The first Sea-Air-Space
Exposition was held in
April 1965 in conjunction
with the Navy League’s
63rd annual conven-
tion in Washington.
More than 30 companies
were to present “a new concept of briefing
tours for the convention-goer,” and the
annual Sea Power Symposium was to focus
on anti-submarine warfare, according to a
report previewing the event in the April 1965

issue of Navy: The Magazine of Seapower, the predecessor to Seapower magazine.

President Lyndon B. Johnson, in a Feb. 26, 1965,
in a letter to Navy League National President Robert
H. Barnum extending best wishes for the convention,
noted, “The program for this Convention is particu-
larly interesting. The decision to focus attention on
anti-submarine warfare is another example of the
continuing interest shown by the Navy League of the
United States to keep the American People alert to the
ever-changing problems of National Defense.”
Since then, Sea-Air-Space has grown dramatically
and today is a global maritime exposition. The 2017

Sea-Air-Space boasts naval delegations from 19 countries and nearly 270 exhibitors — including 18 military commands from the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard — occupying 92,000 square feet of floor space at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center at National Harbor, Md.

Yet while the size and scope of the expo have changed, two things have been constant and critical to its success — the Navy League’s mission of education and advocacy on behalf of our sea services and the commitment of our corporate members to supporting that mission.

The Navy League has a robust National Corporate
Membership Program that offers many engagement
opportunities for thought leaders in industry, govern-
ment and the sea services. It is structured to help our
industry partners maintain a strategic position in
front of key military, defense and homeland security
decision makers.
Along with the many events at Sea-Air-Space, there
is the monthly Special Topic Breakfast series; interna-
tional expositions; Shipbuilding, Navy-Marine Corps
and Coast Guard caucus events on Capitol Hill; and
briefings by sea service leaders throughout the year.
The Navy League mission is threefold: To inform
Congress and the American public on the importance
of strong sea services, enhance the morale of active-
duty personnel and their families, and support youth
programs that expose young people to the values of
our sea services. Without the support of our corpo-
rate members, we could not execute that mission.
Every level within our National Corporate Membership
Program — Nonprofit and Nongovernmental
Organizations, Business Associate, Corporate and
Corporate Gold — is important to our education,
advocacy and outreach efforts on Capitol Hill, across
America and around the world.
President Johnson recognized in 1965 that the Navy
League “has done a splendid job through the years
in fostering civilian interest in our Navy and Marine
Corps and in helping inform our people of the role
these organizations play in our National Defense.”
Our “citizens in support of the sea services” —
the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and U.S.-flag
Merchant Marine — are just as passionate about the
Navy League mission today as they were when our
organization was founded upon the recommendation of
President Theodore Roosevelt in 1902.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all our members and, in particular, our corporate members, for their belief in our mission and their support throughout the years. Just as technology can be a force multiplier for our military, our industry partners are the Navy League’s voice multiplier.