Demonstration Features Commercial Technology for Combating...( WASHINGTON May 8 /- Military and civi...)

WASHINGTON, May 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Military and civilian personnel from the U.S. Armed Forces, as well as federal, state and local homeland security, law enforcement and other first-responder personnel from throughout the United States, and defense media have been encouraged to register and attend the 2009 Force Protection Equipment Demonstration (FPED VII). The event will be held at Stafford Regional Airport and Marine Corps Base, Quantico, VA, during May 19-21.

The demonstration, which is also open to allied defense officials, will host more than 600 companies presenting over 3,300 commercially available, off-the-shelf items of equipment and systems for use in countering terrorist attacks against people, equipment and infrastructure. Stafford Regional Airport will be the site of exhibits, while live fire and explosives survivability demonstrations will be presented before attendees on ordnance ranges at the Marine base. All items demonstrated must be available for procurement and testing within 90 days following the event.

Online registration is available on the FPED VII web site at http://www.fped7.org. The demonstration is not open to the general public.

The Force Protection Demonstrations were 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. They have become a means of assuring that leaders responsible for physical security and force protection can stay abreast of evolving and advancing technology to counter increasing terrorist activity against personnel, equipment, and infrastructure -- in military settings as well as other government activities at home and in foreign locations.

The U.S. Army Product Manager, Force Protection Systems, will conduct FPED VII under the sponsorship of
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