Media Advisory: UND to host Space Operations Summit, National Security Speaker series

Back-to-back events highlight UND’s national security mission

Who: Ben Davies, corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman Defense Systems Sector.

What: Fireside chat with UND President Andy Armacost on National Security-related issues.

Where: Memorial Union Ballroom on the UND campus.

When: Thursday, Nov. 6, from 2:30-3:30 p.m.

In addition: The 2025 Space Operations Summit will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 5 from 8 a.m. to 5:45 p.m., and Thursday, Nov. 6, from 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Background: On Wednesday and Thursday in the Memorial Union, UND will host its second annual Space Operations Summit. The event will feature prominent academics, defense leaders and industry players gathering on campus for a look into the rapidly evolving domain of space. Expected discussion topics include satellite testing and design, hypersonics and NASA’s Artemis Program, the agency’s initiative to return a human to the moon.

In connection with the Space Operations Summit, and as part of the University’s ongoing speaker series titled “UND LEADS: Broad Perspectives on National Security,” UND on Thursday will host Ben Davies, corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman Defense Systems Sector. In his role at Northrop Grumman, Davies oversees the delivery of missiles and other tactical weapons systems critical to America’s land-based deterrence capabilities.

Davies will appear onstage for a fireside chat with UND President Andy Armacost; the time and place are above. The pair will discuss a range of issues pertaining to national security, and Northrop Grumman’s role in addressing them.

Members of the media wishing to attend are asked to RSVP. The event will also be livestreamed via UND’s YouTube page.

Media Contact: Joe Banish, joseph.banish@und.edu