The 32nd annual Signal Symposium event drew about 3,000 military officials and private-sector contractors such as General Dynamics, Lockheed and Raytheon to Fort Gordon last year to discuss, observe and market military telecommunications technology. Now Fort Gordon Commander Gen. Jan Hicks has announced the cancellation of this year’s event, owing to cuts by the Army’s Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) so funds can be diverted to the front lines in Iraq.
The Signal Symposium adds an estimated $3.7 million to the local economy. Local officials at the Augusta Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau say they’ll fight to bring the trade show back to Augusta in Fall 2005, even if it means moving the symposium outside the post.