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October 1, 2026
2:00 pm
EVENT: Winning the Adoption War: Diffusing AI Across the U.S. Military
The United States leads the world in frontier artificial intelligence. However, cutting edge technology used by a limited number of people is a trophy, not a capability – and the contest with China will not be decided only at the frontier.
If the most sophisticated technology on earth reaches only a fraction of the force, how much advantage does it confer? How is the Pentagon moving from procuring AI to diffusing it across the force? What cultural and organizational changes does an “AI-first” military require? And how does the United States build and keep the technical talent inside government, turning tools into outcomes before its competitors close the gap?
To discuss these questions and others, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) hosts a conversation with FDD Visiting Military Fellow Major Megan “Napalm” Hainline, F-16 instructor pilot and AI leader; FDD Adjunct Fellow Isaac “Ike” Harris, executive director of the Frontier Security Institute; and Leah Siskind, FDD AI Research Fellow. The discussion will be moderated by RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, Senior Director of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation.
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Mark Dubowitz
Chief Executive
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- Iran
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- Cyber
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RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery
CCTI Senior Director and Senior Fellow
Edmund Fitton-Brown
Senior Fellow
Bridget Toomey
Research Analyst
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Overnight Brief: October 16, 2026
Read Full BriefToday In Issues:
FDD Research & Analysis
- Today at 8:30am (ET): "FDD Morning Brief," FDD Event
- "The AI competition is a two-front war," The Washington Times
- "The Next War of Attrition is in Yemen," The Cipher Brief
- "Washington’s Counter-Mine Wakeup Call," Center for Maritime Strategy's The MOC
- "Hezbollah announces ‘Promise and Commitment’ housing and reconstruction program," FDD's Long War Journal
- "Sporadic Weapons Seizures Won’t Stop Hezbollah’s Rearmament," FDD's Long War Journal
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