Everything You Need to Know from NAC’s 2026 General Membership Meeting & Reverse Industry Day

In mid-July, the National Armaments Consortium (NAC) welcomed representatives from government, industry, and academia to Parsippany, New Jersey, for its 2026 General Membership Meeting (GMM) and Reverse Industry Day. The two-day event provided members with direct access to government leaders, timely acquisition insights, and valuable opportunities to engage with organizations shaping the future of the nation’s armaments enterprise.

In all, over 200 attendees heard from senior government officials from Army Contracting Command (ACC) and received updates on key acquisition initiatives across the consortium’s programs. Moreover, members participated in over 210 one-on-one sessions with government stakeholders and leading defense companies, enhancing collaboration and strengthening partnerships across the defense industrial base.

GMM highlights included:

• A keynote address from Ms. Lynda Armer, Executive Director and Senior Contracting Official (SCO), U.S. Army Contracting Command (ACC) Rock Island, who shared her perspective on the evolving defense acquisition landscape, the importance of strong government-industry collaboration, and ACC’s plans to leverage the NAC and DOTC OTA vehicle alongside other mechanisms to deliver capabilities at speed.
• Program updates on the Naval Energetic Systems and Technologies (NEST) and DoD Ordnance Technology Consortium (DOTC) programs, highlighting current activities, upcoming opportunities, and the role each program plays in accelerating prototype development through collaboration.
• An OTA and white paper development session, offering practical guidance on developing competitive prototype submissions and navigating the consortium process.
• A session on congressional engagement led by the NAC’s government relations team, providing practical guidance on how members can effectively engage with Congress. educate policymakers, build relationships, and advance their business priorities.
• Networking opportunities throughout the event, allowing members to connect with government representatives, industry partners, and fellow consortium participants.

Reverse Industry Day

NAC’s Reverse Industry Day afforded NAC members—80% of which were nontraditional defense contractors—the opportunity to engage directly with government stakeholders and traditional defense contractors in focused, one-on-one conversations about mission priorities, capability gaps, emerging technology needs, and future opportunities for collaboration.

This year’s event featured 19 one-on-one style meeting stations, where attendees rotated through dedicated discussions with government stakeholders and major defense companies. These stations included representatives from Portfolio Acquisition Executive (PAE) Agile Sustainment and Ammunition (AS&A), DEVCOM Armaments Center (AC), General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (GD-OTS), L3Harris, Northrop Grumman, and RTX Corporation.

Government participants represented a broad cross-section of the Army’s armaments and ammunition science and technology enterprise as well as acquisition community, giving members the opportunity to engage directly with technical experts across a wide range of modernization priorities, including:

• Science & Technology Investment Office (STIO) – Future technology investments, portfolio priorities, and emerging capability needs.
• UAS Lethality Integration – Advanced lethality concepts and the integration of emerging capabilities for unmanned aerial systems.
• Fuze Division – Next-generation fuze technologies and munitions modernization initiatives.
• Energetics – Advanced energetic materials and technologies supporting next-generation munitions.
• DBX-1 – Development of the lead-free primary explosive DBX-1 (copper(I) 5-nitrotetrazolate), a safer replacement for lead azide in military fuzes, detonators, and priming mixtures.
• Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Drone Payloads – Emerging payload technologies and capability requirements for unmanned systems.
• Warfighter Capability Enhancement Areas & Cross-Cutting Ammunition and Energetics Enterprise Enablers – Future capability priorities supporting the Army’s armaments enterprise.
• Warheads Modernization – Next-generation warhead technologies and modernization initiatives.
• Demolitions Modernization, CAD/PAD Industrial Base Expansion & Next-Generation Explosive Compounds – Advancing demolition capabilities while strengthening the industrial base and developing safer, more effective explosive technologies.
• Combat Armaments and Protection Systems Portfolio Modernization (PM Close Combat Systems) – Modernization priorities supporting the Army’s close combat systems portfolio.
• Joint Service Small Arms Program (JSSAP) – Small arms technology development, standardization, and future capability initiatives.
• Mobile Extended Range 120 mm Mortar System – Advancing extended-range indirect fire capabilities for future operations.
• DoD Ordnance Technology Consortium (DOTC) and ACC – Program and contracting discussions with government representatives on current and future prototype opportunities.

These interactive engagements gave members the opportunity to ask detailed questions, exchange ideas, better understand future requirements and technology priorities, and explore opportunities to partner across government and industry. The format remains one of NAC’s most valuable member benefits, creating meaningful conversations and connections that often lead to future prototype opportunities and long-term collaboration.

Collaboration Continues

While the General Membership Meeting and Reverse Industry Day have concluded, the collaboration continues.

NAC’s calendar remains full of opportunities for government, industry, and academia to come together to solve complex defense challenges. The next opportunity is the 75th Ordnance and Ballistics Technology Working Group (OBTWG) Meeting, taking place July 27–31, 2026, at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. Technical leaders from across the Department of Defense, industry, academia, and other government organizations will exchange research, share emerging technologies, and collaborate on the future of armaments and ballistics.

That momentum continues with the AMTC 26-04 Collaboration Event, taking place August 4–5, 2026, in Huntsville, Alabama. The event will bring together government customers, NAC, and Vertical Lift Consortium members to review new technology opportunities, discuss emerging aviation and missile requirements, and participate in one-on-one collaboration sessions designed to accelerate the development and transition of innovative capabilities to the warfighter.

Thank you to all of the government speakers, member organizations, sponsors, partners, and attendees who helped make this year’s event a tremendous success. We look forward to seeing you at upcoming NAC events as we continue strengthening the defense industrial base and accelerating the delivery of critical capabilities to America’s warfighters.