2026 Virtual DCSA Security Conference Focuses on “Protect Our Potential” Through Partnership, Modernization and Mission Readiness

QUANTICO, Va. - The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) hosted the 2026 Virtual DCSA Security Conference Sept. 14-18, as cleared industry professionals, Department of War (DoW) security stakeholders and foreign ownership, control or influence (FOCI) practitioners convened under the shared theme, "Protect Our Potential."

DCSA combined its annual National Insider Threat Awareness Month Conference, Security Conference for Industry, Security Conference for DoW, and FOCI Conference into a single week to streamline information sharing, strengthen collaboration, and familiarize participants with DCSA's Strategic Execution Plan to deliver data-driven, threat-informed, and customer-trusted security services at scale.

"Government and industry must work together at the speed of operations to secure our vital national interests," said DCSA Chief of Staff Jeffrey Sgarlata as the conference opened on Sept. 14 for the industry-focused sessions. "If industry cannot move at pace, the warfighter loses."

Sgarlata urged government and industry to meet emerging security challenges together and emphasized that the security enterprise cannot permit process, uncertainty or unnecessary delay to hinder the delivery of trusted capability to the warfighter.

"Government and industry need each other to meet evolving security challenges," said Ike Rivers, NISPPAC Industry spokesperson. "DCSA brings the oversight perspective, while industry brings the implementation perspective. Sustained communication, clarity and collaboration are essential to turn security requirements into effective practices that protect the nation's most critical capabilities."

Rivers was among more than 60 speakers presenting briefs and technical updates while answering questions throughout the conference. Speakers emphasized the importance of defending sensitive information, technology and facilities while enabling the people, partnerships and capabilities that give the United States a sustained competitive advantage.

"The DCSA Security Conference strengthened relationships across DCSA security disciplines and with our cleared industry partners, fostering the information sharing and collaboration essential to our shared mission," said David Scott, DCSA associate director for Industrial Security. "I really appreciated the outstanding participation from our speakers and the more than 3,000 virtual participants who joined us each day. This level of engagement demonstrates the enduring value of the government-industry partnership."

Participants engaged with DCSA and DoW subject matter experts on National Industrial Security Program operations, cleared-industry and entity-vetting updates, workforce development, Trusted Workforce 2.0 and adjudications. Discussions also examined insider-threat assessment and threat management, the weaponization of artificial intelligence, National Industrial Security System-Increment II (NI2) updates and other emerging challenges shaping today's security environment.

Beginning Sept. 16, the DoW portion of the conference focused on DCSA capabilities, tools and partnerships supporting readiness across the department's components. Sessions addressed adjudications, NISP compliance and system updates, artificial intelligence and machine learning in the insider-threat domain, contracting awareness, personnel vetting, security considerations related to mental health, customer success, and the integration of operations security with security stakeholders.

Moreover, participants identified security policy and vetting considerations related to mission readiness and shared feedback on National Background Investigation Services (NBIS) adoption and security workforce training needs.

While closing the DoW portion of the conference on Sept. 18, DCSA Chief Operating Officer Blake Moore emphasized the agency's mission-enablement focus.

"We are mission enablers, and that is how we see ourselves," said DCSA Chief Operating Officer Blake Moore. "The question is no longer whether we can say 'yes,' but how fast we can say 'yes' securely. Our standard moving forward is speed, transparency, accountability and results - delivering capability at the speed the warfighter needs."

The conference aligned with DCSA's Strategic Execution Plan, which prioritizes delivery of NBIS; deployment of NI2; modernization of trusted-workforce determinations; rebuilding the workforce compact; customer-centric operations; and audit-ready integration and efficiency through artificial intelligence.

For participants, those priorities reflected DCSA's commitment to modernize the systems and processes supporting the trusted workforce and the Defense Industrial Base. DCSA's leadership principles - empowered ownership, urgency, accountability, customer focus and candid communication - provide the operating approach for delivering that modernization at mission speed and strengthening trust with mission partners.

The conference concluded after five days of discussions focused on confronting evolving security challenges, sharing mission-relevant information and sustaining the partnerships necessary to protect the people, technology and industrial capabilities that underpin national defense.