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Many plans are already in place for the 148th General Conference & Exhibition, Aug. 28-31.
More than 4,000 National Guard officers, family members and guests will gather for the conference in Indianapolis, the capital of Indiana, under the theme The National Guard: America’s Strength at Home & Abroad.
“The theme is the definition of our force in 2026,” said retired Maj. Gen. Francis M. McGinn, the NGAUS president.
“The National Guard is highly in demand at home,” McGinn said. “The Army and Air Force can’t conduct their everyday worldwide operations without the Guard. And we have working partnerships with 116 nations around the globe. We are a major source of America’s strength.”
Several other details are also set for the conference, according to Jeffrey Coomler, executive director of the National Guard Association of Indiana.
Most professional development sessions, other meetings and the industry exhibition are scheduled for the Indiana Convention Center, which is adjacent to Lucas Oil Stadium, home of NFL’s Indianapolis Colts.
Most of the 11 officials conference hotels are connected to the convention center via skywalk.
State/territory Guard association leaders will receive their hotel assignments at the National Guard Executive Directors Association annual meeting Jan. 27-29 in Indianapolis.
Plans are also set for conference social events and activities.
The attendee golf tournament is scheduled for Aug. 28 at the Brickyard Cross Golf Course, a Pete Dye-designed course that includes holes inside the track that hosts the world-famous Indianapolis 500 automobile race.
Another event that day will take conference attendees for a tour of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the IMS Museum. A separate walking tour of the city’s many war memorials is also on tap.
The popular conference mixers are that evening. The Adjutants General Reception will be at the speedway. Company-grade, field-grade and senior warrant officers will gather at Victory Field for an Indianapolis Indians minor league baseball game.
Business/professional development sessions and the industry exhibition begin Aug. 29. Booth sales are ahead of last year’s pace when nearly 350 companies and organizations exhibited their products and services, said James Spargo, a senior vice president of Spargo, the contract exhibition manager.
In a twist reminiscent of the 145th General Conference & Exhibition three years ago in Reno, Nevada, the States Dinner will be on the evening after the First Business/Professional Development Session.
The Governor’s Reception will conclude the conference. It’s planned for the Indiana State Museum in Indianapolis and will feature racing and laser-shooting simulators and a drone show over the adjacent canal.
More conference information, including exhibition details, is available here.
Additional information about Visit Indianapolis can be found here.
