Marine expo showcases latest in defense technology

It's like children in a toy store.

Only the toys are really, really big.

Included among the interactive toys were the C-130 flight simulator and the challenge of racing the clock to strip an M-16 and then put it back together again.

At this year's Modern Day Marine Expo, held at Quantico Marine Corps Base, 7,000 visitors were able to check out the latest in defense technology as well as improvements to what they already have.

The annual expo started in Tucson in 1981 and moved to Quantico in 1993.

About 350 exhibitors converged on Lejeune Field at the base during the three-day event this week to showcase the products and services available to the military.

Bob Carter, assistant director of economic development for Stafford County, manned a booth. He said the event is not just good for the Marines, it's also good for the county.

"Every officer in the Marine Corps comes to Stafford," he said. "It's an educational, learning experience to let people know what we're about."

Some defense companies are already located in Stafford, but Carter said the county welcomes more.

"It's a big boost to the economy," he said. "Five years ago there were probably 10 defense contractors in the county, and today there are over 40."

Maj. John Toney has been a Marine for 16 years, but this was his first visit to the expo.

"I work across the street and saw this huge tent and thought I'd come check it out," he said.

He's been deployed before, and he's familiar with some of the equipment displayed at the expo, but some of it was new to him.

"It's all fascinating," Toney said. "You see some of this stuff and you think, 'If I'd had some of that stuff when we we're deployed, it would have made our lives a lot easier.'"

For Sgt. Daniel Lightfoot and Sgt. Chad Colwell, the coolest thing at the expo was the "Protector" that was mounted on top of an armored vehicle.

A control panel is installed in the dashboard so that the Marines can aim and fire at targets without having to be outside the vehicle.

"It shows how much thought people are putting into force protection," Lightfoot said.

He's been in the Marines for five years, but this was his first time at the expo.

"It's a really good opportunity for Marines and everyone else to come out and see what their tax dollars are doing," Lightfoot said.

The Army is already using the Protector, which is made by Kongsberg, a technology company based in Norway.

Jeff Child was at the expo representing both Kongsberg and Force Protection, a company that manufactures armored vehicles.

He said he enjoys showing the new weapons technology to people who haven't seen it yet.

"There are solutions that don't require you to stick your head out there in harm's way," he said.

The Protector offers Marines an offensive tool, but they also need defensive tools. Savannah, Ga.-based JCB is working to provide that. The company makes the world's fastest diesel engine.

Why so much speed?

"It's very important when you're in convoys," JCB exhibitor Sam Perrotta said. "You gotta keep up with the convoy, and what's the other thing? IEDs."

JCB doesn't have a defense contract yet, but the military in the UK has been using its products for about six years.

Other well-known defense contractors also were at the expo to display their new products and to get feedback from the end users, the Marines.

Buster Thrasher with Lockheed Martin has been at the expo several years, and he's listening to the feedback the Marines give him.

"They give you ground truth," Thrasher said. "If it ain't right, they'll tell you."