The United States Bomb Technician Association (USBTA) will conduct the first ever CONVERGENT Operational Technology Integration Exercise (OTIE) at Fort Knox, Kentucky November 3-5, 2026 (17 Bullion Blvd, Fort Knox, KY 40121).
CONVERGENT stands for Concept, Operational Needs Validation, Evaluation, and Real-Time Gap Analysis of Emerging and New Technologies.
USBTA, along with a variety of industry partners, will conduct the first ever CONVERGENT Operational Technology Integration Exercise (TTE). This exercise brings together qualified public safety bomb technicians, HAZMAT and CBRN specialists, military EOD personnel, screening and detection professionals, government and military mission partners, federal laboratories, industry, academia, and vetted international participants in a structured, hands-on training/exercise environment.
Hands-On Technology Integration
Qualified operators are given time to use, compare, and assess capabilities in realistic operational contexts.Â
Capability-Gap Identification
Over three operational days, teams complete five hands-on Operational Modules and participate in one all-hands Campfire engagement.
Each module is a facilitated by Subject Matter Experts. Operators receive focused familiarization, apply capabilities in mission-relevant scenarios, compare approaches where appropriate, and participate in structured debriefing and data collection.
The Campfire, serves as the central synthesis point to identify and address capability gaps through:
- Existing Commercial Off-the-Shelf technology
- Current government or military capabilities
- Training or procedural improvements
- Better information sharing
- Adaptation of an existing system
- Additional testing or validation
- New research or development
Event Location
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- Fort Knox, KYÂ |Â 17 Bullion Blvd, Fort Knox, KY 40121
Event Dates
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- Tuesday, November 3 – Thursday, November 5, 2026
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- Industry Set-Up Day: Monday, November 2, 2026
Airports
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- Louisville Airport (SDF)
Hotels
Hotel blocks are at government per diem rate. Please adjust dates of stay based on travel plans.
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- Candlewood SuitesÂ
40 Bourbon Street Radcliff, KY 40160
RESERVATION LINK
- Candlewood SuitesÂ
