Leaders, suppliers, and innovators in the defense and maritime sectors are being called to participate in the final installment of a three-part webinar series focused on strengthening the U.S. Navy’s manufacturing infrastructure. Hosted in partnership with the BlueForge Alliance, the event titled “Integrate Nationally, Catalyze Locally” will take place on December 10 at 12 PM ET. This session offers a comprehensive look at how collaboration between the Navy and private industry is revitalizing the maritime industrial base. Attendees will gain insights into strategies for activating domestic supply chains, accessing resources to expand production capacity, and leveraging initiatives aimed at enhancing workforce development and supplier engagement. The keynote speaker, Jon Mogford, serves as Executive Vice President of Strategy and Technology at BlueForge Alliance, a role he assumed in August 2025. In this position, he leads strategic efforts to integrate advanced technologies, strengthen workforce pipelines, and modernize supply chain operations within the Defense Industrial Base. Before joining BlueForge, Dr. Mogford held leadership roles in both federal science and academic research. From 2005 to 2009, he worked as a program manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Defense Sciences Office (DARPA/DSO), later serving as deputy director until 2011. He returned to DARPA in 2023 as deputy chief of commercial strategy in the Director’s Office before moving to the executive office of the president in 2024. His experience spans disciplines such as materials science, quantum physics, biomedical engineering, and advanced manufacturing. Between 2013 and 2021, he was vice chancellor for research at the Texas A&M University System, where he oversaw research activities across eleven universities and eight state agencies, managing a workforce of 25,000 and annual research spending of $1 billion. Under his leadership, the system established major research partnerships with IBM, Philips Healthcare, Kubota, 3M, and Facebook.
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Strengthening the maritime industrial base for national security, economic resilience
Now is the time for leaders, suppliers, and innovators to connect and contribute to the next generation of Naval manufacturing. Join us for the conclusion of our three-part webinar series featuring Navy partner BlueForge Alliance. n nPart III: Integrate Nationally, Catalyze Locally takes place December 10 at 12PM ET – register now for this free, in-depth exploration of how the Navy and industry partners are working together to uplift the maritime industrial base. You’ll learn: n nHow to engage and activate the industrial base n nWhere to find support for scaling capability n nWhat initiatives are unlocking workforce and supplier potential n nSpeaker n nJon Mogford n nEVP, Strategy & Technology n nBlueForge Alliance n nJon Mogford, PhD, joined BlueForge Alliance in August of 2025 as executive vice president for Strategy and Technology. In this role, he provides strategic planning leadership for BlueForge work in applying supply chain, workforce development and training and technology integration into the Defense Industrial Base. n nPrior to joining BlueForge, Dr. Mogford led a range of science & technology organizations including a mission-driven federal office focused on high-risk/high-reward programs and a large academic research enterprise. His federal service includes stints as a program manager (2005-2009) and deputy director (2009-2011) of the DARPA/Defense Sciences Office (DSO). He also recently served as deputy chief of commercial strategy in the DARPA Director’s Office (2023-2024) before recruitment into the executive office of the president (2024-2025). n nDARPA/DSO programs spanned all disciplines including materials, manufacturing, quantum physics, pure mathematics, neurosciences, and biomedical technology. As DSO Deputy Director, he supported more than 20 program managers and orchestrated office investments ranging from the fundamental sciences to commercial transition efforts for both defense and non-defense applications. n nFrom 2013-2021, Dr. Mogford served as vice chancellor for research for the Texas A&M University System providing R&D leadership to the system’s eleven universities and eight state agencies encompassing 25,000 faculty and staff and research expenditures of 1 billion annually. In this role, he led the establishment of System-level Master Research Agreements with multiple partners including IBM, Philips Healthcare, Kubota, 3M, and Facebook.