Data Centers & National Security Summit

Defense Strategies Institute’s Data Centers & National Security Summit will convene senior leaders, top experts, and strategic decision makers from across the Commercial Sector, Federal Government, DoW, National Labs, and Academia for in-depth discussions on powering and securing critical data center infrastructure in support of national security. This forum aims to explore the technologies and strategies that ensure data centers operate efficiently and securely, with a focus on power management, cooling systems, and operational resilience.

TIA CEO, Dave Stehlin speaking:

Wed, June 24th, 3:50—4:40 pm

Data Centers, Networks, & the Power Challenge: Building a Resilient Future in the Telecom Sector This discussion will explore the telecommunications sector’s role in supporting the rapidly expanding data center ecosystem that underpins national security, economic competitiveness, and digital resilience. As hyperscale and AI-driven workloads accelerate, telecom providers face growing demands for high-capacity fiber, low-latency connectivity, and hardened network infrastructure. Panelists will examine sector-specific challenges, including scaling backbone capacity, securing network transport, ensuring redundancy, and coordinating with utilities to support the power and cooling requirements of large-scale facilities. The conversation will also address permitting, right-of-way constraints, and the need for infrastructure resilience in the face of rising demand and evolving threats.

Moderator: Sarah Morris (Confirmed), Senior Principal, HR&A Advisors; Former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, NTIA

Participants:

David Stehlin (Confirmed), CEO, Telecommunications Industry Association

Fazal Junaid (Confirmed), Associate Director of Public Sector Solutions, Verizon

Maureen Russell (Confirmed), Acting Deputy Associate Administrator, Office of Policy Analysis & Development, NTIA