DETROIT, Mich. — With defense modernization now a national priority—and new legislation igniting America’s push to build the most capable military in history to face the challenges of future battlefields, especially against peer and near-peer adversaries — the spotlight turns to Michigan this August.
The17th annual Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology Symposium (GVSETS), hosted by the NDIA Michigan Chapter, returns as the nation’s largest event focused solely on military ground vehicle innovation.
Over three days, Aug. 12-14, at the Novi Suburban Collection Showplace, GVSETS will bring together Army leaders, warfighters, defense suppliers and strategists, policymakers, engineers, and academic researchers from across the country.
More than 3,000 attendees will hear exclusive modernization updates CS&CSS, NGCV CTF, DEVCOM GVSC, and ACC-Detroit Arsenal explore game-changing technologies, and engage directly with decision-makers driving billion-dollar military programs.
GVSETS also provides an opportunity for organizations to submit technical white papers and present research that addresses real Army capability gaps.
Each day has a specific purpose:
- The first day is the technical session day where authors present technical papers and present ideas to colleagues, to the government, to academia to figure out what particular problems that they can solve for the Army.
Topics include autonomy, AI, digital engineering, MOSA, M&S, additive manufacturing, materials, power, human performance, and contested and predictive logistics.
- The second day is the main session day in which officials bring in senior Army leaders and folks from the acquisition side of the house. The day also includes people who are actually users of the equipment to give feedback on issues they’re facing out in the field.
- The third day focuses on the modernization update, the annual planning briefing for industry. The group brings in members of either Congress, their staffs or government relations folks to talk about the big picture, about how Congress is funding the Army.
Organizers say the symposium is the only national event dedicated to next-generation military ground systems, autonomy, and survivability technologies.
“What makes this event special is its focus primarily on the Army ground vehicle systems, although we also at times bring in the Marine Corps because they have tactical ground vehicles, as well,” said Valde Garcia, president and CEO of NDIA Michigan. “So what makes this unique is because we focus on those programs for the Army, those systems, and we bring people in together to talk about how we can solve those problems. And what people have told me in the past is they realize, number one, the content or quality of the content is very, very good for a conference like this. And number two, the networking, the association with Army personnel and industry, is just incredible.”
First Look at Army Modernization Strategy
The event features keynote speakers from DEVCOM GVSC leadership, TACOM, Army Futures Command, and the Congressional Defense Panel, providing intel not shared at other venues.
Live discussions will take place around engineering, procurement, and innovation, connecting technology developers directly to military needs.
The event will also feature a large number of vendors, from large OEMs to smaller contractors and businesses. Having some 200 vendors represents a lot of growth since the event began.
Garcia began running it back in 2018, when there were a little more than 60 vendors. He said the event was hosted at a hotel in Dearborn when it started, but has since outgrown it.
Over the last few years the event has gone from 60 vendors to some 150 and this year will host 200.
As home to GVSC, TACOM, and the country’s largest defense mobility corridor, officials point out Michigan is where the military, industry, and research converge.
“If you want to understand where the Army is headed—and where opportunity is being created nationwide—GVSETS is the event,” Garcia said. “It’s the intersection of military needs, advanced tech, and the people building the future.”
