The American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS) International held their 56th Annual Seminar and Exhibits in Dallas, TX from 12-15 October 2010. ASIS International is an organization dedicated to Security Professionals, with a membership of over 37,000 worldwide. Each year around September - October, ASIS holds a seminar and exhibit show that displays the latest in security technology. The show also has over 160 different education sessions and three keynote speakers.

Each year, the seminar hosts a Law Enforcement / Military Appreciation Day. This year, it was on 14 October. The day begin with a keynote speaker from 0800-0900. There were several education session periods during the day. Also, ongoing throughout the day, was a vendor exhibition show that exhibitors were displaying the latest technology in security solutions and products.

The keynote speaker for that day was President Pervez Musharraf, who served as the 10th President of Pakistan (2001-2008). President Musharraf spoke for about a hour and focused on extremism and terrorism from his perspective. I thought his speech was very insightful coming from the Pakistan viewpoint. President Musharraf was very passionate when talking about Pakistan's involvement in the war on terrorism and extremism.

For the first education session, I attended; Security Response to International Disasters: Challenges and Solutions. This was taught by Scott Bernat, Chief of US Military Security, Resident Agent in Charge, US Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) / Force Protection Detachment Indonesia. This one hour class talked about security responses to international disasters. Mr. Bernat focused his class on the 2004 Asian tsunami, the 2009 West Sumatra earthquake, and the 2010 Haiti earthquake. He broke down all the different challenges that security personnel will face during humanitarian assistance and disaster relief activities.

 
For the second education session, I attended the Military Transitioning 101 Class: Making the Move from Active Duty and the Benefits of ASIS Certification. This session was taught by Joseph Rector, CPP and Richard Yamamoto, CPP. Both instructors are retired military officers, that transitioned successfully into the private security sector. The class talked about resumes, interviewing techniques, networking, and the benefits of achieving the Certified Protection Professional (CPP) through ASIS International. The CPP is a certification for Security Managers / Professionals. After the class, there was an additional hour that was dedicated for the Military and Law Enforcement Networking Lounge. This was very beneficial as it allowed everyone to talk to the instructors one on one and to other recently retired military personnel and get their perspectives and advice on transitioning from active duty.

Overall, I thought the Security Seminar and Exhibits was very worthwhile. I enjoyed the show and was able to see the latest in security technology and solutions. During my last assignment, I was fortunate enough to work in the Training with Industry (TWI) Program with McKesson Corporation working Corporate Security. I was also very fortunate during that time at McKesson Corp. to earn my Certified Protection Professional (CPP) through ASIS International. During the show, I was able to visit several colleagues that I had met during that year long TWI assignment. If you are looking into Security Management as a career after the Military, I highly recommend looking into ASIS International and the different certifications that they produce.