Global Cybersecurity and AI Leaders from Defense, IT, OT, SLED, and Behavioral Science to Headline the 2026 SimSpace Summit

Featuring real-world success stories from global customers that have radically shifted their cybersecurity approach by adopting cyber ranges to prepare for the age of AI-fueled attacks

BOSTON, Jan. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- SimSpace, the realistic, intelligent cyber range for elite cybersecurity organizations, today announced its lineup of featured speakers for the 2026 SimSpace Cyber Summit, taking place February 2-4, 2026, at the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel in Orlando, Florida.

The event brings together global cybersecurity and AI leaders, innovators, and enterprise decision-makers from around the world to explore how realism, intelligent automation, and human adaptability are transforming cyber defense in the age of AI.

Keynote Speakers Include:

General (Ret.) Stanley McChrystal, Former Commander of U.S. Joint Special Operations Command
Keynote: Keynote: From Battlefield to Cyber Range, Building Adaptable Teams to Outsmart Any Threat in Any Terrain

"The battlefield may have changed, but the principle remains the same: you must train and test as you fight," said General McChrystal. "Organizations that invest in realistic preparedness are the ones that will outsmart adversaries when it matters most."

Dr. Jessica Barker, Cybersecurity Expert & Behavioral Science Specialist
Keynote: Artificial versus Emotional Intelligence: Outsmarting AI-Driven Scams with Human Strengths

"AI may accelerate threats, but human insight remains our greatest defense," said Dr. Barker. "Emotional intelligence and trust literacy are the new cybersecurity superpowers."

Shigeru Kitamura-san, Former Secretary General of Japan's National Security Secretariat & Former Director of Cabinet Intelligence
Keynote: Active Cyber Defense for Japan 2026 & Beyond

"Active defense requires active training and testing in a realistic environment," said Kitamura-san. "Nations and enterprises alike must prepare continuously under realistic conditions that mimic production."

Lieutenant General (retired) Ed Cardon, US Army Commander, Cyber Command
Sounil Yu, author of Cyber Defense Matrix and Chief AI Officer at Knostic
Allie Mellen, Principal Analyst, Forrester Research
Keynote Panel: Where Bits & Bytes Meet Flesh & Blood: Applying military and commercial best practices to protect critical infrastructure in cyberspace.

"These speakers represent the convergence of cybersecurity and AI," said Peter Lee, CEO of SimSpace. "Their insights focus on how best to bring together AI models, agents, and workflows together with human operators to ensure readiness and resilience in a manner that meets the moment. The content and outcomes attendees will learn reinforce our mission of helping organizations outsmart and outperform by training, testing, and validating in realistic, intelligent environments."

Featured Customer Case Studies:

Republic of Slovenia: Federating Cyber Ranges for Cross-Country Collaboration, Presented by Aleš Čretnik, Cybersecurity Advisor / CR Chief, Defence Ministry of Republic of Slovenia

Cyber Florida: Accelerating Cybersecurity Adoption and Transformation, Presented by Ernie Ferraresso, Senior Director of Cyber Florida

Key Innovation Panels:

Bridging the AI Gap: Agentic AI Simulations: Philosophies around agentic framework training models in live cyber ranges with realism, iterative speed, scale, measurable scorecards, and appropriate adversaries/entropy

• John Murray, Senior Product Manager, Google Security
• Christian Schnedler, CEO, Rillian Technologies
• Trent Lawrence, Vice President of Engineering, Rillian Technologies

OT Threat and Defense Testing and Research: Optimizing Critical Infrastructure Defense with a Cyber Range

• Sameer Koranne, Head of OT Security, Associate Managing Director, Cyber &  Data Resilience Services, Kroll
• Lee Rossey, Co-Founder and CTO, SimSpace
• Jason Allnut, OT Solution Architect, SimSpace

The SimSpace Summit will also feature hands-on demonstrations, technical sessions, and discussions showcasing the company's platform, a next-generation cyber range solution built to simulate real-world attacks, validate defenses, and accelerate AI-driven readiness.

Event Details
Location: Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Orlando, Florida
Dates: February 2-4, 2026

About SimSpace
For elite cybersecurity teams under siege in an AI-fueled threat landscape, SimSpace is the realistic, intelligent cyber range that strengthens teams, technologies, and processes to outsmart adversaries before the fight begins.

To learn how SimSpace helps organizations graduate from individual to team and AI model training; test tools, tech stacks, and AI agents; validate controls, processes, and agentic workflows, visit: www.SimSpace.com.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Lou Jordano
Chief Marketing Officer, SimSpace
lou.jordano@simspace.com

SOURCE SimSpace Corporation