Blog · Events

A Naval Systems Command Deputy Commander on Acquisition Reform, Free in California, Maryland

Chris A. Grable · August 13, 2026

On 21 October, the deputy commander of a major naval systems command takes the podium at the University System of Maryland at Southern Maryland campus in California, Maryland. Admission is free. The event is session two of the university's Doing Business with Government Agencies speaker series, and the subject is defense acquisition reform.

What the session covers

The announced agenda has five threads:

• Emerging acquisition strategies
• Opportunities for small business
• Innovation across the Department
• Partnerships with industry
• The direction defense contracting is taking

Networking opens at 5:00 p.m. The presentation runs from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Why a free local talk is worth more than its price

Companies routinely discount events that cost nothing and require no travel. This one deserves better. A deputy commander explaining how his command plans its purchases for the next few years is naming the contracting pathways the money will flow through, and he is doing so well before that intent shows up in any solicitation. By the time the same direction appears in a draft RFP, months have passed, every competitor has read it, and nobody is standing in front of you to take a follow-up question.

How to get the most from the hour

UDC recommends arriving for the networking half hour with two or three pointed questions tied to the agenda: which acquisition strategies the command expects to favor, where small business fits inside them, and what shape it wants industry partnerships to take. Write the answers down that evening, while the exact phrasing is still fresh, and compare them against your pipeline the next morning.

Update: this event was held on 21 October 2026. The questions above still apply to the next session in the series.