In Arlington, Va., UND again hosts prestigious UAS conference

UND president chairs — and UND is only university with presence at — conference on military UAS tech and training

UND again has served as host to one of the leading Uncrewed Aircraft Systems conferences in the United States — a conference that brings together all branches of the U.S. military, senior military officers from allied nations and researchers and industry members from around the world.

The fourth annual UAV Technology USA Conference was organized by the London-based SAE Media Group, and took place Feb. 2-3 in Arlington, Va. President Andrew Armacost again presided over the event, introducing the numerous speakers, and facilitating conversations meant to bring people up to speed on the ever-advancing role that UAS have come to play in both the national airspace and military conflicts.

Sitting at the front of a large conference room, Armacost encouraged attendees to converse with and get to know one another, as one chance interaction might just help solve a problem both parties are facing.

To that effect, he gave participants a homework assignment of meeting 10 new people.

“You don’t know where the next connection, the next interaction that happens randomly, will come from, but it could very well happen as a consequence of your random engagement with one another,” he said.

Armacost thanked the event organizers for putting the conference into motion and said it was a privilege to serve as host. “It’s always a great experience to hear and to mark the progress that’s being made in this important work,” Armacost said.

Nearly 20 speakers took the podium over the two-day conference to speak on topics ranging from new communications technology to counter-drone use in war. Heavy topics to be sure, but Armacost broke the ice by sharing that he had won a car on the gameshow “The Price is Right” in 2018.

And just like that, the mood lightened. Armacost then asked each speaker to share an interesting fact about themselves, as they took the stage.

Up first was Lt. Col. Christopher Hill, deputy commander of the 25th Attack Group for the U.S. Air Force. Hill — who once, he related with a laugh and as per Armacost’s instructions, had had a pet prairie dog while in college in Florida — spoke about the MQ-9 Reaper drone, which the Air Force uses around the world.

In 2024, the four flying squadrons of the 25th Attack Group flew more than 42,000 hours in 2,583 missions.

“Our bottom line up front here is that the MQ-9 is operating worldwide and will remain the large Group 5 unmanned platform of choice for the Department of Defense, and definitely a growing pool of international customers as well, through the 2030s and likely beyond,” he said.

The conference delved into several other topics, including:

• An update by Lt. Col. Marcus Anthony, deputy chief of MQ-9 Operations Branch for the Air Force, on integration into airspace.
• The use of high-altitude intelligence, search and reconnaissance vehicles in the Air Force, as described by Anthony Susainathan, chief engineer at the High Altitude ISR Division of the Air Force.
• Developing autonomous air systems for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, as presented by Capt. Dennis Monagle, program manager for Multi-Mission Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems, with the U.S. Navy.

After each talk, Armacost guided a Q&A session between the speaker and industry representatives and other military members.

UND’s four-year history of hosting the event stems from the work that was and still is happening on campus, Armacost said. For example, high-profile speakers have visited campus, including retired Gen. Lori Robinson and tech guru and inventor of the Oculus VR headset Palmer Luckey. In addition, UND is known for its success in teaching people about all things Aerospace, and the University’s growing footprint in national security research efforts is evidenced by the recently opened National Security Corridor.

Armacost also noted UND’s partnerships in the Grand Forks-area UAS ecosystem, such as with the Northern Plains UAS Test Site (the first such site created in the nation) and the UAS business park Grand Sky.

And the University carries out multiple nonmilitary UAS projects, including a partnership with the Mandan Hidatsa and Arikara Nation to deliver medicines and other medical supplies for Indigenous people living far from the nearest clinic or hospital.

“A lot of really cool things are happening at UND that you might not be aware of,” Armacost said to participants at the event. “I say this as a public service announcement, just to let you know that the University of North Dakota and Grand Forks is central to work that’s happening across the nation — and if you’re interested, come visit us.”

Traveling with Armacost were Mark Askelson, associate vice president of National Security, and Chris Theisen, executive director of the Research Institute for Autonomous Systems, who answered questions abut UND and its research during breaks.

The UAV Technology Conference USA will again be held in Arlington on Feb. 2-3 in 2026.