On September 25, 2024, Leonardo Electronics US team members had the opportunity to attend the 2024 SPIE Photonics Industry Summit in Washington, DC. The Summit brought together key players in the photonics and optics industries to meet and discuss the technologies and topics critical to U.S. innovation and progress. This year’s summit included multiple important stakeholders, including U.S. government agency members, congressional speakers, and representatives of major companies in the photonics and optics fields.
The event was well attended and featured outstanding speakers, including the following:
- Olga Blum Spahn: Program Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy
(Arpa-E), U.S. Department of Energy - Marla Dowell: Director of the CHIPS R&D Metrology Program
- Cristina Killingsworth: Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and External Affairs, U.S. Economic Development Administration
- Farooq Mitha: U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), Office of Small Business Programs (OSPB)
- Mark Spencer: Director of the Joint Directed Energy Transition Office (JDETO), Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E))
Robert Walker, Vice President, Strategy & Business Development, introduced Dr. Mark Spencer. Dr. Spencer shared insights into the US DoD-directed energy roadmap, updates on Directed Energy programs supporting the roadmap, and the JDETO budget/plans for the upcoming years.
The DoD has identified directed energy as one of 14 mission-critical technologies. Spencer presented the directed energy roadmap with a ‘crawl, walk, run’ approach to funding. “We’re on the cusp and, in some cases, already demonstrated capabilities.” One of the most important challenges today is the need to reduce SWaP and increase power—as Spencer states, “Usually you laugh when you say those two together.” Leonardo has supported many key milestones in increased power and lower size and weight for high-energy laser programs.
Dr. Olga Blum Spahn, Program Director, Advanced Research Projects-Energy, also shared an update on fusion energy and other initiatives designed to meet the growing demands for US energy. Spahn stated, “If we do nothing, by 2024, we are poised to use up every bit of energy with computing.” With recent significant milestones in fusion energy research, Spahn stated, “The physics have been proved. Now it’s ‘just’ the engineering.”
Walker was also honored to introduce Arizona Representative Juan Ciscomani during the Summit’s kickoff reception in the Rayburn House Office building. The reception was well attended by industry and included visits from Rep. Joe Morelle (D-New York, 26), Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-Arizona, 6), Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-New Jersey, 5), Rep. Brian Mast (R-Florida, 21), Rep. Donald Norcross (D-New Jersey, 1).
Leonardo is honored to have been able to attend this event and network with influential figures in the industry. Leonardo would like to thank SPIE and everyone who took part in putting together this event.