2026 Warfare Symposium | Full Sessions
Monday, February 23, 2026
Keynote Address—Innovating Faster: Acquisition Transformation
- Dr. Troy Meink
Secretary of the Air Force
Keynote Address—USSF: Charting the Future of the Force
- Gen. B. Chance Saltzman
Chief of Space Operations
Keynote Address—Fly and Fix: Empowered by Airmen
- Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach
Chief of Staff of the Air Force
Tuesday, February 24, 2026
A Conversation with Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force and the Space Force’s Top Guardians
- Maj. Adriane Payn
Chief, Mission Assurance Branch, National Reconnaissance Office - Spc. 4 Logan Pinder
Multiple Intelligence Fusion Analyst, Combat Forces Command - Sgt. Michael Campos, (Invited)
Crew Chief, Cyber Aggressor, Space Training and Readiness Command - 1st Lt. Robert Bartkowiak
Orbital Warfare Test, Project Officer, Space Training and Readiness Command - TSgt. Robert Powell
Flight Chief, Archer Flight - 1st Lt. Cristian Montelongo
Deputy Commander, Archer Flight - Moderator:
Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force John Bentivegna
Fireside Chat: Air Force BMT Next
- Maj. Gen. Wolfe Davidson
Commander, 2nd Air Force - Chief Master Sgt. Colin A. Fleck
Command Chief, 2nd Air Force
Generating EW Effects
- Dan Mooney
Director of Business Development, Small Form Factor Solutions, BAE Systems - Anthony Nigara
Vice President, Strategy & Business Development, L3Harris - Moderator:
Col. Angelo Fernandez
Commander, Mission Delta 3
Reinforcing Warfighting and Personnel Readiness
- Matthew Lohmeier
Under Secretary of the Air Force - Lt. Gen. Case Cunningham
Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations - Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Schiess
Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Operations - Moderator:
Gen. Mike Minihan, USAF (Ret.)
Former Commander, Air Mobility Command
Long-Range Kill Chains
- Elaine Bitonti
Vice President & General Manager, Connected Battlespace and Emerging Capabilities Mission Systems, Collins Aerospace an RTX Business - Col. Scott “Fug” Gilloon, USAF (Ret.)
Sector Vice President, USAF Strategic Development, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. - Orlando ‘OJ’ Sanchez Jr.
Vice President & General Manager, Skunk Works, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics - Moderator:
Col. Gary E. Roos
Senior Materiel Leader, Adaptive Weapons Division, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center
Battle-Hardening Commercial Space
- Matt Hungerford
Chief Technology Officer, Space and Intel Business Group, SAIC - Mark Lundstrom
CEO, Radia - David Schmolke
Vice President, Mission Connections and Cybersecurity, Viasat - Moderator:
Lt. Col. Timothy Trimailo
Director and Senior Materiel Leader, Commercial Space Office, Space Systems Command
International Partnerships in Space
- Air Marshal Paul Godfrey
Assistant Chief of Space Operations for Future Concepts and Partnerships - Brig. Gen. Christopher Gardiner
Space and Cyber Attache, Embassy of Australia - Deanna L. Ryals
Director of Space International Affairs, Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for International Affairs - Thomas Goffus
Former Assistant Secretary General-Operations, NATO - Moderator:
Heidi Grant
Partner, Elara Nova
Integrated Air & Missile Defense
- Johnathon Caldwell
Vice President & General Manager, Strategic & Missile Defense Systems, Lockheed Martin Space - Lukas Czinger
CEO, Divergent - Rob Fleming
Sector President, Northrop Grumman Space Systems - Jon Piatt
Executive Vice President, ISR, Aviation & Security, SNC - Moderator:
Col. Jennifer Reeves, USAF (Ret.)
