Force Protection Demo scheduled for mid-May

Officials coordinating the 2009 Force Protection Equipment Demonstration (FPED VII) in northern Virginia, to be held May 19 through 21, are inviting military, homeland security, law enforcement, and other first-responder personnel to attend the annual event. Not available to the public, FPED VII is open only to defense, homeland security, law enforcement, and other first-responder personnel and allied defense officials.

Nearly 600 exhibits will be presented at Stafford County Regional Airport, south of Marine Corps Base, Quantico, Va. Live-fire small arms and explosives survivability demonstrations will be at ranges on the Marine Corps base.

The event, will focus on immediately available commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) equipment and systems that can help reduce or eliminate vulnerability to terrorist attacks against personnel, equipment, and infrastructure.

The demonstration covers 20 equipment categories, including: automated entry control systems and equipment; armored and utility vehicles; biometrics; blast protection/mitigation systems; cargo inspection devices; chemical and biological detection, mitigation and protection equipment; communications equipment; delay and denial technology; explosives detection systems; explosive ordnance disposal equipment; fence sensor systems; individual protective equipment; night vision and optics devices; non-lethal weapons and technology; physical security equipment sensor and surveillance systems; robotic vehicles and systems; unattended ground sensors; unmanned aerial vehicles; vulnerability assessment/analysis software tools; and waterside security equipment.

In addition to presenting exhibits at the airport, some companies will place items on the range at Quantico to be subjected to live fire from small arms and, in some instances, blasts from high explosives. Attendees will be able to observe the range demonstrations and then examine the products when the firing and explosions have been completed.

The U.S. Army Product Manager, Force Production Systems, will conduct FPED VII under the sponsorship of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Acquisition, Technology & Logistics; the Department of Energy; the Department of Homeland Security; the Joint Staff; the National Institute of Justice; the National Nuclear Security Administration; and the Technical Support Working Group.

More information and online registration is offered online at http://www.fped7.org/