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Abstracts

Theme: “Forged to Fight – Global Reach from the Undersea”

The undersea battlespace is evolving faster than ever, driven by adversary advances and the accelerating pace of science and technology. To maintain and extend our advantage, the U.S. in coordination with our partners and allies must deliver capabilities that sharpen today’s fight, invest in revolutionary breakthroughs for tomorrow, and adopt disruptive concepts that create asymmetric advantages at scale. To achieve global reach from the undersea, our warfighters, engineers, scientists, strategists, and industry partners must join forces to explore the full spectrum of innovation—from near-term prototypes to high-risk, high-reward science, from sustaining the fleet to sustaining the warfighter.

The 2026 Submarine Technology Symposium will examine five interconnected themes: rapidly fielding fight-tonight technologies that expand survivability, decision superiority, and cross-domain lethality; identifying revolutionary breakthroughs on the horizon that could reshape platforms like SSN(X); designing for disruption, with low-cost, high-impact systems, deception, and asymmetric effects; advancing sustainment and construction innovations that reduce downtime, drive throughput, and keep the force enduringly ready; and optimizing warfighter effectiveness, where human performance, cognitive resilience, and human-centered design are treated as decisive enablers of operational power. Together, these themes create a continuum—from today’s urgent needs to tomorrow’s transformative capabilities—that ensures the United States and its allies remain forged to fight and able to deliver global reach from the undersea.

Agenda & Sessions

Session Descriptions

• Technologies to increase survivability
• Near-term C2/Communications solutions
• Leveraging AI/ML to improve warfighter effectiveness
• Rapid transition of S&T into fielded and integrated systems
• Agile sustainment models and digital maintenance
• Aligning acquisition tempo with tactical urgency
• Kill-chain enabling new technologies
• Cross-domain collaboration
• Decision/Engagement Superiority

• Low TRL technologies that have potential for game changing effects
• New technologies for COLUMBIA and SSN(X)
• S&T from non-traditional sources
• Quantum sensing
• Novel propulsion, energy harvesting
• Ultra-quiet materials
• High-risk, high-reward science with potential to reshape the undersea battlespace
• Autonomous decision-making
• Autonomy and AI at scale

• Low-cost, high-impact systems at scale
• Expanding Reach through asymmetric effects/effectors
• Technology that supports the hedge force
• Disruptive technologies that create outsized strategic or tactical effects
• Novel combinations of manned/unmanned systems, offensive/defensive tech integration
• Decoy and deception
• Low cost non-kinetic weapons/weapons other than torpedoes
• Off-board sensors and effectors for distributed lethality
• Multi-domain kill chains
• Novel kill webs
• Incorporation of Robotics into Ship System Operations

• Advanced manufacturing techniques
• Condition Based Maintenance
• Automation in manufacturing and maintenance
• Novel construction techniques
• Workforce modernization
• Technologies spanning submarine classes
• Initiatives to drive cost out of new construction and maintenance
• Modern shipyard methods enabling modular, adaptive platforms
• Increasing/improving throughput and capacity
• Methods to reduce downtime to maximize operational availability
• Interchangeability for repair, refuel, and resupply in theater

• AR/VR technologies to improve training effectiveness
• Aligning systems with real-world operator behavior and limitations
• Designing for cognitive load, accessibility, and usability
• Enhancing mental sharpness under stress and sensory deprivation
• Tools to support situational awareness and decision-making under duress
• Fatigue Mitigation and Circadian Health
• Using physiological data for personalized health insights
• Joint optimization of hardware, software, and the human interface
• Human Performance/System Integration
• Human-centered Design
• Mental Acuity

Download

Agenda

The agenda for the 2026 STS will be posted here when available.

Registration

Registration information will be posted here when available.

Attendee Info

Hotels

Parking

Campus Parking

This event is held at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723.

Campus Map

Dress Code

Service Khakis for all attendees.

Sponsorships

Sponsorship information will be posted here when available.

Organizations interested in sponsoring the 2026 Corporate Member Days should contact corpmem@navalsubleague.org. Sponsorship recognition includes listing on the NSL website, in NSL mass emails, in The Submarine Review, in the event brochure, on banners at the event, and in remarks by the chairperson during the event.

Speakers' Kit

Security & Visits Information

Clearances

Admittance to the Symposium will not be permitted unless a valid DoD clearance is received. Classified visit requests must be submitted to the JHU/APL Incoming Visitor Control Office by Friday, May 1, 2026.

Cleared visitors from DoD organizations should send their clearance information via the Defense Information System for Security (DISS) as follows.

Search by CAGE code 88898 in DISS to locate the below options.

• Collateral: 88898-JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY APL-1
• SCI: 88898-JOHNS HOPKINS APL-3
  • (Note: if you are passing SCI, you do not need to separately pass collateral)

Please note “Submarine Technology Symposium” or “STS 2026” in the visit name.

Cleared visitors from facilities that do not use DISS may send clearance information by completion of a Visit Authorization Request containing the below information. Requests must be typed and on company letterhead.

1. Visitor’s full name, position, date and place of birth, citizenship, social security number, and email address
2. Certification of the visitor’s DoD clearance level, date granted, and any special access caveats
3. Company name, address, telephone, DoD CAGE code, and facility clearance level
4. Dates or period during which the request is to be valid (5-7 May, 2026)
5. Technical JHU/APL point of contact (Carrie Parker, carrie.parker@jhuapl.edu)
6. Purpose and sufficient justification for the visit (Submarine Technology Symposium/STS 2026)
7. Signature of authorizing individual, printed name and position.
   1. Please note that a visitor may not sign one’s own request and the signature cannot be typed.

This information can be sent by fax to 443-778-6400, uploaded to JHU/APL's FedRAMP certified secure dropbox, or emailed as a password-protected document to invis-office@jhuapl.edu.

Government Quota

The number of government and military personnel who can attend is limited. Before you register, you must send an email request with your name and organization to Layna Nelson, Science Advisor, COMSUBFOR at layna.k.nelson.civ@us.navy.mil.

Form SF-182

Section B – Training Course Data
1a. Naval Submarine League, 405 N Henry St, Alexandria, VA 22314
1b. Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD
1c. 703-256-0891
1d. events@navalsubleague.org
2a. Submarine Technology Symposium (SECRET)
2b. NA
3. 2026-05-05
4. 2026-05-07
5. 26
6. 0
7. 03-Improve/Maintain Present Performance
8. 01 – Training Program Area
9. 09 – Project Management
10. 04 – Conference/workshop
11. 05 – N/A
12. 0
13. blank
14. No
15. N/A
16. blank
17. 03 – Non-government
18. Improve understanding of submarine and technology related organization objectives. Engage in productive technical exchanges with Navy leadership, Industry, and Academia.
Section C – Costs and Billing Information
1a. $600.00
1b. 0
1c. $600.00

Security

Cell phones, fitness/activity trackers, any other Wi-Fi or Bluetooth devices, and unapproved medical devices, will not be allowed in the auditorium.

Electronic Medical Devices (EMDs) must be approved before being allowed into classified event spaces. If you require an EMD, please contact fso-meddev@jhuapl.edu for approval.

Medical Devices

Electronic Medical Devices (EMDs) must be approved before being allowed into classified event spaces. If you require an EMD, please contact fso-meddev@jhuapl.edu for approval.

Non-US Citizen Attendees

Non-U.S. citizen attendees should contact their embassy in the U.S. as soon as possible to begin the clearance passing process. This process can take upwards of 45 business days to complete.

Proceedings

Information regarding proceedings for the 2026 STS will be posted here when available.