The North Carolina chapter of Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association International (AFCEA) has one mission this February: to bring together private sector, academic and government partners under one roof to discuss technological innovation in the defense industry. 

To do so, AFCEA North Carolina is hosting its annual TechNet Fort Liberty Symposium and Exposition from Feb. 5-7 with the theme “Integrated Defense: Advancing National Security through Emerging Technologies and Collaborative Strategies.” 

The event will likely draw close to 2,000 attendees. 

One of the most significant pieces of feedback AFCEA got last year was about spacing. This year, the group has moved the event off of Fort Liberty and will be bringing the event to the Crown Complex at 1960 Coliseum Dr. The improved space also allows exhibitors to better demo their products and services. 

“The idea this year is really bringing people together and talking about innovation, and how do we partner together within the state of North Carolina, but also for the empowerment of the US government more broadly,” said Linnea Gavrilis, president of the AFCEA North Carolina chapter. “We really want to bring people who are focused on the empowerment of the best and brightest and the newest cutting edge technologies for national security issues.”

One of the main draws to the event will be the technology on display. 

According to Phil Williams, VP of Corporate Affairs for the AFCEA North Carolina chapter, TechNet will feature vendors from both in and out of North Carolina who are already either serving the Department of Defense or who want to serve. These vendors will be exhibiting technologies focused on secure communication for the defense sector. 

“We know today, they use the term ‘zero trust.’ You have to assume today that somebody’s listening, or they can listen, and how can you detect them? The technologies we’re talking about would fall into this ecosystem of, ‘how do you communicate at the battlefront to the command, protect the information being transmitted and get it there quickly with imagery data to allow the commanders to operate,’” shared Williams. “Everything has some sort of security or AI aspect to it.” 

Williams also added that many of the vendors exhibiting will have dual use technology, meaning that they don’t only sell to the military. Bringing the event off of the base will allow for a bigger audience for vendors who also sell their products commercially. 

“We have 95 exhibitors, which is about 20 more than we had last year, but we have a much bigger space,” Gavrilis said. “A lot of great, cutting edge small businesses that are bringing their technology to bear. The other thing it allows us is giving everyone the chance to bring something that flies, or walks or swims that they can demo at Crown. We're hoping that it allows a fuller both exhibition and discussion of what's available and what's needed.” 

The event will be divided into two facets: a resources and career opportunities fair that will take place all day on Feb. 5, and a series of keynote speakers with ample military and leadership experience at the highest levels of the U.S. Armed Forces and the federal government. 

Those two aspects mirror AFCEA’s goals. 

“The first goal is to create an ethical forum for the discussion of national security issues between the U.S. government and private sector industry and academia,” said Gavrilis. “ [The] second angle is empowering the next generation of professionals in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics [STEM].” 

Gavrilis said bringing in members of the academic community, the business community and the federal government will chart a future for the state’s economy. It will also usher in tremendous networking opportunities.

Gavrilis shared that with the career fair, the organization hopes to help not only future and current STEM professionals, but also active duty servicemembers, Veterans and even military families. 

“People think they have to be active duty, military or private sector, and I wasn't hearing a lot of people think: ‘hey, I could be active duty and then go on to serve in another branch of the federal government.’ People were feeling like they had to get out entirely. So that was a part of the motivation on that first day, bringing together agencies like the Secret Service, Customs and Transportation Security Administration, and others who are really interested in these incredibly talented military professionals,” said Gavrilis. 

For folks in the private sector, the event is a gateway into additional community participation. 

“Part of the group that’s there on Wednesdays is also 501c3 organizations, nonprofits,” Gavrilis said. “So many of those organizations would welcome the opportunity to have these incredibly talented people volunteer their time.” 

A new feature of this year’s iteration of the event is a slew of presentations that will run on Feb. 5 from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

THE PRESENTERS INCLUDE: 

• Michael Quinn, a retired U.S. Army Sergeant Major, who will host a conversation on the use of LinkedIn and the networking fundamentals for folks transitioning out of the service.
• Lauren Weiner, the founder and former CEO of WWC Global and a TedTalk speaker. Her woman-owned consulting firm centers on government-focused management. The firm was founded in 2004 because of the lack of professional opportunities for military spouses.
• Jessica Yahn, a retired U.S. Army Major, and the CEO of AllTru, an organization dedicated to empowering women within the Special Operations community, and uniting a global network of warrior women. Yahn will host a panel and a viewing of “Guerrera,” a three part documentary on the trailblazing women who served in America’s Special Operations during the war in Afghanistan.
• Diane Nguyen, a nutritionist with the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), and Riley Tejcek, an olympic athlete, U.S. Marine Corps Captain and a published author, will host a human performance panel.

THE EVENT WILL ALSO FEATURE FOUR KEYNOTE SPEAKER SLOTS: FEB. 6: 

• Lieutenant General Jeth B. Rey, the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-6.
• Brigadier General John P. Cogbill, the Deputy Commanding General XVIII Airborne Corps. FEB. 7:
• Colonel Mike Kaloostian, Army Futures Command. Next Generation C2 Warfighting Capabilities.
• Colonel Shawn McClure, the Deputy Chief of Staff G-6/CIO. United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM).

“The idea of bringing together North Carolina; our colleges, universities, our military representation and then our private sector representation, that is a really powerful partnership,” Gavrilis said. “I am optimistic and inspired that we can really enact some change.” 

Go to www.technetfortliberty.com to see the full schedule, learn more about the speakers and register for the event.