SOF Week 2023 took place in Tampa, FL, from 8 – 11 MAY 2023. The event was co-sponsored by the Global SOF Foundation (GSOF) and U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM).
Learn more about SOF Week at sofweek.org.
Read all the way to the bottom to see our SOF Week Event Report!
The views expressed below are solely those of GSOF. Our co-sponsorship of this event does not imply endorsement of GSOF, its services, or products by the United States Government, the Department of Defense, or U.S. Special Operations Command.
SOF Week 2023 was a huge undertaking for our team at the Global SOF Foundation.
If you’re reading this, you’ve probably heard the story, but the short version is that in 2022, USSOCOM selected us to co-sponsor its annual conference in Tampa with some changes to the previous format. Instead of a solely industry-focused event, the event was to be expanded to include programming for more facets of the special operations community.
We created a handy video to highlight the features that made this event unique in 2023. Check it out to get read-on to the full scope of SOF Week.
The Greatest Reunion for SOF in the World
There’s no one better to give an honest and raw take on why SOF Week is important than Stu Bradin, the President and CEO of GSOF. If you know him, you know he says exactly what he’s thinking!
The 2023 SOF Week is behind us, and as I reflect on the event and all the things that happened throughout the week the one thing that sticks out to me was being able to see my friends and teammates.
I spent about 30 years in SOF, and when I left I wanted to keep serving. So I assembled an amazing and passionate team and we formed GSOF. We all believed that SOF was and is critical to global security and that we needed a professional association to support and advocate for the community.
When we started in 2014, we just wanted to “convene and unite” the SOF community and to do that we hosted events.
Our events have grown over our 9+ years, but the one thing that is constant is who attends and the fun we all have seeing each other. I personally love seeing all the people in the SOF community that are committed to serving our formations and our retired SOF.
As I get older, I value every opportunity to see my friends and teammates and SOF Week is without a doubt the greatest reunion for SOF in the world.
A lot of people don’t understand the value of a professional association, and prior to forming GSOF I was one of those people. It didn’t take me long to realize what a professional association can do and the positive support it can provide to its constituents.
The energy motivates the SOF Community as well as the entire GSOF team–and makes us want to do more. We are lucky. We get to serve the greatest warriors in the world and just being at SOF Week allowed me the opportunity to see that in action.
As for the event itself? The speakers were great, the exhibits were amazing, and the numerous fundraisers and parties were fun…but seeing and talking to my friends and teammates inspired me the most.
We look forward to the 2024 SOF Week because it will be an international SOF year and we will get to see a lot more of my SOF friends from around 100+ countries.
For me, these events are about the people, and I am truly grateful and honored to keep serving this great community.
Thank you, Stu, for this insightful recap!
The Event Report
The easiest way to synopsize everything that happened at SOF Week is to view our event report!
You can see the whole thing here, or you can read below for a summary.
So, what happened?!
The Attendance
We had over 15,000 members of the Special Operations community join us in Tampa, including nearly 5,000 Active Duty Military Members. Another nearly 10% of the attendees were Government Civilian representatives, giving us around 40% military and government attendees.
Additionally, there were 58 US Partner Nations with official representatives at the event… and since this wasn’t even an official “international” year for SOF Week we are thrilled that so many members of our global community could participate.
The Conference
To quote General Bryan Fenton, Commander of USSOCOM: “This is really a conference of consequence.”
You could feel the impact of the event in all of 34 sessions that occurred on the stages, which focused on the three USSOCOM priorities of “People – Win – Transform.”
Keynote Speakers included the Commander and Acquisition Executive of USSOCOM, Ambassador Caroline Kennedy, and ASD SO/LIC The Honorable Chris Maier.
In addition, there were 22 more PEO Briefings that included Overviews and Deep Dives from SOF AT&L’s PEOs and Science and Technology Directorate. These were fantastic opportunities for industry to learn about SOCOM’s acquisition priorities.
The Conference agenda also included the annual USSOCOM Awards Ceremony and Dinner, a meaningful and celebratory evening event that gives USSOCOM a platform to recognize the movers and shakers in the community.
In addition to awards like the Servicemember of the Year, the famed Bull Simons award is given at this ceremony. This year uniquely recognized two recipients: Ret. Chief Master Sgt. Wayne Fisk and the late Maj. Gen. Gary Harrell. The speeches and video presentations showcasing these two men were the highlight of the evening!
The Exhibition
There were over 630 exhibitors packed into the multi-floor exhibition hall that spanned every nook and cranny of the Tampa Convention Center.
Capabilities on display ranged from cutting edge ammunition to optics to comms equipment to UAVs.
This was the first year that this event’s exhibition hall was organized by functional areas, mirroring the USSOCOM PEOs. Zones, like “Maritime Zone” and “Special Air Warfare Zone,” made it easier for attendees to navigate the sprawling halls.
In addition to the static displays inside, SOF week featured unique industry demonstrations outside on and around the docks.
Those demos ranged from water purification to the ever-popular “Rocket Man” blasting around in his jetpack.
What’s in Store for 2024?
The Global SOF Team is thrilled to partner with USSOCOM again to host the 2024 International SOF Week from 6-10 MAY 2024 in Tampa.
The planning is already well underway–we’re VERY excited to have a full year planning cycle AND past performance in our pocket this go-round.
Information about 2024, including a run down of the exhibition hall sales process, is available on our website:
Registration will open in early FEB 2024, and we’ll continue to push out more information as we get closer to the event.
We hope you had a great and productive time in 2023, and we’ll see you in 2024!
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