Defence Business Mission to Washington D.C., USA (AUSA)

Join the Defense Business Mission to the Association of the United States Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition (AUSA) in Washington, D.C on October 12-14, 2026, followed by a two-day program on October 15-16, 2026 designed to deepen relationships with defense prime contractors in the Washington D.C. region.

12.–16.10.2026

Washington D.C., USA

Register by August 14

Preliminary programme

The program is organized by the Team Finland network, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and the representations in New York and Washington D.C., Business Finland's Defense and Digital Resilience Program and Finnish Defense and Aerospace Industries, PIA. 

The Association of the United States Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition (AUSA), is the largest land power exposition and professional development forum in North America, taking place on October 12-14, 2026 in Washington D.C. Read more about why attend the event here. 

The AUSA Expo program on October 12-14 consists of pre-arranged group meetings with key potential partners at the show based on each company's interests. It primarily targets organizations across defense and security sectors, including government agencies, industry, and research organizations.

The two-day post-AUSA program on October 15-16 is designed to deepen relationships at a more senior level and introduce companies to complementary prime contractors not yet engaged. The DC area represents the highest-density concentration of U.S. defense decision-makers, prime contractor headquarters, and acquisition authority in the country. The target is to establish executive-level introductions between Finnish defense technology companies and senior program managers and business development leaders at the top U.S. defense prime contractors. The program will build on the AUSA engagement foundation, extending relationships to the DC-area prime contractor headquarters not accessible at a trade show.

The Defense Business Mission also includes access to:

• U.S. Defense Market Entry and legal Briefing provided by Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP (2-hour webinar leading up to the visit)
• Evening networking reception at the Embassy of Finland in Washington, D.C.

Who should attend?

This visit is aimed for Finnish companies which already have prospects in the US and can provide products and services to the US Army either through an integrator or directly. High technology solutions enabling superior capabilities for the warfighter are of particular interest.

Note on dual-use products: Companies are responsible for assessing whether their products, software or technology are subject to export control or permit requirements.

Practicalities

Kindly note that participation is limited to max. 10 companies and 2 representative per company on a first come – first served basis. Note that each company representative must individually register for the visit.

To cover the expenses of arranging the visit to Washington D.C., a participation fee of EUR 1700 per person, plus a EUR 20 management fee, will be invoiced.

The participation fee does not include the ticket to AUSA, hence each company representative should register for the event separately and choose which ticket type/membership is the most suitable. The ticket sale for AUSA will open in July.

The participation fee will be invoiced after the visit, based on actual costs. The invoiced amount will not exceed the maximum fee stated above. The participation fee does not include flights, accommodation, or meals outside the official visit program.

Please see more information about the practicalities here.