The question on the minds of those gathered in Tampa was whether the success of the bin Laden raid means more money for special ops. Todd Harrison, of the Washington, DC-based Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, says that while funding for Special Operations Command, which includes Navy SEALs, has increased in recent years, much of the money has gone to "expendables," meaning things such as bullet and bombs. "I think the success of the Bin Laden raid will solidify a lot of support for the increase in funding for special operations equipment and training," he says.
Congress has already moved to boost funding for Special Operations Command, and companies here are clearly hoping that will translate into contracts. Perhaps the most obvious way that bin Laden's death has reverberated in the commercial environment is the increasing focus on technologies intended to track and target key terrorists. Speakers on topics like "sensitive site exploitation" and "high value individuals" spoke to standing-room only audiences, and exhibitors showed off new sensors and drones designed to track cars and people.