Government & Defense Conferences

The government and defense conferences worth knowing

Government and defense events split by who is buying. The big US military conferences are run by each service's own association, so the Army, the sea services and the Air and Space Forces each have their own. Around them sit international defense exhibitions, specialist shows for training, sustainment and manufacturing, and a homeland security and public safety calendar of its own. Here are the main ones by type, with who each is built for. Dates for all of them are in the list above.

The service association conferences

• AUSA Annual Meeting & Exposition (Washington, D.C., held each October). Best for: companies that build for the US Army, and Army leaders following its priorities. The Association of the United States Army runs it at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, and exhibitors must be AUSA National Partners, apart from first-time small businesses. AUSA has not yet published its next dates.
• Sea-Air-Space (National Harbor, April). Best for: the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard and the industry that builds for them, from shipbuilders to unmanned maritime systems. The Navy League of the United States runs it.
• WEST (San Diego, February). Best for: maritime defense technology and operations on the West Coast. AFCEA International and the U.S. Naval Institute co-host it.
• Air, Space & Cyber Conference (National Harbor, September). Best for: Air Force and Space Force leaders and the companies that work with them. The Air & Space Forces Association runs it.

International defense exhibitions

• DSEI (London, September 2027). Best for: companies selling to ministries of defence and militaries worldwide, across land, sea, air, space and cyber. Clarion Events runs it every other year at ExCeL London, with waterborne demonstrations in the Royal Victoria Dock.
• FAMEX (Santa Lucía, Mexico, April). Best for: aerospace, security and defense suppliers looking at Mexico and Latin America. Mexico's defense ministry organises it through the Mexican Air Force, with flying displays and scheduled B2B meetings.

Training, sustainment and manufacturing

• I/ITSEC (Orlando, late November into December). Best for: military modeling, simulation and training. The National Training and Simulation Association runs it.
• Military Aviation Logistics & Maintenance Symposium (Orlando, April). Best for: people who keep military aircraft flying: maintenance, logistics and sustainment. Aviation Week runs it alongside MRO Americas.
• MILAM (Tampa, January) and AeroDef Manufacturing (Detroit, April). Best for: defense manufacturing. MILAM is a summit on 3D printing for the military; AeroDef is SME's aerospace and defense manufacturing showcase, inside the RAPID + TCT show.
• XPONENTIAL (Miami Beach, May). Best for: drones, robotics and autonomous systems, with defense program offices alongside commercial operators. AUVSI runs it, and the host city changes each year.

Military dealers and tactical gear

• Army Navy Military Expo (Las Vegas, January). Best for: army-navy surplus, tactical and outdoor retailers buying for their stores. It's a B2B, dealer-only show. Firearms and the SHOT Show are on the firearms page.

Homeland security and public safety

• Border Security Expo (Phoenix, April 2027). Best for: federal, state and local border agencies and the companies that sell to them, with CBP, DHS and ICE among the agencies taking part.
• ISC East (New York, November) and Expo Seguridad Mexico (Mexico City, June). Best for: security integrators, dealers and end users, including government and law enforcement buyers. More are on the security trade shows page.
• EMS World Expo (New Orleans, September 2027). Best for: paramedics, EMTs, EMS chiefs and medical directors. HMP Global runs it with the NAEMT Annual Meeting.
• Disasters Expo USA (Fort Lauderdale, March). Best for: emergency managers, first responders and NGOs working on disaster preparedness, response and recovery.
• Techno Security & Digital Forensics (Myrtle Beach, May). Best for: law enforcement and corporate investigators working in digital forensics.
• Commercial UAV Expo (Las Vegas, September). Best for: drone teams in public safety, utilities and infrastructure. See the public safety conferences page for the full list.