Last-minute invite to fill a hole caused by previous selectee who fell out. Judging by the quality of the other speakers who will addressing the entire forum (versus serving on panels, which I did in San Diego several years back), it must have been somebody big.

As always, it's very nice to be asked.

The three-day conference is 12-14 May at Virginia Beach, VA. Usual big exhibit hall with 250 or so companies. Seven panels with the likes of Ralph Peters, Frank Hoffman, H.R. McMaster, Herb Browne, Tony Zinni, Mary Yates (State Dep at AFRICOM), Paul Van Riper, Dov Zakheim and Jay Cohen.

Keynotes from Jim Mattis (JFCOM), Martin Dempsey (TRADOC), me, Eric Olson (SOCOM), Stephen Carmel (SVP, Maersk) and DEPSECDEF Bill Lynn.

Full list found here.

Invite came today from retired MGEN Tom Wilkerson, my boss on the Naval Forces Capabilities Planning Effort that generated From the Sea ... way back when. Haven't seen him in years.

Crowd is expected to be 5,000. Keynotes will be in the exhibit hall. It's at the VB Convention Center.