From December 1st to 3rd, Espacio Riesco will host a new edition of ExpoNaval, the most important international naval defense, maritime technology, and port security trade fair and congress in Latin America. The event will bring together authorities, navies, and global industries to discuss the strategic transformations the sector is undergoing. Over three days, the academic program will address topics such as the emergence of autonomous technologies at sea, the modernization of naval forces, shipbuilding plans, and development opportunities for the industry in the region.

In this regard, Carola Fuentes, general manager of FISA, highlights the role of the exhibition as a strategic meeting point for decision-making on the continent: “ExpoNaval has established itself as the key platform for anticipating global trends in defense and maritime innovation. In this edition, we will seek not only to showcase cutting-edge technology, but also to create a space for effective dialogue between the public and private sectors that promotes production chains, fosters technology transfer, and strengthens regional capabilities in the face of the complex challenges of the current global context”.

Program

The main part of the conference will begin on the morning of Wednesday, December 2nd, with an opening keynote address led by the Minister of National Defense, Fernando Barros Tocornal. The session will also feature the participation of Admiral Sir Antony David Radakin, former First Sea Lord and former Chief of the Defence Staff of the United Kingdom, who is a special guest at ExpoNaval 2026 and will offer a global perspective on the international security landscape and the evolution of contemporary naval strategy.

Following this, the program will move on to the first panel of the day, moderated by Marcelo Masalleras, which will focus on the industrial lessons learned from recent armed conflicts. In this session, the panelists will analyze the integration of naval drones and unmanned maritime systems, the resilience of supply chains in high-intensity scenarios, and the industry’s capacity to respond to the demand for munitions and combat logistics in protracted conflicts.

Later, the debate will shift to the local sphere with a panel dedicated to the defense industry and strategic autonomy in Chile. Moderated by Dr. John Griffiths, the panel will assess the current state and projections of the nation’s military capabilities, delving into the operational roles of ASMAR, ENAER, and FAMAE. The discussion will address mechanisms for integration between the public and private sectors, technology transfer processes, and strategies for sustaining investment in defense infrastructure in the face of budget constraints.

The morning session will conclude with a session focused on shipbuilding, using international comparative models. Moderated by Matías Purcell, this panel will analyze, along with representatives from foreign shipyards, financing tools for these companies, social benefit policies related to shipbuilding, and the development of local suppliers as key factors for strengthening the sector’s value chain. Export strategies that allow shipyards to project their technological capabilities into international markets and consolidate the growth of the maritime industry will also be discussed.

International Presence

The latest edition of ExpoNaval, held in 2024 at the Valparaíso Port Passenger Terminal, brought together more than 110 exhibitors, received 4,939 professional visits, and featured delegations from 24 countries, including Argentina, Brazil, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Spain, the United States, Finland, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Peru, the United Kingdom, Turkey, and Uruguay, among others. All of these were spread across an area of ​​14,000 m².

Alongside the exhibition, the International Congress took place, with the participation of 22 national and international experts. Among the highlights of the event were the keynote addresses by Admiral (Ret.) James Stavridis, former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO (2009-2013), and Vice Admiral Martin Connell, Second Sea Lord of the Royal Navy.