2026 Force Multipliers

Defense News’ Force Multipliers is an annual list recognizing leaders who turn defense innovation into scalable production and sustained capability. This list highlights those strengthening the industrial base, expanding manufacturing capacity, advancing supply-chain resilience, and building the production and sustainment infrastructure needed to deliver defense capabilities at scale.

Prime Industrial Base & Production Scale Leaders

Name	Title	Organization
Kathy Warden Chair	President & CEO	Northrop Grumman
James Taiclet	Chair, President & CEO	Lockheed Martin
Chris Kastner	President & CEO	HII
Phebe Novakovic	Chair & CEO	General Dynamics
Christopher T. Calio	Chair & CEO	RTX Corporation
Armin Papperger	Chair of the Executive Board & CEO	Rheinmetall AG
Tom Arseneault	President & CEO	BAE Systems, Inc.
Sam Mehta	President & CEO	L3Harris Technologies
Tom Bell	CEO	Leidos

Neo-Primes, High-Growth & Disruptive Defense Companies

Name	Title	Organization
John Baylouny	President & CEO	Leonardo DRS, Inc.
Brian Schimpf	Co-Founder & CEO	Anduril Industries
Dino Mavrookas	Co-Founder & CEO	Saronic Technologies
Soren Monroe-Anderson	Co-Founder & CEO	Neros Technologies
Matthew J. Desch	CEO & Director	Iridium
Chris Power	Founder & CEO	Hadrian
Eric DeMarco	President & CEO	Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc.
Andy Lowery	CEO	Epirus
Matt Warnick	CEO	American Rheinmetall
Jake Loosararian	Co-Founder & CEO	Gecko Robotics
William Ballhaus	Chair & CEO	Mercury Systems
Steve Schorer	Chair & CEO	Peraton
Kevin Hair	President & CEO	SRC, Inc.
Brett Granberg	Co-Founder & CEO	Vannevar Labs
Gary Steele	CEO	Shield AI
Horacio Rozanski	Chair & CEO	Booz Allen Hamilton
Alex Karp	Co-Founder & CEO	Palantir Technologies
Brandon Daniels	CEO	Exiger
Even Rogers	Co-Founder & CEO	True Anomaly
Luke Savoie	CEO and President	Twenty-Six Defense (formerly Elbit Systems of America)
Scott Forney	President	General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems

Logistics, Sustainment & Readiness Leaders

Name	Title	Organization
Lt. Gen. Michelle K. Donahue	Deputy Chief of Staff, G-4 (Logistics)	U.S. Army
Rear Adm. Kristin B. Acquavella	Commander, NAVSUP and Chief of Supply Corps	Naval Supply Systems Command
Rear Adm. Daniel L. Lannamann	Commander	Navy Regional Maintenance Center
Michelle Link	Capability Program Executive, Combat Sustainment (CPE CS)	U.S. Army

Infrastructure, Installations & Industrial Base Resilience

Name	Title	Organization
Lt. Gen. Keith D. Reventlow, USMC	Director for Logistics, J4	The Joint Staff
Jon Rambeau	CEO	Karman Space & Defense
Vice Adm. Christopher “Scotty” Gray	Commander, Navy Installations Command	U.S. Navy
Hon. W. Jordan Gillis	Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations, Energy & Environment)	U.S. Army
Lt. Gen. James M. Smith	Commanding General, U.S. Army Installation Management Command	U.S. Army
Brig. Gen. Christopher J. Leonard	Director of Civil Engineers	U.S. Air Force

Technology, Cyber & Digital Infrastructure

Name	Title	Organization
Emil Michael	Under Secretary of Defense for Research & Engineering / Department CTO	U.S. Department of Defense
Vice Adm. Heidi K. Berg	Commander, U.S. Fleet Cyber Command / U.S. Navy Space Command / U.S. TENTH Fleet	U.S. Navy
Dr. Alex Miller	Chief Technology Officer	U.S. Army
Cameron Stanley	Chief Digital & Artificial Intelligence Officer	U.S. Department of Defense
Kirsten Davies	Chief Information Officer	U.S. Department of Defense
Lt. Gen. Lorna Mahlock, USMC	Deputy Commander	U.S. Cyber Command
Justin Fanelli	Chief Technology Officer	U.S. Navy

Munitions, Energetics & Critical Materials Industrial Base

Name	Title	Organization
Ken Bedingfield	President, Missile Solutions	L3Harris Technologies
Col. Jason Bohannon	Capability Program Executive, Ammunition & Energetics	U.S. Army (Picatinny Arsenal)
James Litinsky	Founder, Chair & CEO	MP Materials
Bryon Hargis	Co-Founder & CEO	Castelion
John Maslin	Co-Founder & CEO	Vulcan Elements
Jason Hundley	Founder & CEO	X-Bow Systems

Maritime & Shipbuilding Industrial Base

Name	Title	Organization
Chris Miller	Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for Robotic and Autonomous Systems (DRPM RAS)	U.S. Navy
Gary Camper	President, Nuclear Operations Group	BWX Technologies
Rob Gorham	Co-Founder, President & CEO	BlueForge Alliance
David Kim	CEO	Hanwha Philly Shipyard

Industrial Base Policy, Capital & Transition Authorities

Name	Title	Organization
Hon. Michael Cadenazzi	Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy	U.S. Department of Defense
Hon. Brent G. Ingraham	Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics & Technology)	U.S. Army
William F. Mahan	Performing duties of Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development & Acquisition)	U.S. Navy
David Lorch	Director, Office of Strategic Capital	U.S. Department of Defense
Gen. Francis L. Donovan	Commander, U.S. Southern Command	U.S. Marine Corps
Owen West	Director, Defense Innovation Unit	U.S. Department of Defense

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