Alliances Panel 

Rebecca Zimmerman

JHU APL  |  Senior Strategist for Homeland Defense

Rebecca Zimmerman is a seasoned defense policy expert who has held prominent roles at the U.S. Department of Defense, including Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Hemispheric Affairs. She advised on homeland defense, civil authority support, Arctic resilience, and Western Hemisphere security. Previously, she served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia, shaping defense strategies in these regions. Her two-decade career spans research at RAND Corporation, editing War on the Rocks, and field deployments. Zimmerman holds degrees from Stanford University and Johns Hopkins SAIS and has authored studies on strategic competition, military dynamics, and resilience policy.

Brig Gen (Ret.) Robert Spalding

SEMPRE  |  CEO

Brig Gen Rob Spalding USAF ret, SEMPRE CEO, is a national security strategist and technology leader in secure communications and digital resilience. A former B-2 pilot, he served as Sr Dir for Strategy at the National Security Council, as chief architect of the national security strategy, playing a key role in shaping US 5G security policy. At SEMPRE, he is pioneering cyber-hardened digital infrastructure for commercial and defense. Spalding is the author of Stealth War and War Without Rules, and a frequent media contributor on digital defense. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics and Mathematics and patents for SEMPRE’s isolated control plane architecture.

Commodore Roger Readwin

UK Royal Navy  |  Naval Attaché to the USA

Commodore Readwin, born 1972, educated at Seaford College, joined the Royal Navy in 1991. He specialized as a Mine Clearance Diving Officer, then Surface Warfare Officer in 2004, serving in Mine Countermeasure Vessels, Britannia Royal Naval College, Maritime Battle Staff, and Type 23 Frigates, commanding HMS SUTHERLAND. He attended US Naval War College (2012-13) for a Masters in International Relations, served in the Pentagon (2013-15), and later commanded the Fleet Diving Squadron and Captain Mine Warfare and Patrol Vessels. Promoted to Captain in 2016, he led Britannia Royal Naval College (2019) and became Commodore and Naval Attaché to the USA in 2022. Married with three kids, he’s a former Navy Rugby player and competitive sailor.

Eric Traupe

Lightspeed Venture Partners  |  Operating Partner

Eric Traupe brings over 30 years of CIA and US Marine Corps experience to his role as founder of Azimuth Global LLC, where he provides strategic advisory and executive coaching services to Fortune 500 companies in the technology, investment, and national security sectors. He serves as an operating partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners and Chief Strategy Officer for the Johnson Financial Group, LLC. His board and advisory experience include Intel Corporation, Anduril Industries Inc., and other emerging technology companies.

Jude Sunderbruch

[ Moderator ]

OakTruss Group  |  Managing Director

Jude Sunderbruch is managing director at OakTruss Group, a consulting firm that provides cybersecurity, insider risk, and other advisory services. He served as Executive Director of the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center, Executive Director of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, in Joint Duty Assignments with FBI Cyber Division, US Cyber Command, and US European Command, and at US Embassy, France, in Bosnia-Herzegovina and in Iraq.  He retired from the Senior Executive Service and as an Air Force Reserve colonel serving as a cyber and foreign area officer. He earned a Ph.D. in public policy from George Mason University. He is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE).