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WASHINGTON (Aug. 16, 2021) — Senior Army and Air Force leaders and the new secretary of veterans affairs will top the agenda when more than 3,000 current and retired National Guard officers and their guests gather Aug. 27 to 30 in Las Vegas for the 143th NGAUS General Conference & Exhibition.
Conference sessions are set to open Aug 28 with the State of the National Guard address by Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, the chief of the National Guard Bureau and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Scheduled speakers Aug. 29 include Gen. David W. Allvin, the Air Force vice chief of staff; Gen. James H. Dickinson, the commander of U.S. Space Command; and Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough.
Gen. James C. McConville, the Army chief of staff, is set to speak to Guard officers Aug. 30.
Most speakers will address the conference theme, The National Guard: All-In for America’s Defense. They are also certain to touch upon emerging national security threats, future defense budgets and the Guard’s place in U.S. defense strategy.
The conference is the annual NGAUS business meeting. Conference delegates from all 50 states, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia will set their 2022 legislative agenda and elect members to their governing board.
It will be the association’s first in-person conference since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Also included in the event is a large trade show featuring nearly 300 companies and organizations that sell or want to sell products and services to the Guard. Among the companies are some of the world’s largest defense contractors, but many are small companies attempting to break into the market.
More conference information, the full business agenda and a complete list of exhibitors are available here.
Conference Health & Safety: NGAUS will follow local mandates on the wearing of face coverings in common areas inside regardless of vaccination status. The association will include masks in the registration bags. In addition, the Mandalay Bay Convention Center and the official conference hotels observe the MGM Resorts Seven-Point Safety Plan, which includes enhanced sanitation, extra air circulation, and employee screening and temperature checks.
Reporters: All major conference events will be held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. A press office will be established in the facility. Office contact information will be provided in a later release. Conference press credentials will be issued onsite.
NGAUS: The association was created in 1878 to provide united Guard representation in Washington. In their first productive meeting after Reconstruction, militia officers from the North and South formed the association with the goal of obtaining better equipment and training by educating Congress on militia requirements. Today, 143 years later with more than 40,000 members nationwide, NGAUS has the same mission.
