The second annual Association of the U.S. Army Warfighter Summit and Exposition is coming to the Crown Complex July 26 and 27. The two-day, in-person summit teaches leadership and professional development. The theme this year is “America’s Army: Ready for Today, Modernizing for 2030 and Beyond.”

Retired Brig. Gen. Jack Haley is the Vice President, Membership and Meetings for the AUSA. He says they are excited to be back at Fort Liberty. AUSA had their first warfighter summit last year, and 1,300 people came. This year, he hopes to have more people attend and check out the vendors and panels.

“It’s a tremendous opportunity for the association to work with the Army Forces Command in this case to really showcase what the Army’s all about, because the Army is not about equipment. The Army is about soldiers. So that’s really what we’re trying to do.”

The summit will feature presentations by Army senior leaders and commands based at Fort Liberty, as well as experts from industry and academia. Topics will span six warfighting functions and highlight ways Fort Liberty’s operational forces can win throughout the expanded competitive space.

The keynote speaker on the first day of the summit will be Gen. Gary M. Brito, the Commanding General of the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command.

There will be two keynote speakers on the second day of the summit. Command Sgt. Maj. Todd Sims of Forces Command will be speaking in the morning. Gen. James E. Rainey, the Commanding General of the Futures Command will be speaking in the afternoon.

One fireside chat that Haley thinks will interest people will be the chat between retired Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel A. Dailey, and current Sgt.Maj. of the Army Michael A. Grinston. Grinston will retire in August, after handing over the position to Command Sgt. Maj. Michael R. Weimer.

There will be panels dedicated specifically to the needs of the soldiers at Fort Liberty. On the first day, there will be a panel with leaders from the 18th Airborne Corps, including Lt. Gen. Christopher T. Donahue, and Command Sgt. Maj. Thomas J. Holland.

There will also be panels and chats talking about warfare from the industry perspective. On the first day, there will be a panel about Insights from the Russian-Ukrainian War. Speakers include Joseph Anderson, President and CEO of Rafael Systems Global Sustainment, LLC; David Poland, Client Solutions Executive from AT&T; Lt. Cmdr. Nicole M. Winget, Navy Reserve and Interim Dean of Adult & Online Education and Associate Professor at Campbell University; and Todd M. Burnett, the Executive Advisor of Booz Allen Hamilton.

In addition, a session dedicated to spouses and families will be held on the second day of the summit. That fireside chat will discuss employment. Holly Dailey, the Director of Family Readiness for AUSA, and Lieutenant General Kevin Vereen, the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army, will be speaking.

Haley hopes that soldiers who come to the summit will not only learn about AUSA, but about the resources and programs available for them.

“It’s a great professional development opportunity for soldiers, for really anybody, but certainly for soldiers to get to hear senior leaders, both officers and sergeant majors. Then they get the opportunity to engage with industry leaders. [Soldiers] don’t really get that much opportunity to walk around in a small area and see all of the different technologies that are being developed that are out there to support them,” Haley said.

The summit is open to the public. There will be a variety of military vehicles and aircraft on display. Special Forces will have an interactive trailer which allows people to experience aspects of the Special Operations world.

There is no cost for military and government civilian personnel. To register, go to https://meetings.ausa.org/warfighter/index.cfm.