The post Brownstein to host its first-ever reception for Special Operations Forces Week in Tampa appeared first on Florida Politics – Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government..
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Lobbying and consulting firm Brownstein is participating in the Special Operations Forces (SOF) Week in Tampa for the first time ever, which kicked off Monday.
The firm is hosting an exclusive reception on Wednesday from 4-6 p.m. at Jackson’s Bistro, located near the Tampa Convention Center, where the SOF event is taking place, at 601 S. Harbor Island Blvd. Present at the reception will be Melissa Kuipers Blake, a Brownstein shareholder and the Tampa office managing partner; Brandt Anderson, a national security and defense strategist; and former National Security Council defense policy director Maxwell Huntley.
Former Gov. Charlie Crist, a Democrat who is now running for St. Petersburg Mayor, is also expected to attend, along with senior members of the U.S. Department of War.
The event “is unique this year,” Anderson said, noting that special forces demonstrations will be shown throughout the week, after two real-life special operations were utilized this year by military officials, including in Venezuela and in Iran, to rescue downed pilots.
And it’s especially remarkable for Anderson, who served as an Army helicopter pilot doing special operations in Afghanistan.
For Brownstein in particular, the event represents an opportunity to help its clients, some of whom will be demonstrating various products and other tools at SOF week. Speaking to Florida Politics on Monday, Kuipers, Blake, and Anderson said they’ll help direct traffic to their clients and create new and enhance existing relationships. The firm works with clients in the special operations and military spaces to navigate complex policy and budget-making on Capitol Hill.
Brownstein’s clients, like others, will largely demonstrate tools in the artificial intelligence and autonomous space. Two of the clients, among others, are Vannevar and Beacon AI. Vannevar will demonstrate a new AI platform that collects data from adversaries around the world and criminal threats from across the Western hemisphere to conduct an AI analysis of threats, reducing the amount of time it typically takes to collect and interpret such intelligence from days to just minutes. Beacon AI is a Series A company that was awarded a SOCOM contract to develop an AI co-pilot to help enhance aviation safety.
“Ukraine and Iran have shown us that the future of warfare is really with drones and autonomous systems,” Anderson reminded.
SOF Week is an annual event in downtown Tampa that brings together members of the international Special Operations community to promote collaboration, learning and capability development. It includes dramatic demonstrations of advanced autonomous and manned systems. Past events have featured flyovers, mock military rescues and para-rescues and more.
There are numerous booths where various vendors can display technology and other products used in military operations. The week also includes breakout sessions, talks by military and government officials, and more.
A full schedule is available here. Some events are open to the public, while others require advanced registration.
The post Brownstein to host its first-ever reception for Special Operations Forces Week in Tampa appeared first on Florida Politics – Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government..
