SPIE Defense + Security program

Building a robust program, year after year

Participate in the leading conference for sensing, imaging, and photonics technologies for the defense and security communities. Review the conference topics to see which research area best aligns with yours. We look forward to seeing you in National Harbor.

Person standing at a clear podium during an SPIE event, with a screen displaying Symposium Plenary and the name Pradeep Fulay in the background.

Featuring mission-critical conference topics

NEW in 2026 Directed Energy Technologies
- High-energy lasers, beam control, and related systems
- Related courses:
  - Beam Control and Propogation for High Energy Laser (HEL) Systems
  - Fundamentals of High-Power Microwave Antenna Technology
Infrared Imaging Systems
- Sensors, system integration, and real-world deployment
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for Security and Defense Applications
- Generating and validating synthetic data to improve training, testing, and robustness of AI and ML systems
Autonomous Sensing Systems and Vehicles
- Sensing technologies, data processing, and security challenges that enable reliable autonomous operation across all operational domains
Multi-domain Operations
- Enhancing multidisciplinary design, optimization, and analysis across complex engineering systems
Multispectral and Hyperspectral Imaging
- Sensing, data processing algorithms, and practical applications across defense, remote sensing, and scientific domains
Target Detection
- Detecting, classifying, and tracking targets in complex environments
Pattern Recognition
- Recognizing, tracking, and interpreting objects and activities in complex, real-world environments

Putting focus on topical areas with application tracks
Application tracks list presentations on a topical area with broad-range interest so that participants can easily locate presentations in their area of interest. Learn more

What the Defense + Security event experience has to offer

Five days of exciting content and connecting with your community

Plenary talks
Technical presentations
Networking sessions
Course instruction
Professional development
Industry programming

Person standing at a clear podium giving a presentation during an SPIE event, with a screen in the background displaying Tuesday Track Plenary.

Defense + Security Awards

Innovation and research acknowledged

SPIE and supporting organizations recognize contributions that have been made by experts, and honor their accomplishments with the annual Defense + Security awards.

See who won in 2025 and make plans to participate in 2026.

Three individuals on stage at an SPIE Defense and Commercial Sensing event, with two exchanging a handshake and holding documents in front of a large screen displaying the event name.