COVID-19: AUSA Global Force 2020 Event Cancelled

The Association of the United States Army (AUSA) has canceled the Global Force Symposium and Exposition that was to be held next week in Huntsville, Alabama, as a measure to contain the deadly novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Registered attendees and exhibitors will be contacted by AUSA staff about cancellation and refund policies, AUSA said in a statement Tuesday.

“For the health and safety of all of our members and the participants in Global Force, canceling next week’s event is, regrettably, the right decision,” said retired Gen. Carter Ham, AUSA’s president and CEO.

“We will all miss the professional opportunities that have come to be so highly regarded at Global Force, but we’ll also miss the welcoming community of Huntsville. Mark your calendars for Global Force 2021, scheduled for March 16 to 18," he added.

Several other defense events have either been rescheduled or cancelled owing to coronavirus fears. Qatar's Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX) event that was to be held later this month has been canceled, while Defence Services Asia (DSA-2020) has been rescheduled to August.

Organizers of the biennial Farnborough Air Show, the biggest event in the global aerospace and defence events calendar asserted that the show would go on as scheduled in July, “like all responsible major event organisers, we’re mindful of the impacts of the Coronavirus; however, July’s Farnborough International Airshow is some months away. While we are paying close attention to UK Government advice, for the current time we remain focussed on planning an incredible Aerospace showcase.”

Another major event, the ILA show in Berlin during May 13-17 will go on as scheduled as of now.