4-6 nOVEMBER 2025
sheraton Rome Parco de' Medici, Rome, Italy
sheraton Rome Parco de' Medici, Rome, Italy
Day One | 4 November
7:00 - 8:20
REGISTRATION AND REFRESHMENTS
8:20 - 8:25
DEFENCE iQ WELCOME
8:25 - 8:30
CHAIRMENS' OPENING REMARK
General (Ret'd) Frank Gorenc -
Former Commander,
USAFE-AFAFRICA
8:30 - 9:00
HOST NATION ADDRESS: PROMOTING AIR POWER THROUGH COLLABORATION AND INNOVATION
• Perspective on developments in 6th generation aircraft, and how cutting-edge technologies will support the Italian Air Force’s future capabilities
• Demonstrating the F-35 fleet’s Joint Air Power capabilities and growing proficiency with large-scale and international exercises
• Instilling a fifth-generation mindset with advanced training to achieve operational success
9:00 - 9:30
RESERVED FOR FOUR STAR LEAD PARTNER ADDRESS
OVERVIEW OF AIR POWER: ADAPTING TO UNCERTAINTY IN A CHANGING GLOBAL LANDSCAPE
9:30 - 10:00
ADVANCEMENTS NEEDED IN NATO AIR POWER TO EFFECTIVELY DETER AND DEFEAT THREATS FROM RUSSIA
• Gap analysis on NATO Air Power Developments against Russia
• Importance of rapidly increasing airborne electromagnetic warfare capabilities in Europe to bolster Western airpower
• Key observations from the conflict in Ukraine as allies offer air suppor
10:00 - 10:30
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS FROM AIRBUS
10:30 - 11:00
RAPID MODERNISATION OF CHINESE COMBAT AIR POWER
Douglas Barrie -
Senior Fellow for Military Aerospsace,
IISS
• How the Chinese Air Force are combining speed, power and agility to enhance performance and combat capabilities
• Strategic implications of Chinese 6th Generation aircraft development on NATO and the Indo-Pacific
• Keeping pace with advancements in AI-powered drones and loyal wingman to enhance force flexibility
11:00 - 11:30
MORNING COFFEE AND NETWORKING
HARNESSING AUTONOMY FOR NEXT GENERATION AIR DOMINANCE TODAY
11:30 - 12:00
CANADA’S APPROACH TO MAINTAINING AIR SUPERIORITY
Major General Jeff Smyth -
Chief Air & Space Force Development,
Royal Canadian Air Force
Crista-lynn Ferguson - Director General Fighter Capability, Royal Canadian Air Force
• Overview of Canada’s Air Forces’ defense strategy for the air domain and how a next-generation fighter would fit in
• Updates on Canadian Air Force’s current initiatives, program status, and anticipated timelines for implementation
• Adopting common operational and communication strategies and standards for effective collaboration with allies
12:00 - 12:30
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS FROM BOEING
12:30 - 13:00
BOOSTING AIR COMBAT CAPABILITY TO ADDRESS AUSTRALIA’S DETERRENCE GAP
Air Commodore Pete Robinson -
Commander, Air Combat Group,
Royal Australian Air Force
• Increasing Air Combat mass, lethality, and survivability with increased force size, and supplementing squadrons with autonomous aircraft
• Challenges of integrating CCAs with the existing combat air fleet
• Enhancing combat readiness to respond to new and evolving threats
13:00 - 13:30
PANEL DISCUSSION: HARNESSING AUTONOMY FOR NEXT GENERATION AIR DOMINANCE TODAY
• Software-defined or hardware-defined? Finding the balance for the development, procurement, and delivery of uncrewed combat platforms
• What are the biggest technical challenges? Different problem sets bring different challenges: dog fights, beyond visual range, and collaborative autonomous platforms
• What are the human challenges? The human element of human-machine teams and the systems that need to be put in place
• How quickly can this be achieved? Exploring the possibilities for FCAS and GCAP software technologies to be brought into service earlier
13:30 - 14:30
LUNCH AND NETWORKING
OPERATIONAL TRACK
14:30 - 15:00 SWEDISH AIR FORCE PERSPECTIVE ON THE EVOLVING OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENT, AND ITS IMPACT ON CURRENT AND FUTURE REQUIREMENTS Major General Jonas Wikman - Commander, Swedish Air Force• Exploring the evolving threat landscape and its implications for airpower, agility, resilience, and multi-domain integration
• Swedish Air Force research initiatives into autonomy and MUM-T, with a focus on the development and operational integration of CCAs
• Identifying capability gaps and future force structure requirements shaped by emerging technologies, peer-level threats, and joint operational demands
OPERATIONAL TRACK
15:00 - 15:30 INDUSTRY INSIGHTS FROM SAABOPERATIONAL TRACK
15:30 - 16:00 UPDATES ON THE AIR FORCE’S COLLABORATIVE COMBAT AIRCRAFT Lieutenant Colonel John Cummings - Autonomous Collaborative Platforms Division Chief, ACC, US Air Force• Insights into USAF’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), updates on progress, building and fielding CCA
