By 
March 28, 2025
The 2025 AUSA Global Force Symposium and Exposition at Huntsville’s Von Braun Center may have ended but its impact will resonate long after the last display has been removed.
The sprawling, three-day conference is among Huntsville’s largest annual events. About 6,500 people were on hand this year from exhibitors and uniform personnel to industry executives. Even among the uncertainty of federal spending, more attended this year than in 2024.
The South Hall at the Von Braun Center was a bustling center of activity at the Global Force Symposium and Exposition.
Mayor Tommy Battle was a constant presence at the symposium. He delivered welcoming remarks to attendees and attended meetings with companies throughout the conference.
“It’s an opportunity to meet with a lot of companies and talk with executives that might not be based in Huntsville,” Mayor Battle said. “We want to hear about how they are doing, what they may be needing. And it’s a chance to talk to people who might be looking to establish a new location or headquarters, and we can talk about everything Huntsville has to offer.”
Impact on Huntsville and beyond
The 82,000-square foot South Hall is the heartbeat of the event, but it also stretched to other parts of the VBC such as the Saturn Ballroom and East Hall.
It’s a bustling conference where hands are shaken, business cards are exchanged and Huntsville’s prominence in the military ecosystem is on full display. Companies display their latest products, ranging from full size mobile rocket launchers to the rockets themselves. Eye-catching video displays are everywhere, though perhaps none quite as prominent as Northrup Grumman’s giant projection screen that showed a constant loop of its offerings for warfighters.
Mayor Battle met with executives of several companies at the Global Force Symposium and Exposition at Von Braun Center.
The economic impact of the conference is estimated at $6.3 million and attendees occupied about 12,000 hotel rooms.
Beyond the financial aspect, the conference provides a sort of window into Redstone Arsenal and the varied activities that take place at the Army post. Lt. Gen. Christopher Mohan, acting commanding general, Army Materiel Command headquarters at Redstone, delivered the keynote address at the conference. The AUSA Redstone-Huntsville Chapter, chartered in 1959, has been selected as the Best Large Chapter 14 times since 2003.
The conference is a part of Huntsville’s fabric, elevating the city’s profile in the defense industry and underscoring the significant missions carried out at Redstone Arsenal. And it’s legacy continues to grow.
