WASHINGTON
The Association of the US Army’s 2025 Annual Meeting and Exposition, the largest annual land warfare exposition in North America, kicked off Monday in Washington, DC.
The three-day event at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center features more than 780 exhibits in five halls.
With more than 44,000 participants and delegates from 92 nations, the event brings together the global defense community to forge the future of national security.
This year’s theme, 'Agile, Adaptive, Lethal: Winning at the Pace of Change,' underscores the Army’s commitment to evolving rapidly and effectively to meet the demands of the future battlefield.
During the opening ceremony, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said the Army faces "an inflection point" and called for breaking away from outdated technology and legacy acquisition approaches to transform into a force as agile, advanced and lethal as its potential adversaries.
"Technology is rapidly fundamentally changing our world. Our adversaries are harnessing it to change the very nature of warfare. We must change or become obsolete," Driscoll said.
Highlighting Ukraine’s progress in drone technology, he stated that at the very least, the Army’s technology should match the modern tools soldiers use in their everyday lives.
"Ukraine is updating its drone software every couple of weeks. It is absolutely unconscionable that we would send soldiers to war with 30-year-old obsolete systems. This is the inflection point where we turn it all around," he said.
Defending US soldiers and the homeland against drone threats is "a top priority" for the Army, Driscoll said, adding: "We are leading the entire United States government to tackle this challenge."
Separately, Turkish firms Repkon and Kale Jet Engines are also taking part in the fair. Türkiye's Ambassador to the US, Sedat Onal, visited the booths and was briefed on the work of Turkish defense companies.