SAS 2009 Focus: National Security, Maritime Superiority, Global Presence

By PETER ATKINSON, Deputy Editor

The Navy League’s 2009 Sea-Air-Space (SAS) Exposition will be held May 4-6 at its new location, the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center at the National Harbor complex, just outside of Washington.

SAS 2009 offers a unique opportunity for key decision-makers in the U.S. military and government to meet and mingle with defense contractors, research and development specialists, and foreign military attachés. The National Harbor complex, situated along the Potomac River, will provide new opportunities for attendees to see the services and their equipment in action. Among the planned special events are a landing demonstration by U.S. Navy Riverines, a visit by the first Littoral Combat Ship, USS Freedom, and a U.S. Coast Guard rescue demonstration.

“As the largest maritime exposition in the world, the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space Exposition facilitates dialogue and partnerships between industry and the military customer,” said Navy League National President J. Michael McGrath. “Our nation is facing many challenges, domestically and internationally. These challenges are not mutually exclusive when we look at what role our nation’s sea services and the industrial base that supports them can play in addressing these issues. That is why the Navy League is proud to present this year’s exposition that will focus on our ‘National Security — Maritime Superiority — Global Presence.’

“Solutions to these challenges all start with the fundamental premise of having and maintaining a strong maritime force. In turn, developing and building this force puts Americans to work,” McGrath said. “SAS showcases the emerging weapons, platforms and support systems that are critical to the success of our national sea power strategy. Our guest speakers and professional seminars featuring our top military and maritime industry leaders will provide up-to-the-minute developments on policies and programs that impact our military posture at home and abroad, as well as our global economic security.”

Among the government and service leaders who are scheduled to participate in SAS 2009 are: National Security Adviser James L. Jones, former Marine Corps commandant; Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; William J. Lynn III, deputy secretary of Defense; Adm. Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations; Adm. Thad W. Allen, Coast Guard commandant; Gen. James T. Conway, Marine Corps commandant; James E. Caponiti, acting Maritime Administrator; Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert, commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command; as well as the deputy commanders for Joint Forces Command, Northern Command and Southern Command; Navy and Coast Guard senior acquisition chiefs; and the commander of naval research.

The three-day exposition, comprising panel discussions on defense issues and exhibits by dozens of defense contractors, will open with the Service Chiefs’ Panel discussing the importance of sea power to national security. Other panels and topics will include: the International Maritime Operations Panel: “Maritime Operations Across the Spectrum — Smart Bombs and Smart Power;” Unified Commanders’ Panel: “Execution is Key;” Logistics Panel: “Logistics from Factory to Foxhole;” and the Acquisition Outlook and Priorities Panel: “The Art of the Possible.”

Additional floor speakers, including the program executive officers of key Navy and Coast Guard programs, will be available following the panel discussions to address more specific topics.

Seapower once again will provide online coverage of SAS 2009, with updates available through the Sea-Air-Space Web site: www.seaairspace.org. Seapower Expo Online will offer up-to-the-minute coverage from the SAS floor, allowing military, government and industry leaders to review significant events, panel discussions, keynote speakers and other news as it unfolds.

Complete editorial coverage — available by clicking on Seapower Expo Online at www.seaairspace.org — will remain online up to two months following the show’s conclusion.

Founded in 1902, the Navy League of the United States is an international civilian support and advocacy organization for the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and U.S.-flag Merchant Marine.

For more information about SAS 2009 or to register, go to www.navyleague.org.