The two-day event is intended as a forum for the domestic shipbuilding industry, its supplier base, the U.S. Navy Program Offices and the U.S. Navy-sponsored shipbuilding research programs to exchange information on shipbuilding technical developments. Featured are advances generated respectively by the National Shipbuilding Research Program and the Navy ManTech Program through its Centers of Excellence and related shipbuilding initiatives. The objective of the information exchange is to reduce total ownership cost of naval ships while enhancing the competitiveness of the domestic shipbuilding industry.