In response to the boming of Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff directed the U.S. Military Services to investigate commercial off-the-shelf solutions to force protection needs. As a result, the Force Protection Equipment Demonstration I was created to showcase and demonstrate force protection equipment. With concern of terror attacks and the need to protect troops and resources, the number of sponsors of the FPED has grown to include the U.S. Miliatry’s Joint Staff, as well as the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, the National Institute of Justice and the Transportation Security Adminstration.
During FPED IV, there will be 490 vendors showcasing more than 1,000 products.