RED QUEEN 7
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The Annual Innovation Offsite
April 22-23, 2026
Pescadero, CA
We Disrupted Acquisition- Now What?
21st century technology has caught up to the U.S. Defense and Intelligence community & and vice versa. Policy, acquisition, and sustainment rules have shifted dramatically. Startups and scaleups that have never before been suppliers are emerging as critical sources of innovation.
All of this raises urgent questions.
Red Queen 7 convenes the leaders answering them.
In the past, bespoke Special Forces and Rapid Equipping organizations could provide the solutions. Today, these methods must be embedded across the entire Defense and Intelligence ecosystem.
RED QUEEN EXPLAINED
Red Queen is hosted by Steve Blank & Pete Newell. It’s a small (<100 people), off-the-record, invite-only event for senior leaders across Defense and Intelligence.
On October 21st and 22nd, Red Queen 7 will provide direct, hands-on education to answer “Now What?”
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Learn how to conduct a technical terrain walk to rapidly identify, validate, assist, and onboard the right technology for the mission.
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Hear best practices from your peers who have already begun adapting to these changes.
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Gain insights you can immediately apply to acquisition, innovation, and operational integration.
Red Queen is not a traditional conference.There are no hashtags, no uplighting, no optics.
It’s a working forum where senior leaders engage with the decisions, models, and methods shaping the future of force design, sharing what’s working and what isn’t.
After the event, Common Mission Project will publish a written brief that distills what we believe the broader Defense and Intelligence community must do next, with enough specificity to be actionable.
join us
This is a unique educational opportunity for leaders across the U.S. Defense and Intelligence community.
🗓️ Dates: April 22-23, 2026
📍 Location: Pescadero, California
A hotel block has been reserved.
Shuttle service will run between K&S Ranch and the hotel.
All meals and beverages are provided on-site.
Request an Invitation
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before you attend
Red Queen is free. It is sponsored by the Common Mission Project, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The event qualifies under the “widely attended gathering” and “widely attended event” exceptions outlined in House and Senate ethics guidelines, and maintains a strict off-the-record, not-for-attribution policy.
Participants are responsible for covering the cost of airfare, lodging, and any transportation needs outside the scheduled shuttle service. CMP will provide a chartered shuttle to and from the event venue. Hotel details and booking instructions will be shared upon confirmation of registration.
Please pack comfortable or hiking shoes. There will be an opportunity for those who wish to join Steve Blank for a guided walk of the property. The hike is considered moderate.
Reliable WiFi is available at the ranch.
Read-ahead materials and a finalized agenda will be provided in advance of the event.
HISTORY
Red Queen was launched in 2019 by Steve Blank and Pete Newell to explore how invention can be reliably connected to adoption through a disciplined, repeatable process. The first gathering produced the Innovation Pipeline: an end-to-end framework to identify, assess, and scale high-impact solutions across the national security enterprise.
Each subsequent Red Queen has deepened this work and produced practical responses to shared innovation challenges. Notably, Red Queen II led to the creation of the
Defense Investor Network, which has since become the primary bridge between over 500 dual-use investors and senior government decision-makers: two communities that had rarely engaged meaningfully prior to its formation.
Today, Red Queen continues to serve as a convening point for leaders seeking new models, tools, and partnerships to accelerate capability development across the Defense and Intelligence ecosystem.