Special Operation Forces Innovations Network Seminar (SOFINS) A Decade in the Service of the Special Forces

摘要

Defence exhibitions such as Eurosatory in France have long been the only opportunities to discover new equipment. However, these significant events no longer satisfy the heads of the Special Forces (SF) looking for specific products in a more confidential setting. The French Special Operations Command (COS) therefore decided to organise a show in France purely dedicated to SF. General Gomard provided the necessary impetus for the organisation of the first event. The show originated in 2010, when the European Defence Economic Network (EDEN) cluster and the SF came up with the idea of creating a crossroads between the industrial world and those working in the field, by bringing together all relevant SF elements at the same event; SF and commando units became members of the cluster created in 2008. EDEN is a cluster of defence, security and safety SMEs, founded in 2008 in the Lyon region, which brings together 130 companies representing 9,000 employees. Since the second event, it has been organised by Le Cercle de I'Arbalete. Unique in Europe, this biennial event represents the meeting place for high-tech industry, bringing together SF and special units. There are two comparable events in the world. Jordan created the biennial Special Operations Forces Exhibition and Conference (SOFEX) in 1999 under King Abdullah Il's patronage held in Aqaba. In 2022, more than 400 delegations representing 100 countries came to see more than 300 exhibitors. The other similar event is held in the United States, at the SOFIC (Special Operations Forces Industry Conference) in Tampa, Florida, which brings together the ecosystem linked to the United States Special Operations Command (SOCCOM). The command has created the SOFWERX system, which aims to facilitate exchanges between soldiers and researchers.