12:00 to 12:15 p.m., Welcome and Framing

 Introduction of Sagamore/MDX and the partnership with UW-Madison and TitletownTech to bring the Midwest-wide Autonomous Heartland initiative to Wisconsin to help the Wisconsin industrial base capture its share of hundreds of billions in planned autonomous and maritime production over the next decade.

12:15 to 1:00 p.m., The Autonomous Heartland Thesis Panel

This panel introduces the Area 52 proposal and the Midwest-wide Autonomous Heartland initiative, then makes the core case for the Midwest, and specifically the Great Lakes corridor, as the natural home for the production of the natively autonomous fleet and defense and commercial systems of the future. The panel covers the shipyards, airspace, manufacturing base, research universities, and autonomous and unmanned test infrastructure the nation needs, and introduces the two components of Area 52 now taking shape: infrastructure to build out the test corridor connecting Lake Michigan to ranges across the Great Lakes states and Ohio, and infrastructure and programs to expand the autonomous industrial base and scale autonomous production, including airport innovation cells that give UAV companies onsite testing and manufacturing space.

1:00 to 1:45 p.m., Corridor Panel

This panel turns the thesis into practice, bringing together Indiana and Wisconsin counterparts to discuss what it takes to connect defense industrial expertise, manufacturing capacity, and military readiness into a coordinated Midwest capability. The panel addresses Wisconsin’s key role and opportunity within the Area 52 corridor, including the potential to connect Wisconsin’s existing test and training assets, such as Volk Field, into the broader Lake Michigan corridor.