SOF Week 2026: Special Operations Forces Week, Tampa, Florida

Event Name: SOF Week
Category: Arms and Ammunition
Event Date: 18 – 21 May, 2026
Frequency: Annual
Location: Tampa Convention Center – 333 S Franklin St, Tampa, Florida 33602 USA
Organizer: National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) – 2101 Wilson Blvd, Suite 700, Arlington, Virginia 22201 USA
Phone: 703-247-2573
Email: cklein[at]NDIA.org
Timings: 10:00 AM – 18:00 PM
Tickets: Visitor Registration Required – Click Here!

Special Operations Forces (SOF) Week is a convention for the entire SOF Community, akin to an “AUSA National Meeting” for the U.S. Army or the “AFA National Convention” for the U.S. Air Force. SOF Week 2026 will take place from 18 – 21 MAY 2026.

SOF Week 2026: Overview

Special Operations Forces (SOF) Week is an annual conference for the international SOF community to learn, connect, and honor its members. The event is jointly sponsored by USSOCOM and the Global SOF Foundation. It is held in Tampa, Florida and is expected to draw over 15,000 attendees.

Key highlights include:

• An expanded exhibition hall, organized by USSOCOM PEO areas
• Extensive programming, to include senior keynote speakers, professional development seminars, industry engagements, business matchmaking, and non-profit interests.
• Live Capabilities Demonstration
• USSOCOM Annual Awards Ceremony and Dinner
• “Special Operations Forces Week Campus” in downtown Tampa

This year, Special Operations Forces Week 2026 will be a hybrid event, giving attendees the option to attend in-person, virtually, or both. There will be three different registration options so registrants can choose what works best for them. All Special Operations Forces Week 2026 attendees will have the opportunity to explore a wide variety of agenda items. Some past highlights included;

For industry attendees, Special Operations Forces Week 2026 offers a multitude of significant opportunities for networking, business intelligence, brand promotion, and product demonstration. Participants are offered detailed insights and tips on how to do business with the U.S. Special Operations Command, and information on what capabilities are most desired by the community.

Each year, SOF Week 2026 serves as the premier conference for the SOF community to develop, nurture, and exercise its growing network between industry, government, academia, and international partners. By leveraging the depth, breadth, and diversity of this network, the SOF community can boost its velocity, multiply its productivity, and diversify its capabilities to meet the changing demands of SOF operators.

Is travel not an option for you at this time? Then plan to join Special Operations Forces Week 2026 virtually. Virtual attendees will be able to participate in selected sessions and have access to those session recordings for thirty (30) days after the conference.

Why Attend Special Operations Forces Week 2026?

The Special Operations Forces Week (SOF Week 2026) is the most important opportunity for the SOF community to interact with industry and collaborate on the challenges, initiatives, and way-ahead in delivering the most cutting-edge capabilities into the hands of SOF operators.

For industry attendees, SOF Week 2026 offers significant opportunities for business intelligence, detailed insights, tips and information on what capabilities are most desired by the community on how to conduct business with the U.S. Special Operations Command.

SOF Week 2026 will serve as an opportunity to stay connected to the SOF community and to develop, nurture, and exercise its growing network between industry, government, academia, and international partners. By leveraging the depth, breadth, and diversity of this network, the SOF community can boost its velocity, multiply its productivity, and diversify its capabilities to meet the changing demands of SOF operators.

Learn:

Listen to speakers from top USSOCOM leadership and engage in discussions and Q&A sessions with USSOCOM’s Component Commanders, Program Executive Officers, and various acquisition experts across the Command.

Networking:

Special Operations Forces Week 2026 provides the perfect opportunity to network with defense industry professionals, USSOCOM leadership, and government attendees. Spend the week catching up with old colleagues, retired SOF leaders, and meeting new contacts.

Exhibition, Innovation & Small Business:

View the latest in SOF equipment and capabilities while visiting more than 400 exhibiting companies in the exhibit hall. Take part in an informal exchange with experts from the TILO, Small Business Innovation Research Office Contracting, and many more.