AFA to Commemorate 25th Anniversary of 9/11 at National Conference

The Air & Space Forces Association (AFA) will host a panel commemorating the United States’ response to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and how it reshaped national defense in the 25 years since at its Air, Space & Cyber Conference.

The panel, “Bravery in the Skies: The Nation’s Response to 9/11 and Its Impact on National Defense 25 Years Later,” will feature firsthand accounts from two fighter pilots who scrambled to protect the nation’s capital as the attacks were underway.

Heather Penney, director of studies and research at AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, will lead the discussion with Lt. Gen. Marc H. Sasseville, USAF (Ret.), the 12th vice chief of the National Guard Bureau.

Penney and Sasseville flew F-16 fighters with the 121st Fighter Squadron, District of Columbia Air National Guard, at the time of the attacks. After the strikes in New York and at the Pentagon, the two were sent to intercept United Airlines Flight 93, then inbound to Washington. Neither aircraft the pair flew was armed with missiles, yet both agreed to bring down the hijacked aircraft by ramming their jets into it, before it could reach its target. Before Penney and Sasseville could intercept the flight, passengers stormed the cockpit and the aircraft crashed in a field near Shanksville, Penn.

Penney and Sasseville both later flew combat operations in Iraq during the ensuing Global War on Terror and went on to become recognized voices in defense and national security policy. Sasseville rose to the second-highest rank within the National Guard Bureau, and following his military retirement he now serves as a Senior International and Defense Researcher at the RAND Corporation. Penney, served over a decade in the defense industry and now directs studies and research at the Mitchell Institute—the only think tank in the nation’s capital focused solely on airpower and spacepower issues.

“We can still extract lessons from the experiences of that morning 25 years ago,” said Penney. “Our national security environment can change in a single moment. Sasseville and I were sent on a suicide mission because we were unprepared as a nation to respond to that threat. Now we must make sure that our nation equips, trains, and resources our Airmen and our Guardians so that they are prepared to do whatever our nation may ask of them—now, and in the future.”

The Air, Space & Cyber Conference and Technology Exposition runs Sept. 14-16, 2026, at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center at National Harbor, Md. The three-day event brings together Air Force and Space Force leaders, industry, and academia for keynote addresses, panel discussions, and a technology exposition spanning three exhibit halls. Main ballroom sessions stream live for virtual attendees, with on-demand recordings available through Sept. 30, 2026. Conference fees are waived for U.S. Department of War civilian employees and uniformed military personnel. Details and registration are available  at afa.org/ASC.

About AFA

The Air & Space Forces Association is an independent, non-profit 501(c)3 association dedicated to advocating for the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Space Force, Airmen, Guardians, and their Families. Founded in 1946, AFA is the single largest entity of its kind focused on air and space power. With more than 350,000 members and 200 chapters spread around the world, our mission is to promote dominant U.S. Air Force and Space Force as the foundation of a strong National Defense; to honor and support Airmen, Guardians, and their Families; and to remember and respect the enduring heritage of the Air Force and Space Force.