Senator Thom Tillis and FTCC President Mark Sorrells talk at the Defense Technology Summit held at FTCC on July 25, 2023. [Photo by Brad Losh]
Fayetteville Technical Community College welcomed a group of defense technology stakeholders Tuesday, including Sen. Thom Tillis, Fort Liberty military leadership, higher education administration and defense technology companies from across North Carolina.
The second annual Defense Technology Summit was an all-day event on July 25 held in conjunction with the Association of the US Army Warfighter Summit and Exposition on July 26-27 at the Crown Coliseum.
The event was hosted by FTCC, the North Carolina Military Business Center and the North Carolina Defense Technology Transition Office.
Tillis and Maj. Gen. Patrick B. Roberson, deputy commanding general of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, delivered opening remarks to start the event on Wednesday, as did N.C. Community Colleges System President Dr. Jeff Cox and FTCC President Dr. Mark Sorrells.
“It’s really a coming together of the industrial base in North Carolina, other businesses that have operations here and other businesses considering moving to North Carolina,” Tillis said of the event. “When this program got started, it was the first of its kind in the country. And now there’s nobody even close. It’s bringing together people who can partner and giving them resources to deal with the DoD.”
Sen. Thom Tillis (center) speaks on stage. Scott Dorney, Maj. Gen. Patrick B. Roberson, Jeff Cox and Mark Sorrells join him on stage. [Photo by Brad Losh]
Lt. Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of the 18th Airborne Corps and Fort Liberty, gave the closing remarks of the day.
The summit highlighted the advanced technology needs of major military commands in North Carolina and the Department of Defense and the correlating capabilities of the innovation ecosystem in North Carolina and the Southeast.
The summit was fully booked with 240 participants. Scott Dorney, executive director of the N.C. Military Business Center, said the DTS offered participants an opportunity to meet and interact with government, military, academia, and industry innovators in one single location. He said the summit helped businesses understand military requirements and emerging technologies that may help provide solutions to DoD gaps and problems.
The N.C. Military Business Center is headquartered at FTCC and has locations at other community colleges throughout the state.
Lt. Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of the 18th Airborne Corps and Fort Liberty, speaks at the Defense Technology Summit at FTCC on July 25, 2023. [Photo by Brad Losh]
A soldier demonstrates a piece of defense technology at the Defense Technology Summit. [Photo by Brad Losh]