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
11
April 2025
Virtual Event | Online Only
Using New Technologies to Stop Chinese Aggression
Featured Speakers:
Bryan Clark
Dan Patt
Timothy A. Walton
DVIDS
11
April 2025
Virtual Event | Online Only
Using New Technologies to Stop Chinese Aggression

At Sea Air Space 2025, Senior Fellows Bryan Clark, Dan Patt, and Timothy A. Walton will discuss their findings with a panel of government and industry experts tasked with implementing these ideas.

DVIDS
Featured Speakers:
Bryan Clark
Dan Patt
Timothy A. Walton
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
A F-22 Raptor from the 325th Fighter Wing flies alongside a F-35 Lightning II from the 33rd  Fighter Wing over the Emerald Coast. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt Savanah Bray)
Caption
A F-22 Raptor from the 325th Fighter Wing flies alongside a F-35 Lightning II from the 33rd Fighter Wing over the Emerald Coast. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt Savanah Bray)
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
7 Min Read
A Marine simulates providing security for an amphibious landing in Appari, Philippines, March 28, 2022, during Balikatan, a bilateral exercise between the U.S. and Philippines. (Photo by United States Marine Corps)
Caption
A Marine simulates providing security for an amphibious landing in Appari, Philippines, March 28, 2022, during Balikatan, a bilateral exercise between the U.S. and Philippines. (Photo by United States Marine Corps)
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
Commentary
4 Min Read
A member of the 321st Contingency Response Squadron security team stands next to a Ghost Robotics Vision 60 prototype during the Advanced Battle Management System exercise on Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, Sept. 1, 2020. (US Air Force)
Caption
A member of the 321st Contingency Response Squadron security team stands next to a Ghost Robotics Vision 60 prototype during the Advanced Battle Management System exercise on Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, Sept. 1, 2020. (US Air Force)
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
Aviation machinists perform maintenance on a MQ-8B unmanned helicopter on the flight deck of the Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10), May 14, 2020. (U.S. Navy)
Caption
Aviation machinists perform maintenance on a MQ-8B unmanned helicopter on the flight deck of the Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10), May 14, 2020. (U.S. Navy)
bryan_clark
bryan_clark
Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology
Default Expert Image
Senior Fellow, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology
timothy_walton
timothy_walton
Senior Fellow, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology
Reports
3 Min Read
Ships belonging to the Chinese naval fleet pass through a naval mine threat area during the Joint Sea-2021 China-Russia military drill near Vladivostok, Russia on October 15, 2021. (Photo by Sun Zifa/China News Service via Getty Images)
Caption
Ships belonging to the Chinese naval fleet pass through a naval mine threat area during the Joint Sea-2021 China-Russia military drill near Vladivostok, Russia on October 15, 2021. (Photo by Sun Zifa/China News Service via Getty Images)
bryan_clark
bryan_clark
Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology
Default Expert Image
Senior Fellow, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology
Commentary
5 Min Read