On October 24th, we gathered the nation’s leading national security experts in space and satellite technology, critical materials, energy and national security, capital and innovation, AI, Chips, and biotech at a single conference to address the geopolitical challenges confronting the United States. With over 800 participants from Utah’s aerospace, defense, and cyber community, the Zero Gravity Summit was the largest defense conference held in Utah to date.
Our panels featured a diverse lineup of speakers from across the national security spectrum, including representatives from academia, government agencies, and aerospace and defense companies. Aaron Starks, CEO of 47G, emphasized the importance of collaboration among these three sectors in building a sustainable defense ecosystem. “The partnership between academia, industry, and state and local governments forms the foundation of Utah’s growing aerospace and defense industry,” Starks noted. “Strengthening these collaborations at both the state and federal levels is essential to driving renewed investment and innovation within the sector.”
One of our panels explored how the United States should address and prioritize emerging threats. The panel featured Robin Shepherd, Chris Stewart (Chairman of 47G), George Glass (former U.S. Ambassador to Portugal), Matt Pottinger (former Deputy National Security Advisor), and General Kevin Kennedy. They examined the influence of the presidential election on United States foreign policy. The speakers emphasized the unprecedented geopolitical landscape facing the United States today, with Matt Pottinger stating, “We’re in a really dangerous moment globally right now.” Amid active threats from Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea, the United States is navigating unique and sophisticated challenges across multiple arenas.
Aaron Starks emphasized the federal government’s reliance on the private sector to develop technological solutions for emerging threats. “Currently, the United States allocates less than 2% of its defense budget to research and development….the bulk of innovation being performed in the defense sector is being done by private companies.” Starks argued that accelerating private sector innovation is essential for maintaining the competitive edge of the United States defense infrastructure in the years ahead.
CEO of Anduril, Brian Schimpf also emphasized how this concept expands into the data realm, specifically with Artificial Intelligence capabilities. “There is no world where the Department of Defense will spend the amount of money necessary to be competitive with their own AI strategy.”
The speakers attributed this shortfall in research and development to the monopolization of defense contracting between a handful of contractors. Brian Schimpf argued that this complacency within the Department of Defense needs to be countered by increasing the number of small and medium-sized firms doing direct contracting with the federal government.
The summit put on display the innovation that is taking place here in Utah to bridge the technology gap that the United States government is experiencing. Attendees witnessed demonstrations from several Utah-based aerospace and defense companies, such as Fortem Technologies, which highlighted their cutting-edge drone-hunting capabilities, and Torus, which announced the launch of its new microgrid technology. The University of Utah also announced the creation of the Applied Medical Engineering (AEM) Lab which is dedicated to providing healthcare to any patient, anywhere, at any time. This lab will collaborate with Utah’s industry to accelerate the rate of autonomous vehicle development throughout the state. Additionally, we were joined by leaders from various Utah aerospace and defense firms, including Greg Levesque, CEO and Co-founder of Strider, and Greg Robison, CEO of RAM Aviation.
“Utah has the workforce, ambition, and patriotism necessary to meet the challenges of this new era of geopolitical competition,” said Starks. “The Zero Gravity Summit highlighted the active role Utah companies play in this field to a national audience, and 47G is eager to continue supporting Utah businesses in their innovation efforts and in the vital work of protecting our democracy.”
47G is the nation’s premier ecosystem for aerospace, defense and cyber companies in Utah, with a mission to foster talent, fund entrepreneurship and fuel innovation. The 47G ecosystem comprises over 140 companies and 20 academic institutions working to solve critical national security challenges. Want to learn more? Visit the website at 47G.org, follow 47G on LinkedIn and X, and subscribe to 47G’s YouTube channel.