Event Recap: Capital Week 2026

Capital Week 2026: Are You Ready for Change?

Held March 24–26, SAME’s 2026 Capital Week once again brought together A/E/C professionals for a multidisciplined conversation and a look at what the future holds for the federal engineering sector. Across the briefings, workshops, and summits this week in the nation’s capital, the event notched a new record of engagement with over 900 attendees, demonstrating how Capital Week’s core purpose continues to resonate: bring government agencies and industry partners together to hear what’s next for tomorrow’s engineering, design, construction, and environmental missions; collaborate on some of the biggest challenges facing the federal A/E/C community; and help shape the strategy for members in the coming year and beyond.

It is a partnership, and we can’t do what we do without industry, and in this current environment that we’re in, we’re going to need you more than ever. It is about change. It’s about culture change. I think you’re probably changing faster than we’re changing, and we’re going to need your help for us to change our organizations.
Maj. Gen. Mark Quander, USA, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Over three days, attendees heard briefings from the services and agencies on planned construction programs, acquisition reforms, environmental initiatives, contracting forecasts, and modernization efforts. Coupled with the focused Mega Sessions that allowed speakers to dive deep into service-wide priorities for the Army, Navy, and Air Force, Capital Week offered technical and timely information for its attendees. But more importantly, it brought members together in ways that built the bond of trust and understanding between industry and government and strengthened those relationships that truly serve as the foundation of mission success.

Highlights from the week included the Executive Leaders Panel on Wednesday morning, which featured Maj. Gen. Mark Quander, USA, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Rear Adm. Jeffrey Kilian, P.E., CEC, USN, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command; Tom Brown, SES, U.S. Air Force; and Dr. Zebulon Fox, DBA, SES, Department of Veterans Affairs. At the morning’s panel, speed of delivery, acquisition reforms, new authorities granted in the FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and a need for innovation were reiterated as top areas of focus.

Industry–government engagement (IGE) at the core of SAME’s mission. Alongside the invitation for partnership extended by the service chiefs in the morning session, attendees advanced this mission through multiple high-impact summits held as part of Capital Week. The conference featured two sold-out IGE Summits, each offering space for a forward-thinking dialogue that bridged industry and government and drawing over 280 participants. The first session explored topics surrounding the state of AI integration in the federal A/E/C ecosystem, with a look at where AI is currently being tested, where barriers exist, and how agencies are addressing risk, policy, and usage for this new technology.

The second session featured a discussion on changes in federal acquisition as driven by the FY2026 NDAA. Signed in December, the most recent NDAA contained changes aimed at spurring innovation and speeding up capability development, and this session explored how those changes will reshape the federal procurement landscape.

Tuesday afternoon also featured the Ukraine Symposium, which convened defense and civilian-sector experts for a pair of panel discussions examining both near‑term operational realities and long‑term reconstruction planning in Ukraine. Jointly hosted with the International Stability Operations Association (ISOA), as well as SAME’s Ukraine Field Chapter, Blue Ridge Post, and DC Post, the symposium explored Ukraine’s anticipated defense posture for 2026 as well as steps for designing resilient civilian infrastructure and preparing for eventual reconstruction activities.

Closing out Capital Week on Thursday was the latest installment in the Society’s Sentinel Mega Series. This ongoing multi-part series, with panel sessions hosted at SAME events across the nation, is bringing leading government decision-makers and industry stakeholders together to help ensure that private industry is informed of opportunities, timelines, and expectations for the $100 billion-plus Sentinel Program.

Honoring Soaring Leadership

On Wednesday evening, over 200 guests gathered for the inaugural Soaring Eagle Award Dinner & Gala, hosted by the SAME Foundation. This new signature event honors visionary leadership within the federal A/E/C community and celebrates those individuals soaring in their career and shaping a stronger future for our nation.

The evening gala honored Terri Mestas, Deputy Chief Executive Officer for Sound Transit, as the first-ever recipient of the Soaring Eagle Award.

With insights from senior engineering leadership, informative technical briefings, and opportunities for in-depth engagement, Capital Week 2026 continued SAME’s long historical tradition of delivering forums where members can collaborate and leave better equipped to address the nation’s most pressing engineering challenges. From rich dialogues around large-scope programs like the reconstruction of Ukraine and the Sentinel Program to tightly focused project updates and look-aheads at the technical briefings, Capital Week brought industry and government together with shared purpose and shaped strategies for the year ahead.

Soaring Eagle Photo Gallery

Full Recap Email

SAME Flickr Photo Gallery

Tuesday Photo Gallery

Wednesday Photo Gallery

Thursday Photo Gallery