According to the Chief of Naval Research, RADM Mat Winter, small businesses play an important role in executing the naval S&T [science and technology] strategy to “discover, develop and deliver decisive naval capabilities, near- to long-term, by investing in a balanced portfolio of breakthrough scientific research, innovative technology and talented people.”
“The Navy needs to bring large and small businesses together to examine the technologies we need to invest in, but just as important, how we invest in them,” Winter says.
“We want to introduce the primes to these small businesses and get their technology into the pipeline.”
“We hold a number of conferences to talk about the science of the science, but we also have initiatives to discuss the business of the science, to include the policy, regulations, initiatives in contracting, communications, financing, and other elements that take the science of science, and transition it to a warfighter or a program of record,” says Winter.
S-A-S annually attracts the top layer of the U.S. defense industrial base – companies such as Boeing, Raytheon, BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, and dozens more – and key military decision makers for an annual innovative, educational, professional, and maritime based event. Sea-Air-Space is now the largest maritime exposition in the U.S. and continues as an invaluable extension of the Navy League’s mission of maritime policy education and sea service support.
According to Kevin Traver, who manages S-A-S for the Navy League, the purpose of having the Forum conference concurrent with the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space expo is to bring the system integrators and large contractors together with small business.
“We want to introduce the primes to these small businesses and get their technology into the pipeline,” says Traver.
Rear Adm. Mat Winter, chief of naval research, talks with exhibitors Jan. 13, 2016, during the 28th Annual Surface Navy Association (SNA) National Symposium. U.S. Navy photo by John F. Williams
“That process will be much easier at S-A-S, because we’ll have 12,000 attendees for S-A-S alone, and we expect even more for the Forum. Plus, we’ll have 255 exhibitors and 23 Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard commands exhibiting on the floor. Every major acquisition command for the sea services will be there,” Traver says. “So it opens up the aperture for everybody.”
According to Traver, S-A-S has evolved over the past five years from an exclusively U.S. market show to an international maritime and naval event. “Last year we had 15 international delegations and ten heads of navies.”
Registration for the forum is FREE, and includes entrance to the S-A-S exhibit hall and all S-A-S free events. S-A-S attendees also have free access to the forum, including the forum presentations and small business technology exhibits.
“Registering for one of the events means you can attend both for free,” says Smith.
For more information on the Forum, or to register for the event, please visit www.navyfst.com.