The annual SMD Symposium, which runs through Thursday, has become a major gathering point for the global space and missile defense community. It puts the region’s defense industry directly in front of the people shaping the next generation of military technology and requirements. And Huntsville companies are taking advantage of it. North Alabama’s defense footprintMore than 9,000 attendees and 300 exhibitors are attending SMD this year, bringing military leaders, government officials, engineers and defense companies from across the country and around the world to Huntsville. Gen. Michael Guetlein, who is overseeing development of Golden Dome, previously served at the Missile Defense Agency at Redstone Arsenal from 2017 to 2019.