SOF Week 2026<\/a>, this year\u2019s convention is expanding beyond the walls of the Tampa Convention Center \u2014 reflecting what organizers say is a rapidly changing battlefield increasingly shaped by drones, artificial intelligence and autonomous systems.<\/p>\nThe annual Special Operations Forces conference, held in Tampa because of its proximity to U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base, connects military leaders with companies developing the next generation of defense technology.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis year, everything right now is about unmanned,\u201d said Donte Conrad with Getac. \u201cIf you can make our force more lethal without putting an individual in harm\u2019s way \u2014 absolutely do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Inside the convention center, vendors showcase unmanned aerial vehicles, remote-controlled maritime systems and AI-powered communications and surveillance platforms aimed at helping military forces operate faster and more efficiently.<\/p>\n
Conrad said the military\u2019s push is toward systems that are \u201clighter, newer, quicker,\u201d allowing troops to deploy equipment rapidly in the field.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are a perfect fit for our customer here as far as what their mission is and what our mission is as a corporation,\u201d Conrad said.<\/p>\n
Another major focus this year is artificial intelligence and its role in military decision-making.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think everybody is talking about AI,\u201d Conrad said. \u201cImplementing new technology using AI in ways that are going to create efficiencies in the field.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that AI-driven systems are designed to improve battlefield awareness and speed up decision-making for troops in combat situations.<\/p>\n
\u201cGetting all the information to the edge as quick as possible and being able to make better decisions at the edge with that information,\u201d Conrad said.<\/p>\n
Companies are also increasingly focused on counter-drone technology \u2014 systems designed to detect, jam or disable enemy drones before they become threats.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, SOFWERX officials said they are searching for emerging technologies that can meet evolving military needs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are looking for all innovative technology,\u201d said Marcus Tatum with SOFWERX. \u201cWhatever our stakeholders are looking for, that\u2019s what we are going out to see.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the first time, SOF Week is also expanding to the new \u201cSOF Week Outpost\u201d at Peter O. Knight Airport on Davis Islands, where companies are conducting live aerial demonstrations and drone operations.<\/p>\n
The expansion allows contractors to demonstrate systems too large or complex for indoor convention displays.<\/p>\n
Some Davis Islands residents said they are curious to see the demonstrations unfold.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love anything to do with looking up at the seaplanes, whether it\u2019s the Cessnas \u2014 and drones are definitely a conversation these days,\u201d said resident Tina Worrall. \u201cSo why not check them out?\u201d<\/p>\n
Resident Lucas Welch said he was interested to see how the aircraft demonstrations would impact the neighborhood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWondering how loud or quiet they will be,\u201d Welch said. \u201cIt\u2019ll be interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n
SOF Week runs through Thursday in downtown Tampa and at Peter O. Knight Airport.<\/p>\n
Organizers say the expanded footprint reflects growing interest in live demonstrations and rapidly evolving military technology designed for future combat operations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SOF Week 2026 in Tampa highlights the military’s growing reliance on drones, AI, and autonomous systems. TAMPA, Fla.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":275863,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":["post-275862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275862","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=275862"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275862\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/275863"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=275862"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=275862"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=275862"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}