His Majesty King Abdullah of Jordan on Tuesday participated, via teleconference, in the 2020 Virtual Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC), Petra news agency reported.
Organized from Tampa, Florida, from 11-15, the conference is held with the participation of 247 representatives of 57 countries from military, industrial and related sectors.
The annual conference is a platform for international special operations leaders to exchange views with industry leaders on ways to counter new challenges and build the capacities of special operations units around the world.
After canceling this year’s annual SOFIC event because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) and the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) announced hosting a virtual Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (vSOFIC) online.
For that end, they developed a new online platform to enable special operations professionals and industry partners to learn, network and collaborate on the initiatives and capabilities needed in the future.
“We understand the importance of the collaboration among industry, the government and academia to solve those most difficult challenges our warfighters face. We look forward to bringing together, virtually, special operations throughout the country for this significant event that continues our collaboration with SOCOM,” said Hawk Carlisle, NDIA’s President and CEO.
The virtual conference includes remarks, presentations and Q&A sessions with SOCOM leaders and acquisition, science, technology and logistics professionals. This year’s conference theme is “Expanding the Competitive Space.”
“During this time, having an opportunity to explain our capability needs and give industry leaders a chance to tell us what they have to offer may be more important than ever,” said SOCOM Acquisition Executive Jim Smith.
“We’re especially excited that an online format will not only meet the needs of our current, valued industry partners but may also attract new teammates from the digital and cyber tech base,” he added.
SOCOM has opportunities for industry innovation in many areas, including next-generation intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, next-generation mobility, precision fires and effects, hyper-enabling the operator, and biotechnologies. Additionally, innovation opportunities in data and networks exist for emerging requirements in software, artificial intelligence, machine learning and data analytics in web-based information operations, mission command systems and more.
SOCOM also has opportunities to collaborate in a new Digital Engineering Lab unveiled in September. The lab facilitates development, testing and employment of new technical approaches to modernizing warfighting decision-making.
Each year, SOFIC serves as the premier conference for the SOF community to develop, nurture, and exercise its growing network between industry, government, academia, and international partners. By leveraging the depth, breadth, and diversity of this network, the SOF community can boost its velocity, multiply its productivity, and diversify its capabilities to meet the changing demands of SOF operators.
NDIA is a nonprofit association and follows full compliance with the Federal Government Executive Order promoting efficient spending.
