Between an “enemy village” at The Sail, helicopters on our roof, and ships exploding near our docks, it is safe to say that SOFIC brought an action-packed week to the Tampa Convention Center.
Amongst the many impressive sights that viewers witnessed during last week’s SOFIC demonstration, was the kidnapping and rescue of Mayor Bob Buckhorn. Last week, Mayor Bob Buckhorn hunkered down to play the role of a hostage during the SOFIC military capabilities demonstration. This demonstration highlighted joint military capabilities by land, air, and sea, as part of the NDIA SOFIC conference.
The demonstration began with special operations troops storming the Yacht Starship in search of Mayor Bob Buckhorn. When they were unable to locate him on board, they moved their attention to the enemy village set up near The Sail. Utilizing low-flying helicopters, decoy explosions, impressive marksmanship, and other military tactics, troops were able to ambush the village and rescue the mayor from enemy forces.
This demonstration highlighted impressive military skills, giving the public a rare glimpse at special operations abilities.
Having participated in SOFIC in the past, Mayor Bob Buckhorn expressed his gratitude towards NDIA and US SOCOM for allowing him to participate yet again. On Twitter Mayor Bob Buckhorn tweeted, “It was an honor to participate in today’s #SOFIC hostage rescue demonstration—and it is sure good to be back to safety in @cityoftampa! Thank you to all the military personnel who work every day to keep us safe!”
For more photos from this year’s SOFIC demonstration, see our Facebook album here.