CONFERENCE DAY 1 | TUESDAY 3 NOVEMBER 2026
7:00 - 7:05
REGISTRATION
7:05 - 8:15
INTERNATIONAL FIGHTER 2026 WELCOME BREAKFAST
Hosted by Boeing
Start Day One by connecting with fellow attendees over breakfast
8:15 - 8:20
DEFENCE iQ WELCOME
Alice Andrews, Deputy Divisional Director, Defence iQ
8:20 - 8:25
CHAIRMAN EMERITUS OPENING REMARKS AND CEREMONY
General (Ret'd) Frank Gorenc -
Former Commander,
USAFE-AFAFRICA
General (Ret'd) Frank Gorenc, Former Commander, USAFE-AFAFRICA
8:25 - 8:30
WELCOME ADDRESS FROM GENERAL ATOMICS
Nicola "Niki" Johnson -
Vice President, International Capture & Government Affairs,
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.
Nicola “Niki” Johnson, Vice President, Government Affairs and Strategic Communications, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems
Nicola "Niki" Johnson
Vice President, International Capture & Government AffairsGeneral Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.
STRATEGIC OVERVIEW OF COMBAT AIR IN AN INCREASINGLY CONTESTED ENVIRONMENT
8:30 - 9:00
HOST NATION KEYNOTE ADDRESS: GERMAN AIR FORCE READINESS TO FIGHT TONIGHT
Lieutenant General Holger Neumann -
Chief,
German Air and Space Force
Lieutenant General Holger Neumann, Chief of the German Air and Space Force
9:00 - 9:30
HOW INDUSTRY SUPPORTS THE WARFIGHTER AND WHAT’S CHANGING
Tom Burke -
Vice President Strategic Development UK,
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.
Tom Burke, Vice President Strategic Development UK, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems
Tom Burke
Vice President Strategic Development UKGeneral Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.
9:30 - 10:00
KEYNOTE ADDRESS - AIR POWER AT THE CORE: NATO’S CREDIBLE DETERRENCE IN AN AGE OF STRATEGIC COMPETITION
Air Chief Marshal Sir Johnny Stringer -
DSACEUR,
NATO SHAPE
Air Chief Marshal Sir Johnny Stringer, DSACEUR, NATO SHAPE
10:00 - 10:30
FUTURE AIR POWER: FROM AIR DOMINANCE TO COMBAT MASS
Ignacio Lombo, VP Chief Test Pilot & Head of Flight Operations, Airbus Defence and Space
10:30 - 11:00
KEYNOTE ADDRESS: ENSURING MISSION SUCCESS FOR AMERICA’S WARFIGHTING COMMANDS
General Adrian Spain -
Commander,
Air Combat Command
General Adrian Spain, Commander, Air Combat Command, US Air Force
11:00 - 11:30
MORNING COFFEE AND NETWORKING BREAK
Hosted by RTX
LESSONS IDENTIFIED FROM CURRENT CONFLICT
11:30 - 12:00
INCREASING COMBAT MASS FOR EFFECTIVE DEFENCE
Justin Bronk -
Senior Research Fellow for Airpower,
RUSI
Justin Bronk, Senior Research Fellow for Airpower, RUSI
12:00 - 12:30
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS FROM LOCKHEED MARTIN
Jeffrey Harrigian -
Vice President, Strategy and Business Development, Skunk Works®,
Lockheed Martin
Jeffrey Harrigian, VP Business Development Analysis, Lockheed Martin
Jeffrey Harrigian
Vice President, Strategy and Business Development, Skunk Works®Lockheed Martin
12:30 - 13:00
TRANSFORMING US AIR POWER FOR HIGH-END CONFLICT
Major General Brian Laidlaw -
Director of Operations, Air Combat Command,
U.S. Air Force
Major General Brian Laidlaw, Director of Operations, Air Combat Command, US Air Force
13:00 - 13:30
FROM PROTOTYPE TO FLIGHT LINE: A DIFFERENT WAY TO GENERATE COMBAT MASS
Ryan Tseng -
Chief Strategy Officer and Co-Founder,
Shield AI
Ryan Tseng, President, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, Shield AI
13:30 - 14:30
