Dan Patt

Senior Fellow, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology

dan_patt

At A Glance:

Dan Patt is a senior fellow with 华体会鈥檚 Center for Defense Concepts and Technology. His work at Hudson focuses on the role of information and innovation in national security.

Biography

Dan Patt is a senior fellow with 华体会鈥檚 Center for Defense Concepts and Technology. His experience is at the intersection of technology, business, and national security strategy. His work at Hudson focuses on the role of information and innovation in national security.

Dr. Patt supports strategy at national security technology provider STR and supports Thomas H. Lee Partners鈥� automation and technology investment practice. He has more than 20 years of experience operationalizing emerging technology, including applied artificial intelligence, networked information systems, robotics, supply chain automation, and enterprise information technology. He holds advisory board roles at the University of Michigan College of Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and Andrew W. Marshall Foundation.

Previously, Dr. Patt cofounded and was CEO of Vecna Robotics, a commercial venture-backed warehouse robotics and workflow orchestration company. Dr. Patt also served as deputy director for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)鈥檚 Strategic Technology Office (STO), where he managed a portfolio of technology investments including command and control; decision aids; communications and networking; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; and electronic warfare. He also launched the Mosaic Warfare initiative at DARPA. In 2017, Dr. Patt supported the deputy secretary of defense in leading an effort to define a new modernization initiative for the Department of Defense as part of the 2018 National Defense Strategy effort.

Dr. Patt previously held technical and leadership positions in the automotive and aerospace industries focusing on emerging technology, including robotic and uncrewed systems, process automation, and human-machine integration. His contributions to technology, national security, and business have been recognized with more than a dozen career honors and awards.

Dr. Patt received his BA, MS, and PhD in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan.

Events
26
February 2025
Past Event
Adapting at Scale: A Conversation with Major General Kunkel, Air Force Director for Force Design, Integration, and Wargaming
Featured Speakers:
Major General Joseph Kunkel
Dan Patt
Timothy A. Walton
Air Force Research Laboratory鈥檚 XQ-67A Off Board Sensing Station flies near Palmdale, California on February 28, 2024. (DVIDS)
26
February 2025
Past Event
Adapting at Scale: A Conversation with Major General Kunkel, Air Force Director for Force Design, Integration, and Wargaming

Major General Kunkel will join 华体会 Senior Fellows Dan Patt and Timothy A. Walton for a fireside chat. Major General Kunkel will then take questions from the audience.

Air Force Research Laboratory鈥檚 XQ-67A Off Board Sensing Station flies near Palmdale, California on February 28, 2024. (DVIDS)
Featured Speakers:
Major General Joseph Kunkel
Dan Patt
Timothy A. Walton
12
December 2024
Past Event
Accelerating Replicator and Fielding Technologies for Today鈥檚 Fight
Featured Speakers:
Bryan Clark
Aditi Kumar
Dan Patt
Deputy Director, Defense Innovation Unit
12
December 2024
Past Event
Accelerating Replicator and Fielding Technologies for Today鈥檚 Fight

Join Hudson Senior Fellows Bryan Clark and Dan Patt for a fireside chat with Aditi Kumar, deputy director of the Defense Innovation Unit, to discuss Replicator鈥檚 progress and its promise for the future.

Deputy Director, Defense Innovation Unit
Featured Speakers:
Bryan Clark
Aditi Kumar
Dan Patt
29
October 2024
Past Event
Advancing Joint Experimentation to Solve Operational Problems
Featured Speakers:
Dan Patt
Thomas Browning
Bob Stephenson
Bryan Clark
Arun Seraphin
US Army Staff Sgt. Stetson Manuel carries the Ghost-X Unmanned Aircraft System on March 11, 2024, at Fort Irwin, California. (DVIDS)
29
October 2024
Past Event
Advancing Joint Experimentation to Solve Operational Problems

Join the National Defense Industrial Association鈥檚 Emerging Technology Institute and Hudson鈥檚 Center for Defense Concepts and Technology for a symposium exploring the future of joint experimentation for new technology-enabled operational concepts.

