Applied Energetics Announces Strategic Collaboration with Former Acting Secretary of the Army Patrick J. Murphy

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TUCSON, AZ / ACCESS Newswire / June 18, 2026 / Applied Energetics, Inc. (OTCQB:AERG), a developer of advanced directed-energy and ultrashort-pulse laser technologies for defense and national security applications, today announced a strategic collaboration with The Honorable Patrick J. Murphy, former Acting Secretary of the U.S. Army and the first Iraq War veteran elected to Congress.

Murphy will support the company's national security positioning, stakeholder engagement, ecosystem development, and growth initiatives as government and investor priorities increasingly converge around counter-UAS, autonomous systems, and advanced defense capabilities.

The engagement comes during a period of accelerated geopolitical and technological realignment, where governments, investors, and industry leaders are rapidly reassessing the strategic importance of domestic innovation, layered air and missile defense, hardened critical infrastructure, and sovereign industrial capability. Initiatives such as the Golden Dome architecture, alongside the Department of War's designation of Scaled Directed Energy as one of its six Critical Technology Areas, underscore how directed energy is moving from emerging technology to a foundational element of U.S. deterrence strategy.

As the lines between national security, industrial policy, emerging technology, and capital markets continue to converge, companies operating within advanced defense and infrastructure ecosystems are increasingly required to navigate not only technological execution, but also complex geopolitical, regulatory, and market dynamics.

The Honorable Patrick J. Murphy brings a rare combination of military service, legislative experience, and executive leadership to the defense and national security landscape. A combat veteran and former member of the House Armed Services Committee, Murphy served as Acting Secretary of the U.S. Army under President Obama - overseeing a force of over one million soldiers and a budget exceeding $150 billion - and was the first Iraq War veteran elected to the United States Congress. He currently serves as Executive Director at Hilco Global, where he advises companies, investors, and institutions at the intersection of geopolitics, national security, and capital markets.

Through the collaboration, Murphy will support Applied Energetics across strategic communications, thought leadership, business development initiatives, strategic introductions, ecosystem engagement, and broader market positioning efforts.

"The next decade will be defined by the convergence of national security, advanced technology, resilient infrastructure, and strategic capital," said Patrick J. Murphy, Executive Director of Hilco Global - Geopolitical Unit. "Governments and markets alike are prioritizing technologies tied to deterrence, resilience, modernization, and sovereign capability. Applied Energetics is operating within sectors that are becoming increasingly central to those conversations."

The engagement reflects a broader shift occurring across both public and private markets as defense modernization, integrated air and missile defense, counter-drone capabilities, supply chain resiliency, energy security, and domestic manufacturing capability increasingly become matters of economic competitiveness and geopolitical importance.

With the increased visibility as a result of successful outdoor testing, Applied Energetics believes the partnership will help strengthen the company's positioning within these rapidly evolving market and policy environments while supporting long-term strategic growth initiatives.

"Directed energy is no longer a future capability, but a present-day national security priority, and the Department of War has made that abundantly clear," said Chris Donaghey, CEO of Applied Energetics. "The challenge ahead is closing the gap between prototype demonstrations and fielded, mission-relevant systems that can scale to meet today's threat environment reflected in the increasing need for counter-UAS solutions and the Golden Dome initiative. Applied Energetics' ultrashort-pulse laser technology and broader directed-energy portfolio are designed to help close that gap, delivering effects that traditional kinetic systems cannot match on cost, magazine depth, or precision. Murphy brings the strategic perspective and relationships to help us extend that momentum across the defense, policy, and capital communities shaping the next decade of deterrence."

About Applied Energetics

Applied Energetics, Inc., a defense technology company, specializes in optical fiber-based ultrashort pulse laser (USPL) technologies and applications for countering drones, ISR sensors, hypersonic weapons, and other applications. With 26 patents and 2 patents pending, Applied Energetics' proprietary architecture enables orders of magnitude size-weight-power reductions, a key differentiator when compared with traditional continuous wave (CW) laser technology with larger footprints. AE's powerful, dual-use systems are designed for integration and deployment on numerous potential defense platforms for the delivery of high-intensity, ultrashort pulses of light to disable or destroy a target. These technologies have applications in both national security and commercial markets. Today, AE's USPL technologies are being designed to offer flexibility and power for missions in national security such as enhancing layered defense strategies to counter complex threats.

For more information about Applied Energetics and its innovative technologies, please visit www.appliedenergetics.com.

About The Honorable Patrick J. Murphy

The Honorable Patrick J. Murphy is a combat veteran, former U.S. Congressman, and former Acting Secretary of the U.S. Army. He served as the first Iraq War veteran elected to the United States Congress, representing Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District, where he was a member of the House Armed Services Committee. As Acting Secretary of the Army under President Obama, Murphy oversaw the largest ground force in the world, managing a budget of over $150 billion and a force of over one million soldiers. He currently serves as Executive Director at Hilco Global, advising companies, investors, and institutions navigating the intersection of national security, advanced technology, and capital markets.

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Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements include all statements that do not relate solely to the historical or current facts and can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "may," "believe," "will," "expect," "project," "anticipate," "estimates," "plans," "strategy," "target," "prospects," or "continue," and words of similar meaning. These forward-looking statements are based on the current plans and expectations of our management and are subject to a number of uncertainties and risks that could significantly affect our current plans and expectations, as well as future results of operations and financial condition and may cause our actual results, performances or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. We do not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions, or changes in other factors affecting such forward-looking statements.

SOURCE: Applied Energetics, Inc.