The North Carolina Military Business Center (NCMBC) and The Protocase Companies have announced they will co-present the inaugural Velocity Summit on November 17, 2026, in Wilmington, North Carolina. The event will bring together leaders from industry, the military, government, policy, research, workforce development, and the media to address a critical national security challenge: the speed at which the United States can translate military requirements into manufactured capability.
America's defense manufacturing challenge is fundamentally one of time. Despite exceptional engineering talent, technology, capital, and advanced manufacturing expertise, it can take years to move from military requirements to produced systems. Production delays, supply chain constraints, and limited surge capacity increasingly put national security at risk. The Velocity Summit will center on a practical question: how can the United States turn military requirements into manufacturing capability at scale more quickly? Discussions will focus on accelerating production, reducing barriers across the defense industrial base, strengthening supply chains, and expanding capacity to build and sustain ships, aircraft, munitions, and other critical systems, all with an eye toward North Carolina businesses playing a key leadership role in innovating around current constraints.
"We have an extraordinary collection of assets in this state," said Dr. Doug Milburn, co-founder of Protocase. "The opportunity is to connect those strengths around a common mission. That is what Velocity is intended to begin."
North Carolina is well positioned to contribute. The Department of Defense has an estimated $79.7 billion annual economic impact in the state, where the military is the second-largest economic sector. North Carolina also has the Southeast's largest manufacturing workforce—approximately 459,000 jobs—more than 400 aerospace manufacturers, over 100,000 aerospace, aviation, and engineering professionals, six major military installations, two deep-water ports, leading research universities, and a statewide community college system.
"It is the speed at which we can bring those strengths together to meet urgent national security needs," said Jimmy Hendrix, Director for Regional Programs at the North Carolina Military Business Center. "Velocity Summit is about creating the connections and alignment needed to help transform those strengths into faster, more responsive defense manufacturing capacity for the nation."
Unlike a traditional conference, Velocity Summit is designed to advance practical solutions and durable partnerships among industry, government, academia, and the military. NCMBC and The Protocase Companies envision the inaugural event as the beginning of a broader effort to strengthen defense manufacturing and raise the visibility of North Carolina's industrial capabilities. A new episode of ProtoPod features Dr. Doug Milburn of Protocase and Jimmy Hendrix of NCMBC discussing Velocity Summit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIQd1dHTixo. For more information and to register for the event, visit: https://www.ncmbc.us/event/velocity-summit/.
The implications of this announcement extend beyond a single event. By convening diverse stakeholders, the Velocity Summit aims to catalyze systemic changes in how the U.S. approaches defense manufacturing. If successful, it could lead to reduced production timelines, more resilient supply chains, and enhanced surge capacity—all critical for maintaining military readiness. North Carolina's role as a hub for this effort underscores the state's strategic importance and could spur economic growth through increased defense contracts and job creation. As global threats evolve, the ability to rapidly field advanced military systems becomes paramount, and the Velocity Summit represents a proactive step toward ensuring the nation's defense industrial base can meet future challenges.