Senior Fellow, Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence
Air-to-Air Sensors and Weapons
- Taylor Frank
Executive Director, Strategy & Development, Air Dominance, Boeing Defense, Space & Security - Dr. Dan “Animal” Javorsek
Chief Engineer, Aviation, Applied Intuition - Jon Norman
Vice President, Requirements & Capabilities for Air & Space Defense Systems, Raytheon, an RTX business - Steve Sargeant
CEO, Marvin Test Solutions - Moderator:
Maj. Gen. William D. Betts
Director of Plans, Programs, and Requirements, Air Combat Command
Leveraging Private Capital to Advance DAF Priorities
- Lt. Gen. Luke C.G. Cropsey
Military Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics - Brig. Gen. Jason Lindsey
Director of Strategic Plans, Programs, Requirements, and Analyses, Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command - Dan Jablonsky
Former CEO, Ursa Major and Maxar Systems - Gareth Keane
Partner, In-Q-Tel - Moderator:
Brooke Stokes
Partner, McKinsey & Co. in the Aerospace & Defense practice
Desert Storm 35: A Turning Point in Warfare
- Gen. Lance Lord, USAF (Ret.)
Former Commander, Air Force Space Command - Lt. Gen. Dave Deptula, USAF (Ret.)
Dean, AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies - Maj. Gen. Gregory Feest, USAF (Ret.)
F-117 Nighthawk pilot, dropped the first bomb of Desert Storm - Moderator:
Col. Richard Reynolds, USAF (Ret.)
Author, Heart of the Storm: The Genesis of the Air Campaign Against Iraq
Guardians in Space
- Maj. Gen. Robert W. Claude
Mobilization Assistant to the Chief of Space Operations - Brig. Gen. Matthew Cantore
Deputy Commander, Space Training and Readiness Command - Brig. Gen. Nick Hague
Assistant Deputy Chief of Space Operations - Tom Ayres
General Counsel, Starlab Space - Dr. Andrew Feustel
Lead Astronaut, Vast - Moderator:
Col. Kyle Pumroy, USSF (Ret.)
Senior Resident Fellow for Space Studies, AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
Defending the Homeland
- Gen. Stephen N. Whiting
Commander, U.S. Space Command - Gen. Gregory M. Guillot
Commander, U.S. Northern Command - Lt. Gen. Michael J. Lutton
Deputy Commander, U.S. Strategic Command - Moderator:
Gen. David D. Thompson, USSF (Ret.)
Former Vice Chief of Space Operations
Accelerating AI
- Chris Brown
Chief Technology Officer, Virtualitics - Nicky Pike
Field CTO, Coder - Jess Salzbrun
Chief Information Officer, Defense & Systems, GE Aerospace - Jay Theodore
CTO, ArcGIS Enterprise & AI, ESRI - Moderator:
Susan Davenport
Department of the Air Force Chief Data and Artificial Intelligence Officer
Moving Target Indications from Space
- Dr. Gurpartap “GP” Sandhoo
Acting Director, Space Development Agency - Dan Stewart
National Reconnaissance Office - Lt. Gen. Gregory J. Gagnon
Commander, U.S. Space Force Combat Forces Command - Moderator:
Col. Jennifer Reeves, USAF (Ret.)
Senior Fellow, Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence
Improving Readiness for Peer Conflict
- Gen. Adrian L. Spain
Commander, Air Combat Command - Lt. Gen. Case Cunningham
Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations - Lt. Gen. Rebecca “Reba” Sonkiss
Interim Commander, Air Mobility Command - Moderator:
Lt. Gen. Dave Deptula, USAF (Ret.)
Dean, AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
Realistic Training for Space
- Maj. Gen. James E. Smith
Commander, Space Training and Readiness Command - Brig. Gen. Nick Hague
Assistant Deputy Chief of Space Operations - Col. Agustin Carrero
Commander, Space Delta 11 (Ranges & Aggressors, Training & Exercises, Weapons School) - Lt. Col. Josh Print
Commander, 98th Space Range Squadron - Col. Kyle Pumroy, USSF (Ret.)
Senior Resident Fellow for Space Studies, AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
Long-Range Strike—With Speed
- Lt. Gen. Jason Armagost
Deputy Commander, Air Force Global Strike Command - Brig. Gen. Brian Laidlaw
Director of Operations, Air Combat Command - Tom Jones
President, Aeronautics Systems, Northrop Grumman Corporation - Mike Rothstein
Vice President, Strategy & Requirements, Air Weapons & Sensors, Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control - Moderator:
Lt. Gen. David S. Nahom, USAF (Ret.)
