Congressman Robert Aderholt (AL-04) hosted the second annual AUKUS defense industry forum in Huntsville, Alabama on January 30, 2026. The event brought together defense and national security leaders from Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States to discuss advancements in defense capabilities, strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific region, and Alabama’s role in allied security cooperation.
The forum builds on Aderholt’s inaugural AUKUS gathering held in 2024. It provides a platform for experts and innovators involved with this trilateral defense initiative to collaborate.
“Huntsville is the Rocket City — the town that helped win the space race — and today, the men and women shaping the future of defense cooperation and deterrence are gathered right here in Alabama,” Congressman Aderholt said. “AUKUS is about maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific, but at its core it reflects something even deeper: trust among allies. That trust must now be translated into real capabilities, delivered with urgency.”
Congressman Dale Strong (AL-05) also participated in the event. He highlighted North Alabama’s importance to allied defense innovation: “There are few better places to bring the stated goals of AUKUS Pillar Two to life than North Alabama and Redstone Arsenal,” Strong said. “Our region has long been a key national security player, and this trilateral agreement is no different. This second annual forum is just another example of how Alabama continues to lead the way in increasing defense cooperation, innovation, and information sharing between the United States and our allies.”
Aderholt pointed out that technologies central to AUKUS align with ongoing work across Alabama’s defense sector. These include cyber capabilities, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, undersea systems, hypersonic development, electronic warfare, innovation sharing, and deep space radar.
He also called for modernization in developing U.S. and allied defense capabilities: “The tools that won the 20th century could cost us victory in the 21st if we fail to adapt,” Aderholt said. “Bureaucracy is a luxury we can no longer afford. AUKUS can help drive a new way of doing business — moving faster, thinking bigger, and delivering results with the urgency this moment demands.”
As a member of both the House Appropriations Committee and its Defense Subcommittee, Aderholt stressed Congress’s responsibility to provide flexibility for planning joint military capabilities while ensuring accountability.
During the event he introduced Major General Terry Grisham as leader of U.S. Space Command’s relocation from Colorado Springs to Huntsville.
“Alabama has long been at the forefront of America’s defense and space leadership,” Aderholt said. “With Major General Grisham’s leadership, our state will continue to play a critical role in the next chapter of national security and space operations.”
The forum reinforced Huntsville’s status as a center for U.S. defense innovation.
Robert Aderholt has represented Alabama’s 4th district in Congress since 1997 after succeeding Tom Bevill. Before his congressional service he was part of Alabama’s House of Representatives.https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/A000055 Born in Haleyville in 1965,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Aderholt he earned degrees from Birmingham–Southern College (BA) and Samford University (JD). He continues to reside in Haleyville.
