Reloading the Arsenal

Chris Lynch is the cofounder and Managing Partner of Arsenal Collective, a venture fund investing in weapons and hard defense technologies that keep America and its allies safe. He was the founding director of the Defense Digital Service (DDS) at the Pentagon, where he served under Secretaries of Defense Ash Carter and Jim Mattis, introducing modern software practices to tackle national security challenges. In this role, Lynch led groundbreaking initiatives building hardware for the warfighter, including counter-drone technologies and biometric threat detection platforms. Lynch and his teams also created “Hack the Pentagon,” the federal government’s first-ever cybersecurity bug bounty program, and spearheaded the $10B JEDI Cloud project to modernize DoD’s cloud infrastructure. A serial entrepreneur, he co-founded Rebellion Defense, an early leader in defense-tech software-focused startup delivering mission-critical solutions for defense and intelligence agencies.

Nathan is the Chief Executive Officer of Divergent Industries, the aerospace and defense subsidiary of Divergent Technologies. Previously, he served as a colonel in the U.S. Air Force and a congressional appropriations staffer, with a 22-year career that included roles as Director of AFWERX, flight test commander, program manager, and fighter pilot, with assignments to the White House, DARPA, and Joint Staff. Nathan holds degrees in engineering, policy, and strategy from the Air Force Academy, Harvard, MIT, the French Test Pilot School, and National Defense University. Divergent Technologies is a $1 billion manufacturing technology startup that began in the automotive sector, supplying top-tier global manufacturers and designing the 253-mph record-setting Czinger 21C production hypercar. Its Divergent Adaptive Production System integrates digital engineering, additive manufacturing, and automated assembly from small components to full vehicle frames at large production quantities. This system is now being applied to aerospace and defense applications across domains and system lifecycles. Prior to joining Divergent, Nathan served on the staff of the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, overseeing a $42 billion annual defense-wide R&D and procurement budget. As a Professional Staff Member, he drafted defense innovation legislation to promote appropriations flexibility and transparency, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies. In his final Air Force role, Nathan was the Director of AFWERX, responsible for the strategy and execution of a $1 billion annual advanced technology budget for the U.S. Air Force and Space Force. AFWERX and SpaceWERX aligned emerging technologies to address DoD challenges, accelerating both commercial market and military technology adoption while fostering collaboration with private investors. During his 22 years in the Air Force, Nathan served in operational combat squadrons, flight test squadrons, program management offices, requirements staffs, and budgeting positions. He was the Director of Aeronautics in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, commanded a flight test squadron, and held positions at DARPA, the Joint Staff J-8, the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, the Strategic Capabilities Office, and the Space and Missile Center. Nathan is a member of the DoD Acquisition Corps, a test pilot, fighter pilot, FAA Airline Transport Pilot, and Certified Instructor Pilot, with over 2,900 hours in more than 60 aircraft. He is also the founder and CEO of a strategic consulting firm and an alumnus of the Air Force Academy and French Test Pilot School, holding graduate degrees in engineering, government, and strategy from National Defense University, France’s ISAE-SUPAERO, Harvard, and MIT.

Steve Simoni is the co-founder and President of Allen Control Systems (ACS), a leader in autonomous precision robotics. Steve is a thought leader in counter drone technologies and hosts The Drone Ultimatum, a leading defense technology podcast, where he engages military leaders, policymakers, and technologists on the evolving future of warfare. Steve served as a nuclear engineer in the U.S. Navy and began his career at the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), the largest of the Navy's five systems commands. He specialized in mission-critical instrumentation and control systems powering nuclear submarines, leading high-stakes troubleshooting and test programs essential to U.S. fleet readiness. Before founding ACS, Steve co-founded and served as CEO of Bbot, a software and robotics restaurant technology startup, which was acquired by DoorDash in March 2022. Steve has a Master of Science degree in Nuclear Engineering and a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, from The Pennsylvania State University where he served as a Navy midshipman in the PSU ROTC.

Brig. Gen. Jason E. Bartolomei is the Commander, Air Force Research Laboratory, Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and the Technology Executive Officer supporting both the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force. He leads an over $5 billion science, technology and innovation enterprise ni accelerating the discovery and development of solutions for Airmen and Guardians. He is responsible for formulating a comprehensive technology portfolio that anticipates future warfighter needs while promoting risk-taking and problem-solving across a 6,000-member government workforce. He accelerates the delivery of multi- disciplinary solutions through partnerships with industry, academia and international allies, and executes an additional $1.4 billion ni externally funded research and development. Through the laboratory's technology and functional directorates, AFWERX, and the 711th Human Performance Wing, his team produces a deep technical and medical bench, pushes the boundaries of modern technology and improves the science for tomorrow. Brig. Gen. Bartolomei was commissioned in 1997 from Marquette University's Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program. During his career, he has held a variety of senior acquisition positions. He served as Director of the Sentinel Systems Directorate, where he was responsible for the development, deployment and sustainment of the next-generation Intercontinental Ballistic Missile system. Additionally, he served in the Global Reach Programs Directorate as Assistant Secretary of the Ari Force (Acquisition), where he supported the Ari Force's tankers, airlift, special operations and trainer fleets. Furthermore, he served as an engineer ni the F-22 System Program Office and as an assistant professor of engineering mechanics at the U.S. Air Force Academy. He was also a Service Chiefs Fellow at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, a Military Legislative Felow for Senator Orrin G. Hatch, and aChief of Staff of the Air Force Felow, while assigned to the Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory. Prior to his current assignment, Brig. Gen. Bartolomei served as the Program Executive Officer for Weapons and Director of the Armament Directorate, where he was responsible for the planning and execution of al life cycle activities for air- delivered munitions.