Since 1952 members of the Defense Orientation Conference Association (DOCA) have received briefings on national defense and national security from senior military leaders, senior Department of State staff members and Ambassadors and their country teams in U. S. Embassies. Throughout the years since the formation of DOCA, DOCA members have received briefings at countless military installations throughout the United States and abroad. For example, in 2017 DOCA visited Vandenburg AFB in California, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Beijing, China, Seoul, South Korea, and Nellis and Creech AFBs in Las Vegas, Nevada. After Covid struck, DOCA members had access to virtual conferences on topics such as the U. S. Space Force, Afghanistan, USSTRATCOM, missile defense, Latin America and U. S. national security.

If you were a member of DOCA, you could answer in the affirmative that you experienced the following:

• Visited a nuclear fast attack submarine.
• Visited a nuclear ballistic missile submarine.
• Received briefings at NORCOM, SOUTHCOM, INDOPACOM and NATO
• Saw the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier being built.
• Visited and received briefings at U. S. Embassies throughout the world.
• Visited the demilitarized zone in Korea and stepped into North Korea.
• Received briefings at the National Defense University.
• Received briefings at the Naval War College.
• Visited all the military academies.
• Visited Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Plans for 2022 include: visiting US Naval Base Ventura County (NAS Point Mugu and Port Hueneme) and Vandenburg SFB; visiting San Diego for briefings about the USS Zumwalt (a new guided missile destroyer), US Navy Special Warfare operations, and MCAS Miramar for Marine air operations.

By way of a summary, DOCA members over the years have been exposed to all facets of military operations and facilities and received briefings from people knowledgeable about national security and national defense. DOCA members meet like-minded individuals and attend conferences to enhance their understanding of our nation’s national security challenges.

CONTRIBUTIONS FROM DOCA