Stepping onto the historic grounds of the U.S. Army War College in Cumberland County, President Donald J. Trump delivered a high-stakes keynote address today to close out the inaugural 2026 Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit.
The landmark two-day event, hosted by U.S. Senator Dave McCormick (R-Pa.), brought together more than 1,300 top defense, technology, finance, and government leaders. President Trump’s afternoon speech focused heavily on his administration’s “Peace through Strength” agenda, positioning Pennsylvania as the central engine driving a new era of American defense manufacturing and technological dominance.
The summit culminated in a massive economic victory for the Commonwealth, with Senator McCormick announcing nearly $10 billion in new investment commitments slated to support over 4,000 advanced manufacturing and technology jobs across Pennsylvania.
The newly announced $10 billion wave of investment spans over 30 individual public-private partnerships, strategic contracts, and facility expansions targeting critical defense sectors—including shipbuilding, munitions, aerospace, artificial intelligence, and robotics.
Among the major state-level developments highlighted at the summit:
Advanced Cooling Technologies (Lancaster): Announcing a new 50,000-square-foot cold plate facility and expanded heat pipe production to support satellites and AI data centers, bringing up to 100 new jobs.
Eos (Pittsburgh): Securing a strategic partnership with the Department of War to integrate long-duration energy storage into national defense infrastructure.
Autonomous Systems Manufacturing Platform: A joint launch by Carnegie Mellon University, Carnegie Foundry, ViDARR, and Envision Technology leveraging over $50 million in CMU investments to scale secure, domestic production of autonomous systems.
ZeroEyes (Philadelphia/State College): Kicking off day one of the summit with a major $10 million investment dedicated to local artificial intelligence research and development.
“Pennsylvania has powered American defense since the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps were founded in Philadelphia in 1775,” Senator McCormick told the crowd. “President Trump has laid out a bold vision for American strength, and Pennsylvania is proving it can deliver—bringing the innovation, the workforce, and the will to build it.”
The Carlisle summit succeeded in bridging the gap between national security officials and Wall Street power players. Notable attendees participating in panels and networking sessions included:
Gen. Dan Caine (Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff)
John Ratcliffe (CIA Director)
Jamie Dimon (Chairman & CEO of JPMorgan Chase)
Jim Taiclet (CEO of Lockheed Martin)
Phebe Novakovic (Chairman & CEO of General Dynamics)
Shyam Sankar (CTO of Palantir)
The event also featured the release of a specialized defense industrial base report by supply chain AI firm Exiger, mapping out exactly how Pennsylvania suppliers can better integrate into global security contracts.