LUNCH AND NETWORKING BREAK
INTEGRATING CCAs INTO THE FIGHT
14:30 - 15:00
DOING THE HARD THINGS FIRST: FIELDING MULTI-ROLE CCAs
David Arthurton -
Managing Director Combat Air UK & Europe,
Anduril
Michael Loringer - Director – Business Development, Autonomous Aviation (International), Anduril
David Arthurton, Managing Director Combat Air UK and Europe, Anduril
Michael Loringer, Director - Business Development, Autonomous Aviation (International), Anduril
Michael Loringer
Director – Business Development, Autonomous Aviation (International)Anduril
15:00 - 15:30
STRENGTHENING ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE CAPABILITY THROUGH BUILDING FIGHTING DEPTH
Group Captain Martin Parker -
Air and Space Adviser,
Royal Australian Air Force
Group Captain Martin Parker, Air and Space Adviser - London, Royal Australian Air Force
15:30 - 16:00
AIR POWER – REDEFINED
Peter Nilsson -
Head of Saab Business Unit, Advanced Programs,
Saab
Peter Nilsson, Vice President and Head of Business Unit Advanced Programs, Saab
16:00 - 16:30
PANEL : TRUSTING AUTONOMY: TESTING, VALIDATION AND OPERATIONAL INTEGRATION OF CCAs
Moderator: General (Ret’d) James Hecker, Former Commander, Allied Air Command and USAFE-AFAFRICA
Panellists:
Colonel John Cummings, Autonomous Collaborative Platforms Division Chief, Air Combat Command, US Air Force
Regine Friedberger, Branch Chief, Bundesministerium der Verteidigung
Steven Esser, Expert: Air Operations, Helsing
Todd Wesley, Vice President of Hivemind Engineering, Shield AI
Jeremy Feldhahn, CCA/MQ-28 Strategy Lead, Boeing Defence Australia
16:30 - 17:00
AFTERNOON TEA AND NETWORKING BREAK
Hosted by RTX
BALANCING CREWED POWER WITH AUTONOMOUS SCALE
17:00 - 17:30
FIELDING AFFORDABLE COMBAT MASS
Colonel John Cummings -
Autonomous Collaborative Platforms Division Chief, ACC,
US Air Force
Colonel John Cummings, Autonomous Collaborative Platforms Division Chief, Air Combat Command, US Air Force
17:30 - 18:00
PANEL DISCUSSION: ATTRITABLE MASS VS EXQUISITE CAPABILITY: THE FORCE MIX DECISION WE CAN NO LONGER DEFER
Moderator: Air Vice-Marshal (Ret’d) Mark Chappell, Former Senior British Military Advisor to US CENTCOM and Former Typhoon Force Commander, Royal Air Force
Panellists:
Captain Sebastien Colard, Carrier Wing Commander, French Navy
Colonel Klaus Wuggazer, Coordination Officer F-35A, Bundesministerium der Verteidigung
Kevin McLaughlin, Executive Director and Leader of Navy Programs Business Development, Boeing Defense, Space & Security
Rob “Blend’r” Novotny, Vice President, Business Development, Hermeus
Jeffrey Harrigian, Business Development Analysis VP, Lockheed Martin
Jon Norman, Vice President, Air and Space Defense Systems, Requirements and Capabilities, Raytheon, an RTX Business
18:00 - 18:05
CO-CHAIR’S CLOSING REMARKS
Air Vice-Marshal (Ret.) Mark Chappell -
Former Senior British Military Advisor CENTCOM & Former Typhoon Force Commander,
Royal Air Force
Air Vice-Marshal (Ret’d) Mark Chappell, Former Senior British Military Advisor to US CENTCOM and Former Typhoon Force Commander, Royal Air Force
Air Vice-Marshal (Ret.) Mark Chappell
Former Senior British Military Advisor CENTCOM & Former Typhoon Force CommanderRoyal Air Force
18:05 - 19:05
NETWORKING DRINKS RECEPTION
Hosted by General Atomics
Celebrate a successful first day and connect with your peers over drinks in the exhibition area
