USSOCOM Awards Ceremony & Dinner

Date

Thursday, 21 May 2026

Time

5:30 – 10:00 p.m.

Location

Grand Ballroom
Marriott Water Street

About the Evening

A Longstanding Tradition of Honor

The USSOCOM Awards Ceremony and Dinner stands as one of the most distinguished events on the annual conference calendar — a solemn and celebratory gathering that honors the warriors who define the soul of Special Operations.

Featured Award

The Bull Simons Award

Named for Colonel Arthur “Bull” Simons — a towering figure who embodied every dimension of the Special Operations ethos — this award has recognized the finest warriors in the SOF community since its inception.

Colonel Simons was a man of extraordinary courage, tactical genius, and unwavering devotion to his soldiers. His legacy lives on in each recipient chosen to carry forward that standard.

This event requires separate registration and is open only to pre-registered attendees.

Tickets for the USSOCOM Awards
Ceremony and Dinner are SOLD OUT!

If you’re still interested in attending, please email us at protocol.rsvps.org@socom.mil
and we’ll be happy to add you to the waitlist. We will notify those on the waitlist if any become available after May 5.

Awards Dinner Keynote Speaker

SEAC (Ret.) Ramón Colón-López
Former Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and CEO Carnivore Concepts, Inc.

Biography

Ramón Colón-López is a distinguished United States veteran whose 33-year Air Force career culminated in his appointment as the fourth Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman (SEAC) of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As the most senior enlisted service member in the U.S. Armed Forces from 2019 to 2023, he advised two Presidents and three Secretaries of Defense on critical matters of modernization, recruitment, and global security. Born in Puerto Rico, he enlisted in 1986 to seek discipline and structure, eventually ascending to the pinnacle of the military’s enlisted leadership.

A central figure in the Special Operations community, Colón-López spent two decades as a Pararescueman. His operational background includes ten years within the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) as a Special Tactics Team Leader and Senior Enlisted Advisor for the 24th Special Tactics Squadron and 724th Special Tactics Group. Having completed the USAF Pararescue pipeline alongside Navy SEAL and Army Special Forces courses, he conducted dozens of high-risk missions alongside top-tier joint units. His career spanned the globe, with strategic leadership roles in Japan, Qatar, Germany, and Africa, where he engaged with leaders from 89 countries to strengthen international alliances.

His valor and service are highly decorated, including two Bronze Stars with Valor and the Defense Distinguished Service Medal—the first ever awarded to an enlisted member. Among his 58 honors are the Legion of Merit and the Air Force Combat Action Medal. His legacy is physically immortalized at the National Museum of the USAF and through “Carretera SEAC Ramon Colon Lopez” in his hometown of Guánica. He is also a recipient of the NDIA DeProspero Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to Special Operations.

Today, Colón-López is the CEO of the consulting firm Carnivore Concepts, Inc. He serves on the Military Board of Advisors for First Command Financial Services and provides strategic consultancy for firms including Atlantic Diving Supply and Warrior Ventures. A dedicated advocate for veterans, he sits on the Board of Directors for the Robert Irvine Foundation. He holds a B.S. from the University of Maryland and is a Harvard University National Preparedness Leadership Initiative fellow. He resides in North Carolina with his wife, Janet, where he remains an avid outdoorsman and climber.