Former Commander Alaskan Command, 11th Air Force
Winning Above the Atmosphere: Future Technologies for Space Advantage
- Dr. Gurpartap “GP” Sandhoo
Acting Director, Space Development Agency - Lt. Gen. Philip A. Garrant
Commander, Space Systems Command - Tory Bruno
President, National Security, Blue Origin - Robert Lightfoot
President, Lockheed Martin Space - Moderator:
Lt. Gen. Nina Armagno, USSF (Ret.)
Executive Director, International Partnerships, Elara Nova
Forward Air Base Defense
- Lt. Gen. Thorsten Poschwatta
Commander, German Air Operations Command - Brig. Gen. Chris McFarland
Director, Plans and Programs, U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa - Thomas Goffus
Assistant Secretary General-Operations, NATO - Moderator:
Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian, USAF (Ret.)
Former Commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa
DAF Battle Network: Connecting Every Domain from Cloud to Constellation
- Brig. Gen. Jason Voorheis
Department of the Air Force Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Command, Control, Communications and Battle Management - Dr. Bryan Tipton
Chief of Architecture and Engineering at the Department of the Air Force Integrating Program Executive Office for Command, Control, Communications, and Battle Management - Shannon Pallone
Program Executive Officer, Battle Management, Command, Control, Communications, and Space Intelligence, USSF - Taylor “Bingo” Herron
Executive, Palantir Technologies - Moderator:
Heather Penney
Director of Studies and Research, AFA's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
What Satellite Imagery Can Tell Us About China’s Military Build Up
- J. Michael Dahm
Senior Fellow, AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
Space Supply Chain Resilience
- Maj. Gen. David J. Sanford
Director, Logistics Operations (J3) and Commander, Joint Regional Combat Support, Defense Logistics Agency - Bradley Leonard
Director of Installations, Logistics and Product Support, Space Systems Command - Jeff Schrader
Vice President, Strategy and Business Development, Lockheed Martin Space - Moderator:
Col. Kevin Sampels, USAF (Ret.)
Senior Vice President of Operations, Systecon North America
Readiness for Anything: Leadership in the Trenches
- Chief Master Sgt. Kathleen McCool
Command Chief, Pacific Air Forces - Chief Master Sgt. Karmann-Monique Pogue
Command Senior Enlisted Leader, Space Training and Readiness Command - Chief Master Sgt. Joshua D. Moore
Command Chief, Air National Guard - Chief Master Sgt. Israel Nunez
Command Chief, Air Force Reserve - Moderator:
Dr. Patrick Donley, USAF (Ret.)
Director, AFA's Doolittle Leadership Center
Integrating CCAs into the Operational Force
- Brig. Gen. David C. Epperson
Commander, U.S. Air Force Warfare Center - Lt. Col. Matthew Jensen
Commander, Experimental Operations Unit, Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. - Col. Timothy Helfrich
Portfolio Acquisition Executive, Fighters and Advanced Aircraft Directorate - Moderator:
Heather Penney
Director of Studies and Research, AFA's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
Target Indication from Space
- Daniel Dant
Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, Mission Technology Solutions, KBR - Jon Rhone
Senior Program Director, SAIC - Brandon White
Vice President and General Manager, Multi-Domain Operations, Northrop Grumman - Moderator:
Col. Ryan Frazier
Acting PAE, Space-Based Sensing & Targeting
The Power of Digital Twins
- Austen Bruhn
Solution Engineer, Coder - Karr W. “Win” Farrell, Jr
Digital Transformation Officer, Space Force Range Contract, Amentum - Michael Foust
Executive Director, T-7 Services, Boeing - Peter Sommerkorn
Vice President, Military Development Programs, Pratt & Whitney an RTX Business - Moderator:
Dr. Michael Gregg
Director, Aerospace Systems Directorate
The Space Force We Need: Delivering a Combat-Ready Force in an Evolving Operational Environment
- Lt. Gen. Gregory J. Gagnon
Commander, U.S. Space Force Combat Forces Command - Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Schiess
Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Operations
Integrating to Win: Finding the Jets to Fly, Fix and Fight
- Gen. Adrian L. Spain
Commander, Air Combat Command - Lt. Gen. John P. Healy
Commander, Air Force Reserve Command - Lt. Gen. Linda Hurry
Commander, Air Force Materiel Command - Maj. Gen. Bryony Terrell
Special Assistant to the Director, Air National Guard - Moderator:
Lt. Gen. Dave Deptula, USAF (Ret.)
