The Annual Directed Energy Science and Technology Symposium will be held
primarily at the El Conquistador Hotel in Tucson, AZ,
30 March ‑ 2 April 2026. The Symposium will bring together a wide range of specialists including
researchers, managers, policymakers, and executives from government institutions (DoW, DoE and other national laboratories,
program offices, the intelligence community, etc.), industry, academia, and other scientific and engineering institutions.
In accordance with U.S. government security protocols, some conference sessions and short courses may be restricted to U.S.
government employees, Department of War personnel, or their contractors. Participants in these sessions must undergo a thorough
vetting process.
Only individuals who meet the necessary security requirements will be granted access to the conference sessions.
Exclusive Roundtable Reception for Qualifying Students
and Early Career Professionals (ECP's)
Exhibits and an evening exhibitor reception
DEPS Annual Report Update
Introduction of newly elected DEPS Directors
Induction of DEPS Fellows
Distinguished Speakers
The Tuesday Plenary Session will feature the following distinguished speakers:
Maj Gen. Thomas E. Kunkel, USAF (ret,), EVP/COO, Kyl Institute for National Security
Col. Scott A. Humr, PhD, USMC JIATF-401, S&T Division Chief
Dr. Michael H. Helle, SSTM, Principal Scientist for Directed Energy Physics, Naval Research Laboratory
Mr. Jeremy S. Oliver, Air Force Reasearch Laboratory/RD, Acting HPEM CTC Lead
Mr. John D. Mason, HEL Technologies Branch Chief, Directed Energy Division, U.S. Army SMDC-TC-MDD
Visiting Tucson
The city of Tucson and the surrounding area offer a wide range of experiences to enjoy before or after the event.
From scenic state parks with incredible views and easy hikes to the vibrant culture, arts, and flavor of the Southwest. The Symposium Committee
has put together a helpful suggestion guide to highlight a few of their favorite activities. Download the PDF, conveniently organized by the amount of time you have available - Morning Free,
Afternoon Free, or Day Free - and sorted from closest to farthest from the Hilton Tucson El Conquistador. Come explore Tucson!
Double Tour of the University of Arizona Facilities
A tour has been arranged for Friday morning at the University of Arizona campus, featuring two facilities:
the Wyant College of Optical Sciences and the College of Engineering.
Meet in the lobby at the hotel for an 0800 departure. Buses are expected to return to the hotel by noon.
Attendance is limited to 50 participants, so please reserve your spot as soon as possible through your registration form, or contact the DEPS office at 505-998-4910 if you have already registered.
Participants will be divided into two groups of 25, and each group will visit both facilities in sequence.
Expand the selection below to see the facilities to be toured:
Optical Engineering and Fabrication Facility
The Optical Engineering and Fabrication Facility began as Optical Sciences Center founding director Dr. Aden Meinel's "Large Optics Shop",
established in 1964 for research and manufacturing of large optics to support the Optics and Astronomy community as well as government interests.
The group is located in the Wyant College of Optical Sciences on the main campus of the University of Arizona. We specialize in optomechanics and optical
metrology for large optics.
The group possesses full capabilities covering design, analysis, fabrication, assembly and testing of large optics and optical systems. Examples include the 4.2 m
DKIST off-axis parabola, 4.3 m DCT primary, and two 6.5 m primary mirrors as well as the PolyCam instrument for the OSIRIS-REx asteroid mission. We are currently
supporting the US ELT programs GMT and TMT.
Mach 5 Ludwieg Tube
The Mach 5 Ludwieg Tube (LT5) is a 15-inch diameter wind tunnel that produces short-duration, high quality hypersonic flow. Design began largely in-house in 2017 and it was declared operational in 2021. The facility currently features a conventional nozzle producing a free-stream acoustic noise level of <1.2%. A quiet nozzle designed to dramatically reduce this noise is scheduled for installation soon. LT5 is primarily used for experiments focused on boundary-layer transition and aerothermal loading. New capabilities, including force and moment measurements, aero-optics, laser/surface and laser/flow field interactions are under development.
Arizona Polysonic Wind Tunnel (in the High-Speed Aerodynamics, Unsteadiness and Flow Control Laboratory)
The Arizona Polysonic Wind Tunnel (APWT) is a 15 x 15 inch (0.38 x 0.38 m) intermittent blowdown facility, supplied with 1200 ft3 (34 m3) of dried air at 2100 psi (14.6 MPa), with six Mach number nozzle pairs ranging from 1.75 to 4.0. It is the largest facility of its type at any US university, representing a unique test environment for students, researchers, and industry partners. Efforts are underway to further expand this capability from mid-subsonic (Mach 0.5), through transonic (near Mach 1), and up to low hypersonic (Mach 5). Two large compressors supply a maximum daily air supply of 28,900 lb (13.1 tons), which can be depleted at up to 500 lb/s (227 kg/s) during testing. Control valves throttle the air supply to a user-defined test profile. Test gas is ultimately directed through a diffuser and exhaust tower into the atmosphere. Maximum single test times range up to 90 s, with maximum daily throughput of up to 5 min. APWT was originally constructed by Fairchild Republic on Long Island, NY in 1956. It has since been operated at numerous institutions across Long Island (Grumman, Polytechnic University, and GASL/Orbital ATK) and has supported inlet/isolator studies (including the F-14 inlet), shuttle orbiter designs, and shock-vortex interaction research. APWT became operational in 2023 with funding from UArizona, TRMC, the state of Arizona and ARO. The facility supports fundamental student-led research through to industry-led restricted-access projects.
Program and Agenda
A high-level view of the Annual DE S&T Symposium agenda is in the table below.
View a detailed preliminary agenda here:
Note that the agenda is subject to change. Although there are attendance limitations to some sessions, the Symposium committee is working hard to create
an agenda that offers sessions that are open to all registered attendees at all times.
Agenda Overview
Monday, 30 March
AM and PM Short Courses
Welcome Drink in the Hotel Conference Area Hosted by IPG Photonics
Tuesday, 31 March
Plenary Session with Keynote Speakers
Lunch Co-Hosted by Optimax
PM Technical Breakout Sessions
Evening Exhibitors Reception Co-Hosted by FiveNine Optics
Poster Session
Wednesday, 1 April
AM & PM Technical Breakout Sessions
Roundtable Reception * exclusively for students/ECPs
Thursday, 2 April
AM & PM Technical Breakout Sessions
Education Workshop
Offsite Classified Technical Sessions
Symposium Contacts
Symposium Chair
Paul Shattuck
Session Chairs and Contacts
Beam Control Systems & Technologies
Teresa Berra
Josh Taylor
Power and Thermal for DE
Dana Teague
Directed Energy Bioeffects
Robert Thomas
HEL Technologies and Effects
David Mordaunt
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Amanda Coleman
Mission-Level Modeling, Simulation, and Analysis
Kevin Lehr
Atmospheric Propagation
Steve Fiorino
Jaclyn Schmidt
HPM Technologies and Effects
Jeremy Oliver
DE Weapons: Transforming Electromagnetic Warfare and EMSO in Modern Conflicts
