Senior Military Keynote Speaker

To defeat the rapidly evolving drone threat, we must overhaul how we acquire and deploy defensive capabilities. As the mission expands beyond the Department of War to secure our homeland and critical infrastructure, industry must abandon closed, proprietary silos. The problem demands open-architecture systems, layered defenses, and software-defined interoperability. JIATF 401’s operational priorities drive rigorous real-world testing through our test standards and challenge partners to aggressively forge an adaptable defense ecosystem.

Col Scott Humr, Ph.D, from Mantua, Ohio, is the Science and Technology Division Chief, Joint Interagency Task Force 401.

His operational tours include Headquarters Co, 7th Marine Regiment (HqCo and Reg Supply Officer); 3d Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion (Bn Supply Officer); I Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan (Info Mgmt Officer); I Marine Expeditionary Force (Info Systems Officer); Combined Task Force 51/5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (Deputy Director of Logistics). He also served at Manpower & Reserve Affairs, Officer Assignments Branch as the Graduate Education Manager.

Col Humr earned a Ph.D. in Information Sciences with a dissertation on the temporal evolution of trust in Artificial Intelligence - supported decision-making. He also holds a B.A. in Management Information Systems with a minor in Economics from the University of New Mexico, a M.S. in Information Technology Management from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a M.S. in Military Science from Marine Corps University.

His military education includes Expeditionary Warfare School, Marine Corps Command and Staff, and Naval Command and Staff at NPS.

The Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF 401), reporting to the Deputy Secretary of War, is the U.S. Department of War (DoW)'s lead organization for Counter-Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-sUAS). It aligns authorities and resources to rapidly deliver Joint C-sUAS capabilities for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Groups 1, 2, and 3, strengthening sovereignty over the national airspace.