# Wilmington Hosts Defense Production Summit

The inaugural Velocity Summit is scheduled for November 17, 2026, at Cape Fear Community College’s Union Station Conference Center in Wilmington, North Carolina. Co-presented by the North Carolina Military Business Center and The Protocase Companies, the event will bring state leaders, military readiness officials, and manufacturers together to discuss shortening defense production and sustainment timelines, including bottlenecks affecting ships, aircraft, ground systems, and critical components. For procurement professionals and contractors, the summit offers a near-term opportunity to hear about defense industrial-base challenges and connect capabilities in advanced manufacturing, aerospace, and defense supply chains with military and state stakeholders. The event is five days away; no specific solicitation, contract value, or registration deadline is identified in the signal.

- Contractors in advanced manufacturing, aerospace, and defense supply chains can register to attend and assess how their capabilities may address production and sustainment bottlenecks.
- Procurement teams can use the discussions with military readiness officials and manufacturers to better understand the operational challenges affecting delivery timelines for defense systems and components.
- The program includes North Carolina government leaders and representatives from Army, Navy, and Coast Guard organizations, making it relevant to firms pursuing state and federal defense business.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Defense & Military
**Published:** November 11, 2026

### Government Entities
- North Carolina Military Business Center (NCMBC)
- U.S. Army Materiel Command (AMC)
- Fleet Readiness Center East (FRC East)
- U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armament Command (TACOM)
- U.S. Coast Guard Aviation Logistics Center (ALC)

### Vendors
- The Protocase Companies (Co-presenter of the summit)
- Archer Aviation (Represented on the industry panel by its Director of Supplier Quality Engineering)
- Hendrick Technical Solutions (Represented on the industry panel by its president)
- 45Drives (Represented on the industry panel by its Chief Operating Officer)
- Phillips Corporation–Markforged (Represented on the industry panel by its business manager)

### Key Quotes
> The problem is how long it takes to turn a requirement into a delivered capability.
> — Dr. Doug Milburn, Chairman, The Protocase Companies

### Sources
- [NewMediaWire | Velocity Summit Announces Full Speaker Program: NC Governor Josh Stein, Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley, Senior Defense and Industry Leaders to Appear](https://www.newmediawire.com/news/velocity-summit-announces-full-speaker-program-nc-governor-josh-stein-commerce-secretary-lee-lilley-senior-defense-and-industry-leaders-to-appear-7091258) - NewMediaWire