with the CombatCapabilities Development Command’s Aviation and Missile Center in 2000. Ms. Holmes supported a widevariety of programs to include Patriot, Stinger, Sentinel, Surface-Launched Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile, Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System, and Integrated Air and Missile Defense.

Ms. Holmes graduated with honors from Athens State College with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, and she completed her Master of Science in Program Management through the Naval Postgraduate School. She is a member of the Honorable Order of Saint Barbara, a U.S. military honor society for Army and Marine Corps Field and Air Defense Artillery, that admits both civilians and military members. She has also received the Achievement Medal for Civilian Service, Meritorious Civilian Service Medal, and Superior Civilian Service medal.

Robert “Bob” Taylor, Director, Capability and Resource Integration Directorate, United States Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.

He is responsible for conducting force management and analysis to include integrating, coordinating, prioritizing and advocating USSTRATCOM future concepts, mission capability needs, weapons system development, support for emerging technologies and command and control architecture across the mission areas.

Mr. Taylor is also responsible for the articulation and development of all command requirement processes to ensure USSTRATCOM has the tools to accomplish its mission, and ensures appropriate decision support tools and assessment processes are in place to enhance operational capabilities. The directorate includes comptroller support, concepts and experimentation and force assessments.

Mr. Taylor is a Distinguished Military Graduate of the Army ROTC program at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. He has earned two Master of Arts degrees in Military Art and Science. As a career Army officer, he has been awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, three Bronze Stars, five Meritorious Service Medals, Joint Meritorious Civilian Service Award, seven Iraqi Campaign Medals, and is Airborne & Ranger qualified. He has served in key staff positions in Army and Joint units from battalion to unified command level, and has commanded Army units from platoon to brigade. Mr. Taylor has four combat tours in Iraq, deployed special mission capabilities globally, and has an operational deployment as part of Stabilization Force 4-5 in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Most recently, Mr. Taylor served as the Director for Joint Exercises, Training, and Assessments (J7), United States Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Nebraska. Mr. Taylor was directly responsible for individual and collective training, integrating command exercises, and assessing the command’s campaign effectiveness as a contribution to the global security environment across all USSTRATCOM assigned missions. These missions included the global integration of strategic deterrence, nuclear operations, global strike, advanced analysis, missile defense and joint electromagnetic spectrum operations. Mr. Taylor has been married since 1985 to Kelly P. Taylor, they have two grown daughters, Michaela and Kristin.

Dr. George Kailiwai III is the Director, Requirements and Resources (J8), Headquarters, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (HQ USINDOPACOM).  As the HQ USINDOPACOM J8, Dr. Kailiwai facilitates the development of USINDOPACOM requirements for the Future Years Defense Program, translates those requirements into material and non-material solutions through advocacy, science and technology, and innovation and experimentation, and manages the headquarter’s $500M annual budget.

Prior to his appointment into the Senior Executive Service in 2007, Dr. Kailiwai was a Senior Level and served as Chief Technology Officer and Technical Advisor, Air Force Flight Test Center from 2003 through 2007.  As the Chief Technology Officer and Technical Advisor, he provided the leadership and final review of the technical aspects of the center’s overall program, as well as consultant advice and technical guidance to the center’s commander.

Dr. Kailiwai served honorably in the United States Air Force for 25 years.  From 2001 through 2003, he served as the Commandant of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California, and as the Technical Director, Electronic Warfare Directorate, 412 Test Wing, Air Force Flight Test Center from 1999 through 2001.  Dr. Kailiwai was also a Squadron Commander, and Deputy Chief, Regional Strategy and Policy Division, Strategic Planning and Policy Directorate, United States Pacific Command.

Dr. Kailiwai is a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, attended the California Institute of Technology under the Senior Commander’s Education Program, holds two master’s degrees from Golden Gate University, earned a Doctor of Education from the University of Southern California, is a National Defense Fellow and RAND Research Fellow, and distinguished graduate of Squadron Officer School, Air Command and Staff College, and the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School.

Dr. Kailiwai is a United States Track and Field Federation All-American, International Society of Flight Test Engineers’ 2001 Kelly Johnson Award Recipient and Past President of the Society of Flight Test Engineers, recipient of the 2017 Clarence L. “Kelly” Johnson Skunk Works Award presented by The Engineers’ Council, USAF Test Pilot School Distinguish Alumnus, and 2017 Presidential Rank Award recipient.

(Current as of April 2023)