The Eagle has landed! SOFIC 2019 is currently underway at the Tampa Convention Center—bringing together military personnel from across branches.
The Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC) is a premier annual event that allows industry experts to network, discover cutting-edge capabilities, and continue to innovate. SOFIC offers educational sessions, interactive exhibits, demonstrations and more for the SOF community. The event is hosted by the US Special Operations Command in association with the National Defense Industrial Association.
SOFIC is most known for its on-the-water demonstration that occurs every other year just outside the Tampa Convention Center. During this demonstration, special forces officers will demonstrate military capabilities through a hostage rescue situation. Who’s the hostage you may ask? None other than City of Tampa’s Mayor.
Last year, former mayor, Bob Buckhorn was taken “captive” by enemy forces and then rescued via helicopter drop-in and rescue boat take off. As a seasoned veteran of the exercise, Mayor Bob Buckhorn expressed his amazement at the demonstration and his excitement being asked to participate one last time. You can watch a recap of last year’s demo at: www.bit.ly/2HNRkek
Although this year was not a demonstration year, City of Tampa’s new mayor, Jane Castor, still stopped by to see the impressive displays and thank USSOCOM members for their service. The next public demonstration will take place in 2020.
With MacDill Air Force Base just a few miles away, the Tampa Convention Center was proud to support the local military community while welcoming active-duty personnel and private-sector experts from across the globe.
For more information about SOFIC, visit: http://www.sofic.org/