Back to U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa
VICENZA, Italy — U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) hosted Tactical Tech Day, bringing military and industry partners together to explore emerging technologies, advancing Army modernization and operational readiness at Caserma Ederle, Oct. 29, 2025.
The event showcased innovative equipment, software and systems that enhance communication, mobility and sustainment in the field. Vendors and technology representatives demonstrated products ranging from tactical power solutions and communication tools to unmanned systems and wearable tech — all aimed at improving how Soldiers operate in dynamic environments across Africa and Europe.
“As SETAF-AF continues to rapidly innovate and pursue new technologies — not only for the warfighter, but also for our local Vicenza military community — events like Tactical Tech Day are essential,” said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Daniel L. Cederman, SETAF-AF's deputy commanding general. “Having industry partners here to showcase their products helps us understand what’s available, discover capabilities we may not have even realized we needed, and engage in honest discussions about how to quickly integrate those technologies to support both our Soldiers and families. Tactical Tech Day is critical for fostering that dialogue and identifying ways to rapidly field new capabilities.”
Throughout the day, Soldiers had the opportunity to engage directly with developers, ask questions and provide feedback on how technology can better support tactical operations. These discussions not only informed Soldiers about available innovations, but also gave companies valuable insight into real-world needs from the operational force.
“One of the technologies that really stood out to us was 'Army Wickr,' a secure, end-to-end encrypted messaging and collaboration application used by the U.S. Army,” said U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Juan Pablo Guevara, an information technology (G6) sergeant major assigned to SETAF-AF. “We discovered that it offers more capabilities than we initially realized, including several services already funded by the Army. Now that we better understand its full potential, we’re looking at how to fully integrate and utilize those features in future exercises.”
Tactical Tech Day reinforces SETAF-AF’s role in supporting U.S. Army modernization priorities and aligning with the Army’s focus on people, readiness and transformation. By bridging the gap between Soldiers and technology, SETAF-AF continues to drive forward-thinking solutions to support missions across continents.
“Events like Tactical Tech Day are great opportunities to raise awareness about what we’re doing in the innovation space,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Nick Dubaz, director of SETAF-AF’s Transform, Innovate, Adapt (TRIAD) innovation cell. “They help us expand our community of practice and show every Soldier, from the most senior leader to the most junior private, that their ideas can make a difference. Our goal is to connect those ideas to the wider Department of War innovation ecosystem and turn them into real capabilities that make SETAF-AF a more effective, lethal fighting force.”
As SETAF-AF continues its mission to strengthen partnerships and enhance operational capabilities across Europe and Africa, events like Tactical Tech Day highlight the importance of collaboration between the military, government and private sectors in ensuring the U.S. Army remains the world’s most capable land force.
“Innovation isn’t just the responsibility of one cell or a few staff members,” Dubaz said. “It must come from across the entire formation, from combat arms and operations to logistics and public affairs. The pace of change in warfare and technology is accelerating, and we can all learn from current conflicts around the world to identify ways to operate smarter, faster and more effectively in both today's and tomorrow’s environments.”
The event featured interactive demonstrations from U.S. and international defense industry representatives, highlighting innovations in artificial intelligence, battlefield communication networks, robotics and cyber resilience.
“Our focus is on identifying problems and finding the right partners to solve them,” Dubaz said. “We’re vendor-agnostic and technology-agnostic — we’re looking for solutions that improve readiness and enable our headquarters to rapidly deploy and operate in austere environments, whether that’s a remote location in Africa, a high-end conflict in Europe or any global crisis.”
Tactical Tech Day aligns with the Army’s modernization priorities and the Army 2030 vision, emphasizing the importance of integrating emerging technology into training, sustainment and mission command.
“Technology is a force multiplier,” Cederman said. “As the Army modernizes, events like this ensure we’re not just keeping pace, we’re leading the way.”
About SETAF-AF
U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) prepares Army forces, executes crisis response, enables strategic competition and strengthens partners to achieve U.S. Army Europe and Africa and U.S. Africa Command campaign objectives.
Follow SETAF-AF on: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn & DVIDS
Social Sharing