Carahsoft HQ · 11493 Sunset Hills Road, Reston, VA
The Irregular Warfare Initiative (IWI) and the Special Operations Association of America (SOAA) will host a two-day conference at Carahsoft Headquarters in Reston, Virginia, focused on the role of critical minerals and rare earth elements in strategic competition. As demand for these resources grows across defense, energy, and advanced technologies, control of supply chains has become a central factor in national security and irregular competition.
Bringing together 400–600 leaders from government, industry, academia, and the national security community, the conference will examine how strategic resources are used as instruments of leverage, denial, and influence. Day one will focus on supply chain vulnerabilities, economic statecraft, and gray-zone dynamics, while day two shifts to forward-looking solutions and emerging approaches to strengthening resilience. The event will also include an invitation-only working group and tabletop exercise (TTX), convening senior stakeholders to explore how to compete and shape outcomes in contested resource environments.
Who Should Attend
- U.S. government and interagency professionals
- Military and special operations leaders
- Industry stakeholders across critical minerals, supply chains, and infrastructure
- Investors and financial leaders in strategic resources
- Academia, think tanks, and national security analysts
- Journalists covering defense and global competition
Register Below
Register NowSchedule
Day one — Tuesday, July 21
System, risk & strategic competition
Registration & coffee
Welcome remarks
Opening remarks IWI & SOAA
Keynote address
Networking break Break
Panel one: Supply chain deconstructed
Mining, processing, logistics, and critical chokepoints
Featured industry brief Industry
Networking break Break
Panel two: Economic statecraft & strategic competition
Resource constraints, national security implications, and investment as a tool of state power
Fireside chat
Lunch
Panel three: Illicit networks & gray-zone activity
Non-state actors, shadow trade, and proxy dynamics
Featured industry brief Industry
Networking break Break
Panel four: Private sector on the front lines
Industry perspectives on operating in contested environments
Closing remarks
Networking reception & strategic capabilities showcase
Day two — Wednesday, July 22
Futures, solutions & strategic response
Coffee & networking
Opening remarks
Keynote address
Panel five: The future of extraction & processing
Emerging methods, alternative materials, and reshoring efforts
Networking break Break
Invite-only — 1000 to 1400
Working group & tabletop exercise
Closed-door scenario-based session for senior leaders from government, industry, and academia.
Open conference — 1020 onward
Open programming continues
Panels, innovation showcase, and lunch run concurrently with the TTX.
Panel six: Innovation in supply chain resiliency & security
Tools, data, and approaches to improving visibility and control
Networking break Break
Innovation showcase Showcase
Lunch
Panel seven: Building resilient systems
Public-private coordination, capital deployment, and policy frameworks
Full group rejoins — 1405
Networking break Break
Closing fireside chat: What happens next
A forward-looking discussion on priorities, constraints, and pathways for strategic advantage
Closing remarks
About IWI
The Irregular Warfare Initiative (IWI) is a non-profit organization working to bridge the gap between scholars, practitioners, and policymakers engaged in the study and practice of irregular warfare. Through a mix of publications, podcasts, and events, IWI fosters dialogue on gray zone conflict, information warfare, proxy competition, and other forms of conflict that fall below the threshold of conventional war. By connecting academic research with operational insights, IWI helps prepare today's thought leaders for the complex challenges of the modern national security environment and strategic competition.
About SOAA
The Special Operations Association of America (SOAA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating for the interests of the U.S. special operations community. SOAA works to ensure that current and former special operations personnel receive the support, resources, and recognition they have earned. The organization also engages directly with Congress, the Department of Defense, and other stakeholders on national security issues that affect the special operations enterprise. SOAA promotes public understanding of special operations through strategic communications, veteran engagement, and partnerships with industry and academia.