US Army Staff Sgt. Stetson Manuel carries the Ghost-X Unmanned Aircraft System on March 11, 2024, at Fort Irwin, California. (DVIDS)
Featured Speakers:
Dan Patt
Thomas Browning
Bob Stephenson
Bryan Clark
Arun Seraphin
12
June 2024
Past Event
The New Iron Triangle: Achieving Adaptability and Scale in Defense Acquisition
Featured Speakers:
Rob Wittman
Aditi Kumar
Lt. Gen. Robert M. Collins
Mitch Skiles
Andy Green
Joe Laurenti
Michael Brasseur
Michael Hiatt
Josh Martin
Moderators:
Nadia Schadlow
Bryan Clark
Dan Patt
U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Andrew Hill, a motor transport operator assigned to Combat logistics Battalion 6, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, fastens the propeller arms on a Tactical Resupply Vehicle 150 (TRV) unmanned aircraft system during test flight operations in Setermoen, Norway, Feb. 6, 2024.鈥  (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Christian Salazar)
12
June 2024
Past Event
The New Iron Triangle: Achieving Adaptability and Scale in Defense Acquisition

Join Hudson for a three-part event discussing the challenges and opportunities facing Western militaries and defense industries as they attempt to achieve relevant capability at scale.

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Andrew Hill, a motor transport operator assigned to Combat logistics Battalion 6, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, fastens the propeller arms on a Tactical Resupply Vehicle 150 (TRV) unmanned aircraft system during test flight operations in Setermoen, Norway, Feb. 6, 2024.鈥  (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Christian Salazar)
Featured Speakers:
Rob Wittman
Aditi Kumar
Lt. Gen. Robert M. Collins
Mitch Skiles
Andy Green
Joe Laurenti
Michael Brasseur
Michael Hiatt
Josh Martin
Moderators:
Nadia Schadlow
Bryan Clark
Dan Patt
Uncrewed aerial vehicles equipped with specialized software and sensors fly during the Technical Concept Experiment (TCE) 23.2, at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in California on January 19, 2024. (US Navy photo by Michael Walls)
Caption
Uncrewed aerial vehicles equipped with specialized software and sensors fly during the Technical Concept Experiment 23.2 at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in California on January 19, 2024. (US Navy photo by Michael Walls)
dan_patt
dan_patt
Senior Fellow, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology
bryan_clark
bryan_clark
Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology
Commentary
4 Min Read
South Korean military drones fly in formation during a South Korea鈥揢S joint military drill at Seungjin Fire Training Field in Pocheon, South Korea, on May 25, 2023. (Yelim LEE / AFP via Getty Images)
Caption
South Korean military drones fly in formation during a South Korea鈥揢S joint military drill at Seungjin Fire Training Field in Pocheon, South Korea, on May 25, 2023. (Yelim LEE / AFP via Getty Images)
dan_patt
dan_patt
Senior Fellow, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology
bryan_clark
bryan_clark
Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology
Commentary
4 Min Read
 US Marines remove 鈥淎my,鈥 an uncrewed surface vehicle, from the water during Technology Operational Experimentation Event 23.1 on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, on April 21, 2023. (US Marine Corps photo)
Caption
US Marines remove 鈥淎my,鈥� an uncrewed surface vehicle, from the water during Technology Operational Experimentation Event 23.1 on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, on April 21, 2023. (US Marine Corps photo)
bryan_clark
bryan_clark
Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology
dan_patt
dan_patt
Senior Fellow, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology
Reports
4 Min Read
A 38-foot Steber uncrewed surface vehicle that can be used for mine-sweeping operations during a testing and evaluation event by the Royal Australian Maritime Warfare Centre and Thales in conjunction with Maritime Deployable Robotic and Autonomous Systems Experimentation Unit in Sydney on March 1, 2023. (Royal Australian Navy)
Caption
A 38-foot Steber uncrewed surface vehicle that can be used for mine-sweeping operations during a testing and evaluation event by the Royal Australian Maritime Warfare Centre and Thales in conjunction with Maritime Deployable Robotic and Autonomous Systems Experimentation Unit in Sydney on March 1, 2023. (Royal Australian Navy)
bryan_clark
bryan_clark
Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology
dan_patt
dan_patt
Senior Fellow, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology
Reports
8 Min Read
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Caption
A Saildrone Explorer unmanned surface vessel and the guided-missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black (DDG 119) operate in the Arabian Gulf on January 8, 2023. (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jeremy R. Boan)
Default Expert Image
Senior Fellow, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology
bryan_clark
bryan_clark
Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology
Reports
7 Min Read