About DEFENSEAIAA DEFENSE Forum / About / About DEFENSEThe AIAA Defense and Security Forum (AIAA DEFENSE Forum) is a Secret/NOFORN event providing a venue for leaders from government, military, industry, and academia to advance and accelerate innovation. The 2021 forum, to be held 14-16 September at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, MD, covers the strategic, programmatic, and technical topics and policy issues pertaining to the aerospace and defense community. This year’s theme will explore the strategic imperatives of competition – from great power competition to commercial innovation to competing in the marketplace of ideas.The forum’s program consists of two main parts: a technical program offering a deep analysis on research and technologies geared to solve specific problems, and high-level plenary sessions tackling the most pressing issues impacting the future of national security.Highlights from previous AIAA DEFENSE Forums can be found in the Archives.