From Strategy to Capability: How 2026 Will Be a Defining Year for TMA BlueTech
Eight TMA member companies pictured (from top left clockwise): OPT, Hyperkelp, Maritime Robotics, Seasats, HavocAI, SRS Fusion, Bedrock Ocean, Norbit (subsea scan)
Turning shared priorities into deployed capability, commercial pathways, and measurable outcomes for TMA’s membership (and beyond)
Written by Matt Classen
Executive Director, TMA BlueTech
Over the past year, I have spent a great deal of time listening. Listening to members, public sector leaders, operators, researchers, investors, and innovators working across the maritime domain. A consistent message came through clearly. People are looking for focus, discipline, and real pathways from innovation to deployment.
That input shaped TMA BlueTech’s strategy for the year ahead.
In 2026, TMA is sharpening its focus on where it can deliver the greatest impact. Our work is centered on maritime defense innovation and ocean intelligence, with a clear emphasis on speed to capability, real world adoption, and measurable outcomes. These pillars are not ends in themselves. These are the engines through which dual use and multi use technologies can advance commercial opportunity, scientific discovery, ocean health, and high quality jobs.
San Diego remains the nexus from which we operate. It is where we convene, activate, and execute. It is the center of gravity for our work. At the same time, TMA is not confined to a single geography. Through active partnerships and targeted engagements, we are connecting San Diego to other high priority regions where shared interests and mission alignment already exist.
Our upcoming activities in Northern California and the Northeast U.S. reflect this approach. These regions are not operating independently. They are activated as part of a connected network that strengthens collaboration, unlocks opportunity, and reinforces San Diego’s role as the organizing hub for maritime defense and ocean intelligence.
This is not a strategy built around doing more for the sake of growth. It is built around doing the right work exceptionally well. Faster execution. Clearer pathways. Stronger conversion from opportunity to action. Our ambition is straightforward and bold. Position San Diego as the place where maritime defense and ocean intelligence move from concept to operational reality and then connect outward to aligned regions and global partners.
TMA’s role is not to simply convene conversations. We function as an organizing and executional force that aligns industry, government, academia, and international partners around real needs and real timelines. That includes enabling domains such as space based applications and ocean energy systems, where data, sensing, power, and infrastructure converge to support maritime operations and intelligence driven decision making.
This integrated approach allows innovation to move with intent. Capabilities are developed with operational relevance from the start and structured in ways that support both mission needs and commercial pathways.
Equally important is the human dimension. Workforce development is foundational to our strategy. Through targeted programs, TMA is connecting underserved communities to well paid maritime careers while helping employers reduce hiring friction and build durable talent pipelines. This work strengthens the maritime industrial base and ensures that opportunity created through innovation translates into broader societal benefit.
Alongside this focused execution, we are also making room for exploration. Each year, TMA intends to take on one or two initiatives that push the boundaries of what is possible. These efforts sit at the intersection of science, data, and imagination. Whether using ocean data and artificial intelligence to communicate nature in new ways, or rethinking how humans relate to the ocean environment, these initiatives allow TMA to explore what comes next and to do so in service of both human society and the natural world we depend on and care deeply about.
None of this happens without community. TMA BlueTech exists because of the members, partners, sponsors, and collaborators who are serious about shaping the future of the maritime domain.
In the year ahead, that community will come together through a series of high value engagements across regions and formats. Executive roundtables and capability forums designed to accelerate alignment and action. International trade missions. Intelligence and thought leadership products built to surface signal rather than noise. These engagements are intentionally structured to strengthen relationships, accelerate opportunity, and create momentum where it matters most.
If you are building, deploying, funding, or enabling maritime capability, there is a place for you in this ecosystem.
There is a real sense of momentum right now. The challenges facing the maritime domain are complex and increasingly urgent. At the same time, the opportunity to lead has never been clearer. The future will be shaped by those who can move with speed, collaborate across boundaries, and turn ideas into operational outcomes.
TMA BlueTech is ready for that moment.
In the coming weeks and months, we will be sharing:
Announcements about compelling events throughout the year
New in person and virtual engagements across San Diego, Northern California, and the Northeast
Capability forums focused on real world application
International trade missions and market entry pathways
New intelligence and thought leadership products
Expanded workforce initiatives and member opportunities
Select exploratory initiatives that push the boundaries of innovation and possibility
I encourage you to stay connected and stay engaged. The year ahead will be ambitious, focused, and grounded in execution.
I look forward to building it together.
Matt Classen
Executive Director
TMA BlueTech