Coronavirus: AUSA Cancels Huntsville Conference

“This was a tough decision,” association president Carter Ham told Breaking Defense, but with over 6,000 people expected to gather in close quarters, “I am confident this is the right decision.”

By SYDNEY J. FREEDBERG JR.

UPDATED with McConville, Jette, Quad-A statements WASHINGTON: The Association of the US Army has cancelled its annual winter conference in Huntsville, Ala. Scheduled for next week, the Global Force Symposium & Exhibition is the latest major event shut down as a precaution against the contagious COVID-19 coronavirus, which Army researchers have been mobilized to combat. The virus has shut down parts of the F-35 fighter supply chain and caused the Pentagon to restrict travel and implement social distancing measures.

“Sydney, we have truly enjoyed having the Global Force Symposium and Exhibition in Huntsville over the past several years, so this was a tough decision,” retired Gen. Carter Ham, AUSA's president and CEO, told me in an email this morning. “Last year, about 6,400 people attended. But, out of concern for the health and safety of the expected attendees and exhibitors, I am confident this is the right decision.”

UPDATED Army leaders scheduled to speak at the conference were quick to signal their support for AUSA.

https://breakingdefense.com/2020/03/coronavirus-ausa-cancels-huntsville-conference