Department Spotlight: DoD – More Money, More Opportunity?

With the Bipartisan Budget Act (BBA) of 2018 passing in February, the defense discretionary funding cap was increased by $80 billion in FY2018 and $85 billion in FY2019. The DoD now has over $700 billion in their budget. This type of legislation is not unprecedented with BBAs issued in 2013 and 2015. However, the 2018 deal does stand out in terms of the amount of money added to funding caps.

So what are defense agencies doing with this influx of federal dollars? According to research from Market Connections, two thirds of Defense decision makers say that money will go toward projects that have been stalled due to budget disagreements and continuing resolutions. This means that agencies are not necessarily investing in net new work, rather using the influx to put existing plans and programs into action. Those projects getting the kick start range widely, with a large portion involving cybersecurity, modernization initiatives, and training. Continue reading

We Want You…To Mark your Calendar

The landscape for battle is shifting quickly. From the emergence of cyber warfare to the physical battlefield moving from fields into cities, our military is undergoing a huge transformation. Additionally, military spending priorities are rapidly changing and military professionals are expected to pursue continuing education and specializations. Luckily there is a wide array of events tailored for the armed forces.[Tweet "View the wide array of events tailored for the armed forces and #DoD #GovEventsBlog"]

We wanted to highlights some of the major events that should be on the calendars of anyone involved with the DoD. Continue reading

Behind the Curtain: AUSA

AUSAFor this behind the curtain peek at event organizers we're learning more about the Association of the United States Army and two of their more popular events. LTG(R) Roger Thompson, vice president, membership and meetings at AUSA, took the time to talk to us about the planning behind the group's Global Force Symposium and LANPAC.[Tweet "Behind the curtain peek at AUSA and their events. #GovEventsBlog"]

The Global Force Symposium runs March 15-17 in Huntsville, AL, just outside Redstone Arsenal. The featured command at the symposium will be the U.S. Army Materiel Command (AMC), the Army's premier provider of materiel readiness - technology, acquisition support, materiel development, logistics power projection, and sustainment.  If a soldier shoots it, drives it, flies it, wears it, eats it or communicates with it, AMC provides it.  LANPAC takes place May 24-26 in Honolulu, HI.  This annual event brings together military and industry to highlight the role of land forces in the Indo-Asia-Pacific theater and their contributions to the Joint Force in peace and war.

We talked with LTG Thompson about how trends in the event industry and the government market in general are shaping the way they produce events.[Tweet "We talked with LTG Thompson @AUSAorg about trends and the events they produce."] Continue reading

Defense Conferences Canceled, Imperiled As DoD Budget Woes Widen

Originally posted by John Grady on Aol Defense
WASHINGTON: In a telling sign of the uncertain economic and spending climate in the defense world - faced with sequestration and the possibility of a year-long Continuing Resolution -- at least three defense conferences have been cancelled in the last two months and defense companies continue to pare their participation in even the biggest shows, the air show in Paris and Farnborough.

Top Level Panel to Discuss DoD Acquisition at I/ITSEC 2012

I/ITSEC 2012 is an outstanding opportunity to hear directly from DoD senior leaders on the latest Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (AT&L) challenges. Learn from subject matter experts on a variety of AT&L topics and network with Military, Government and Industry acquisition professionals.

As the Defense Acquisition Executive, Mr. Frank Kendall, Under Secretary of Defense, Acquisition, Technology & Logistics, will address DoD Acquisition in terms of balancing the warfighters' requirements with the significant reduction in the budget. Mr. Kendall's opening remarks will be followed by the Service Acquisition Executives (SAEs) from the Army, Navy and Air Force who will address improving the efficiencies and affordability of their respective organizations by implementing Better Buying Power initiatives.

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