Dan Patt

Senior Fellow, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology

dan_patt

At A Glance:

Dan Patt is a senior fellow with Hudson Institute’s Center for Defense Concepts and Technology. His work at Hudson focuses on the role of information and innovation in national security.

Biography

Dan Patt is a senior fellow with Hudson Institute’s Center for Defense Concepts and Technology. His experience is at the intersection of technology, business, and national security strategy. His work at Hudson focuses on the role of information and innovation in national security.

Dr. Patt supports strategy at the artificial intelligence company STR and supports Thomas H. Lee Partners’ automation and technology investment practice. He has more than 15 years of experience operationalizing emerging technology, including artificial intelligence, networked information systems, robotics, supply chain automation, and enterprise information technology. He holds advisory board roles at the University of Michigan College of Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and Andrew W. Marshall Foundation.

Previously, Dr. Patt co-founded and was CEO of Vecna Robotics, a commercial venture-backed warehouse robotics and workflow orchestration company. Dr. Patt also served as deputy director for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Strategic Technology Office (STO), managing more than $400 million in annual technology investments in robust distributed systems architectures in a technology portfolio including battle management, command and control; communications and networking; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; and electronic warfare. At DARPA he launched the Mosaic Warfare initiative. In 2017, Dr. Patt supported the deputy secretary of defense in leading an effort to define a new modernization initiative for the Department of Defense as part of the 2018 National Defense Strategy effort.

Dr. Patt previously held technical and leadership positions in the automotive and aerospace industries, focusing on emerging technology, including automation and human-machine integration. He was a MassTechnology Council CEO of the year honoree for emerging technology companies, is a Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Honoree, and is the recipient of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Achievement Award in recognition of his work developing and fielding advanced situational awareness software and networking tools in support of combat operations.

Dr. Patt received his BA, MS, and PhD in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan.

Events
26
January 2023
Past Event
Software Defines Tactics: Fielding Transformational Capability without Transforming Acquisition
Featured Speakers:
Jason Weiss
James Geurts
Dan Patt
Bryan Clark
Software Defines Tactics
26
January 2023
Past Event
Software Defines Tactics: Fielding Transformational Capability without Transforming Acquisition

A decade ago venture capitalist Marc Andreessen argued that software was eating the world. Please join Hudson Institute and DoD experts for a discussion on how the US military is wrestling with that reality. 

Software Defines Tactics
Featured Speakers:
Jason Weiss
James Geurts
Dan Patt
Bryan Clark
22
November 2022
Past Event
Exploiting Commercial Innovation to Regain Military Advantage: A Conversation with Congressman Seth Moulton
Featured Speakers:
Representative Seth Moulton
Bryan Clark
Dan Patt
F35
22
November 2022
Past Event
Exploiting Commercial Innovation to Regain Military Advantage: A Conversation with Congressman Seth Moulton

Please join Hudson Senior Fellows Bryan Clark and Dan Patt for a conversation with Representative Seth Moulton regarding the challenges and opportunities facing the US Department of Defense.

F35
Featured Speakers:
Representative Seth Moulton
Bryan Clark
Dan Patt
13
October 2022
Past Event
Virtual Event | Exploiting a Hidden Window of Opportunity to Deter a Conflict over Taiwan
Featured Speakers:
Dan Patt
Michael Brown
Michele Flournoy
taiwan taipei beijing china helicopter
13
October 2022
Past Event
Virtual Event | Exploiting a Hidden Window of Opportunity to Deter a Conflict over Taiwan

While the 2018 National Defense Strategy and the updated 2022 National Defense Strategy emphasize the urgent need to deter a conflict in the Pacific, most plans involve shoring up military capacity immediately or waiting for new, modernized weapons.

taiwan taipei beijing china helicopter
Featured Speakers:
Dan Patt
Michael Brown
Michele Flournoy
07
October 2022
Past Event
Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology
Featured Speakers:
Bryan Clark
Chris Miller
Dan Patt
An employee works on the production line of LED epitaxial wafer on March 25, 2022, in Jiangsu Province, China. (Zhao Qirui/VCG via Getty Images)
07
October 2022
Past Event
Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology

With more than half of all semiconductors and nearly all high-end chips coming from Taiwan or South Korea, disruptions are likely and can have devastating economic consequences.

An employee works on the production line of LED epitaxial wafer on March 25, 2022, in Jiangsu Province, China. (Zhao Qirui/VCG via Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Bryan Clark
Chris Miller
Dan Patt
A-10 software engineers work together in teams to verify functionality of organically developed operational flight program software on November 5, 2020, at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, before it is released to the warfighter. (US Air Force photo by Alex R. Lloyd)
Caption
A-10 software engineers work together in teams to verify functionality of organically developed operational flight program software on November 5, 2020, at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, before it is released to the warfighter. (US Air Force photo by Alex R. Lloyd)
dan_patt
dan_patt
Senior Fellow, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology
Jason Weiss
Jason Weiss
Chief Software Officer, Conquest Cyber
Commentary
12 Min Read
drone software military technology
Caption
Personnel from a West Coast-based Naval Special Warfare command operate an R80D SkyRaider drone during a training exercise on Saint Lawrence Island, Alaska, on September 13, 2022. (US Navy Photo by Alex Smedegard)
bryan_clark
bryan_clark
Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology
dan_patt
dan_patt
Senior Fellow, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology
Commentary
4 Min Read
A F-22 Raptor from the 325th Fighter Wing flies alongside a F-35 Lightning II from the 33rd  Fighter Wing over the Emerald Coast. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt Savanah Bray)
Caption
A F-22 Raptor from the 325th Fighter Wing flies alongside a F-35 Lightning II from the 33rd Fighter Wing over the Emerald Coast. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt Savanah Bray)
bryan_clark
bryan_clark
Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology
dan_patt
dan_patt
Senior Fellow, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology
Reports
7 Min Read