Dean, AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
Rapid Spacecraft Development and Manufacturing
- Kevin Czinger
Founder, Lead Inventor, and Executive Chairman, Divergent - Chris Long
Deputy General Manager, Space, Cyber and Intelligence Systems, General Dynamics Mission Systems - Tony Ulloa-Severino
Vice President, Manufacturing, Millennium Space Systems, a Boeing Company - Moderator:
Col. Bryon E.C. McClain
Program Executive Officer for Space Combat Power, Space Systems Command
Acquisition Reform: A Warfighting Imperative
- Gen. Dale R. White
Director, Critical Major Weapon Systems, Office of the Secretary of War - William D. Bailey
Performing the Duties of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology & Logistics - Thomas Ainsworth
Performing the duties of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration - Maj. Gen. Stephen G. Purdy
Military Deputy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration - Moderator:
Kirk Rieckhoff
Senior Partner and Leader of Global Defense and Security Practice, McKinsey & Co.
AI Autonomy in the Fight: How Agentic AI Is Transforming the Tempo of Air, Space, and Cyber Operations
- Lt. Gen. Luke C.G. Cropsey
Military Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics - Col. Timothy Helfrich
Portfolio Acquisition Executive, Fighters and Advanced Aircraft Directorate - Shannon Pallone
Program Executive Officer, Battle Management, Command, Control, Communications, and Space Intelligence, USSF - Jonathan Hudgins
Strategic Growth Leader, Google - Moderator:
Maj. Gen. Kimberly Crider, USAF (Ret.)
Founding Partner, Elara Nova
Defending the Homeland from Small Drones
- Aaron Dann
Vice President, Connectivity and Network Solutions, Northrop Grumman - Travis Gomez
Director, Business Development, Engineering & Technology, Amentum - Tyler Griffin
C-UAS Program Director, Lockheed Martin Rotary & Mission Systems - Moderator:
Col. Jason Eckberg
Penetrating Persistent Multi-role Remotely Piloted Aircraft Division Chief
Readiness Informed Metrics: The New Measure of Readiness
- Brig. Gen. Brian Laidlaw
Director of Operations, Air Combat Command - Brig. Gen. Derek M. Salmi
Director of Operations, Strategic Deterrence, and Nuclear Integration, Air Mobility Command - Moderator:
John “JV” Venable
Senior Fellow, AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace
Priorities for the Air Force’s Future Force Design
- Mr. Thomas J. Lawhead
Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff, Strategy, Integration and Requirements, Headquarters U.S. Air Force - Lt. Gen. Jason Armagost
Deputy Commander, Air Force Global Strike Command - Gen. James “Mike” Holmes, USAF (Ret.)
Senior Advisor, Boeing Defense - Moderator:
Heather Penney
Director of Studies and Research, AFA's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
Dynamic Space Operations
- Dr. Kelly D. Hammett
Director and Program Executive Officer, Space Rapid Capabilities Office - Maj. Gen. Anthony Mastalir
Director of Global Space Operations (J3), Headquarters U.S. Space Command - Scott Forney
President, General Atomics Electromagnetics - Ryan Tintner
Vice President and General Manager, Northrop Grumman Space Systems - Moderator:
Col. Charles Galbreath, USSF (Ret.)
Senior Resident Fellow for Space Studies, AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
Keynote Address—People and Purpose: The Foundation of Our Force
- Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force David R. Wolfe