• Exploring CCA, an affordable, capable aircraft that complements the existing force
• Updates on acquisition and operations, working together to build, test, and integrate this new capability
Lieutenant Colonel John Cummings
Autonomous Collaborative Platforms Division Chief, ACCUS Air Force
ADVANCED ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY TRACK
14:30 - 15:00 UTILISING AI AND ML FOR ENHANCED DECISION MAKING Colonel Vito Cracas - Assistant Director, JAPCC NATO• How artificial intelligence can support NATO’s future force and capability development, and what is the timeline for implementation in fixed-wing aircraft
• Ethical considerations for increasing reliance on automation, and potential disadvantages of adversaries use of AI without ethical considerations
ADVANCED ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY TRACK
15:00 - 15:30 RESERVED FOR INDUSTRY INSIGHTSADVANCED ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY TRACK
15:30 - 16:00 PANEL DISCUSSION: COMBAT CLOUD: FIGHTING IN THE FOG NOW WITH AI & A DATA PLAN• How can we ensure secure, real-time data sharing across joint and coalition platforms in highly contested environments?
• What role does artificial intelligence play in enhancing situational awareness and decision-making within the combat cloud?
• How should next-generation aircraft be designed to integrate seamlessly with distributed combat cloud architectures from day one?
• What are the biggest technical and policy challenges to achieving true multi-domain interoperability through the combat cloud?
16:00 - 16:30
AFTERNOON TEA AND NETWORKING BREAK
OPERATIONAL TRACK
16:30 - 17:00 ENSURING SUCCESSFUL INTEGRATION OF AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS WITHIN THE POLISH AIR CAPABILITIES Major General Cezary Wiśniewski - Deputy General Commander, Polish Armed Forces• Observations from Polish air activities as the Ukraine conflict continues
• Integrating systems such as UAVs into air combat capabilities to enhance operations
• Ensuring interoperability between multiple systems as they continue tobe developed
OPERATIONAL TRACK
17:00 - 17:30 ROYAL NORWEGIAN AIR FORCE DEVELOPMENTS AND THE JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER TRANSITION Major General Øivind Gunnerud - Chief, Royal Norwegian Air Force• Overview of recent upgrades within the Royal Norwegian Air Force, including infrastructure, and integration of advanced technologies
• Joint Strike Fighter Integration: Progress and challenges in the full operational capability transition to the F-35A Lightning II, with focus on interoperability, tactical doctrine, and force readiness
• How the JSF programme reshapes Norway’s defence posture within NATO, enhances Arctic security operations, and supports multinational joint operations
ADVANCED ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY TRACK
16:30 - 17:00 NEXT-GENERATION WEAPON SYSTEM WITHIN THE FCAS PROGRAMME: SHAPING THE FUTURE OF COMBAT AIR• Pairing remote vehicles with fighter aircraft to enhance operations and lethality
• The importance of working with allies to identify priorities and development opportunities
• Leveraging innovation and technological breakthroughs with nontraditional players
ADVANCED ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY TRACK
17:00 - 17:30 CAPABILITIES OF WEAPON SYSTEM SUPPORT CENTRE 1 TO SUPPORT EUROFIGHTER AND TORNADO Colonel Ralf Kleindienst - Deputy Commander, Weapon Systems Support Center 1, Bundeswehr• Strategies to maintain and support combat aircraft during both development and deployment
• Supporting the phase-in of remotely piloted aircraft
• Priorities for sustaining weapon capabilities for aircraft currently in deployment
• Associated technical challenges with supporting weapon systems fornext-generation aircraft
17:30 - 18:10
INDUSTRY LEADER’S PANEL DISCUSSION
- How can industry support the needs of operators to balance capabilities with affordability?
- What do industry see as the requirements for achieving future air dominance and how will these requirements translate to capability for sixth generation platforms?
- With the need to rapidly expand production capacity for weapon systems, how can the customer support this process? How have assessments of necessary stockpiles changed?
- From an industry perspective, does there need to be a shift in training priorities towards essential mission sets and what rapid support can industry provide?
- How do industry experts view the future of autonomous capabilities for fighter platforms?
