"Building Readiness for Today and Tomorrow" is the theme for the Association of the U.S. Army’s 2016 Global Force Symposium and Exposition, to be held March 15 to 17 in Huntsville, Ala.

This professional development forum, held at the Von Braun Center, marks the third consecutive year AUSA’s Institute of Land Warfare is hosting a meeting in Huntsville, home of more than 900 defense contractors and a military workforce of uniformed and civilian personnel of more than 65,000.

The 2016 AUSA ILW Global Force Symposium and Exposition will explore the numerous capabilities outlined in the Army Operating Concept and how the force transforms from being adaptive to driving innovation for Force 2025 and beyond.

Special guest presentations coupled with panel discussions from senior military and industry leaders, addresses critical points of acquisition, research and development, and partnering between military and industry. For the Army this means restructuring many military-industrial programs.

The Army must take a hard look at its acquisition processes, with an eye towards the future, in order to continue maintaining a competitive overmatch against potential adversaries.

With industry, academic, and Army partnered innovation, the Army will remain the best equipped fighting force in the world.

Readiness is the top priority of Gen. Mark A. Milley, who became the Army’s 39th chief of staff in August.

"We must constantly recommit ourselves to the readiness of our Army," Milley said in October in a speech during AUSA’s Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Adding, "We must never ever lull ourselves into a false sense of complacency where we beat our chest on how good we are with bravado and hubris to wake up and find ourselves unready for combat. Readiness, combat readiness is our number one priority. And there is no other number one."

The Huntsville-based Army Materiel Command, led by Gen. Dennis L. Via, is the featured command for the three-day event that last year drew more than 5,000 participants, including more than 1,000 uniformed and civilian personnel from Army and Defense Department organizations.

Via said readiness also is his top priority.

"At the Army Materiel Command, readiness is why we exist," he said in October at AUSA’s Annual Meeting.

He added, "As the command continues to restructure our organization to remain globally responsive, regionally aligned with the geographic Combatant Commands, while providing strategic agility and operational flexibility to meet a wide range of global operations and contingencies."

In addition to Army Materiel Command, Huntsville is home to the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, U.S. Army Security Assistance Command, U.S. Army Contracting Command, U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Command, U.S. Army Space & Missile Defense Command and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency.

Speakers and panels for the symposium are still being arranged, but the schedule will include specific times set aside to visit the exhibits, which will spread over two halls.

Most of the exhibit space is booked, although limited exhibition opportunities are available.

Details on the Global Force Symposium and Exposition are available at http://ausameetings.org/globalforce/.