As part of the San Diego-Taiwan Security Initiative, TMA BlueTech and its regional partners will convene a private roundtable bringing together a select group of leaders from Taiwan and San Diego's defense, maritime, technology, government, academic, research, investment, and national security communities.
The October 9 gathering is designed as a working session rather than a traditional conference program. Building on the activities and public discussion of October 8, participants will engage directly with Admiral Lee Hsi-Min (Ret.) and one another around areas of shared strategic and technological interest between Taiwan and the San Diego region.
The objective is to move beyond general dialogue and identify where relationships, capabilities, expertise, and institutional resources can be connected to support practical, continued collaboration.
From Strategic Dialogue to Practical Collaboration
Admiral Lee served as Taiwan's Chief of the General Staff from 2017 to 2019, the nation's highest-ranking military officer and a key military advisor to the President. His previous leadership roles include Chief of Navy and Vice Minister of Defense.
He is also the architect of Taiwan's Overall Defense Concept (ODC), an asymmetric approach developed specifically around Taiwan's defense needs.
His participation provides an opportunity for San Diego leaders to better understand the strategic and operational context shaping Taiwan's defense priorities while exploring how the region's defense, maritime, technology, research, and innovation capabilities may intersect with those priorities.
Rather than a series of formal presentations, the roundtable will emphasize candid, cross-sector discussion. Topics are expected to include defense and dual-use innovation, maritime capabilities, emerging technologies, research and industry collaboration, and mechanisms for strengthening longer-term connections between San Diego and Taiwan.
A Curated, Cross-Sector Discussion
Participation is intentionally limited to approximately 20–30 invited attendees to preserve the working nature of the conversation.
The group brings together senior representatives from industry, government, academia, research, investment, and organizations supporting defense and technology innovation.
Confirmed Participants Include
Admiral Lee Hsi-Min (Ret.) — Former Chief of the General Staff, Taiwan Armed Forces
Ping Wang — Secretary General, Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce of San Diego
Jack Pan — CEO & Lead Oceanographer, Ocean Motion Technologies, Inc.
Joseph Allen — CEO, Six Maritime
Ben Moore — Chief Global Affairs Officer, City of San Diego
Luke Donohue — Director of Strategy, Taiwan, HAVOC AI
Ben Cipperley — Chief Strategy Officer, HAVOC AI
Josh McColister — Solutions Architect, Blue Water Autonomy
Aron Davidson — Director, San Diego & Imperial, U.S. Commercial Service
Gad Shaanan — CEO, Unmanned-Aerospace
Julie Dubick — Strategic Partnerships Advisor and Chief of Staff, Prebys Foundation
Jeff Picard — Founder, Frontier Catalyst LLC
Ryan Halonen — Engineer / Partner, Sub Sea Sonics
Jason Chien — Program Manager, UC San Diego Center for Taiwan Studies; President, Formosa Association for Public Affairs
Jim Harvey — Chief Technology Officer, MARTAC
Graeme Rae — CEO, HyperKelp Inc.
John Minor — CEO, Tocaro Blue, Inc.
Jeffrey Williams — CEO, Strategos Consulting
Jessica Kissel — Director of Capture and Proposal, Galt Aerospace
Alex Bock — Investor | Founder | Builder, Civility VC
Lucas Coleman — Director, World Trade Center San Diego
Michael Jones — CEO, SubSeaSail
Matt Classen — Executive Director, TMA BlueTech
John McMillan — AVP Economic Development, San Diego State University
Brandon Patterson — Research Director, La Jolla Center for Pacific Strategy
Schedule & Location
Friday, October 9, 2026
Prebys Foundation
1420 Kettner Blvd.
San Diego, CA
8:00 AM | Breakfast & Informal Networking
Third-Floor Deck
Participants will gather for breakfast and informal conversation before the roundtable.
Approximately 9:30 AM | San Diego-Taiwan Defense Industry Roundtable
Seventh-Floor Prebys Foundation Offices
The facilitated discussion will focus on shared strategic and technological interests, opportunities for collaboration, and potential next steps between Taiwan and the San Diego region.
11:30 AM | Program Concludes
Participation
This is a private, invitation-only gathering.
Participation is being coordinated by TMA BlueTech in consultation with the initiative's organizing partners. Attendance is intentionally limited, with invitations extended to individuals whose expertise, organizations, and perspectives are particularly relevant to the objectives of the discussion.
The October 9 roundtable is currently at capacity. Additional requests to participate will be considered on a space-available basis.
Part of the San Diego-Taiwan Security Initiative
The roundtable concludes two days of engagement designed to strengthen connections between Taiwan and San Diego's defense and national security communities.
October 8 programming includes technology and test-range demonstrations, local defense industry visits, and a public conversation with Admiral Lee Hsi-Min followed by a reception.
Together, the October 8 and 9 programs move from exposure to San Diego's defense technology ecosystem and public strategic dialogue toward a smaller working session focused on relationships, capabilities, and practical opportunities for continued collaboration.
Convened by: TMA BlueTech
Hosted by: Prebys Foundation
In Partnership with: The La Jolla Center for Pacific Strategy and San Diego Military Advisory Council (SDMAC)
