By Navy League National President David J. Reilly
This is blog post appears in the September issue of Seapower magazine, the official magazine of the Navy League of the United States.
The Navy League recently wrapped up Sea-Air-Space 2021. Held in person in National Harbor, Maryland, after a hiatus the prior year due to the pandemic, this event was the first large-scale gathering in the National Capital Region for the military, defense and maritime communities. And as such, it was one of the most well-attended and sought-after events at this scale that our organization has ever held.
By holding events like Sea-Air-Space, the Navy League plays a critical role, not just at the national level but in all our communities, in providing a link between what defense leaders communicate and what the businesses and nonprofits that support our sea service members are able to learn from the information. For those that were able to attend this year, you know this event draws some of the senior-ranking sea service personnel, cutting-edge innovators and defense community thought leaders. For 2021, the caliber was truly unmatched. Some of the key speakers were then-acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Harker, who discussed the criticality of partnerships to confronting our adversaries; Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, who talked about how emerging technologies will transform the future of war; and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday, who urged the industry in attendance to focus on building the technologies the Navy needs. The education panels and exhibits facilitated in bringing the warfighter and technology together.
Alongside the main exposition, we also held the most well-attended STEM Expo the Navy League team has ever had, exposing elementary through high school students to the skills the sea services need to thrive. Additionally, Navy League held a first-time hiring event, Transition Connection, aimed at uniting veterans, military spouses and others in the defense community with companies looking to hire this type of talent.
Time and again you can see how the Navy League serves as a critical convergence point, be it tying the industry and sea services together, veterans with good jobs or children with opportunities to learn.
As you and your council look to focus on our mission of education, advocacy and support, we should always be thinking of ways our organization is uniquely positioned to be a uniting force for the sea services so they can continue their mission at the highest level.