WASHINGTON , Feb. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Military, homeland security, law enforcement and other first-responder personnel throughout the United States are being encouraged to attend the 2009 Force Protection Equipment Demonstration (FPED VII) in northern Virginia this May 19-21 .
Nearly 600 exhibits will be presented at Stafford County Regional Airport, just 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, which is also open to allied defense officials, will focus on immediately available commercial off-the-shelf equipment and systems that can help reduce or eliminate vulnerability to terrorist attacks against personnel, equipment and infrastructure. Online registration is available, under the "Attendees" tab, on the FPED VII web site at: http://www.fped7.org
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.
Many items demonstrated in previous FPEDs have been successfully employed in Iraq and Afghanistan , at military bases and other locations throughout the United States , and at bases, embassies and other critical locations around the world. The demonstration was initiated by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1997 as a result of the terrorist bombing of Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia the previous year. He determined there was a need to assure that leaders responsible for physical security and force protection could stay abreast of evolving and advancing technology to counter increasing terrorist activity against personnel, equipment, and infrastructure.
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.
The Force Protection Equipment Demonstration is not open to the general public. It is open to defense, homeland security, law enforcement and other first-responder personnel and to media who cover defense, law enforcement, security and first-responder planning and operations.
In addition to online registration, including press registration, detailed information on FPED VII is available at http://www.fped7.org
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SOURCE Force Protection Equipment Demonstration VII
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