Air, Space & Cyber Conference | 2025 Videos, Transcripts
Monday, September 22, 2025
Keynote Address—The State of the DAF
- The Honorable Troy Meink
Secretary of the Air Force
Keynote Address—The State of the Air Force
- Gen. David Allvin
Chief of Staff of the Air Force
Modernizing the Triad: The Imperative for B-21 and Sentinel
- Lt. Gen. Michael J. Lutton
Deputy Commander, Air Force Global Strike Command - Maj. Gen. Brandon D. Parker
Director, Global Operations, Headquarters U.S. Strategic Command - Brig. Gen. William “Buck” Rogers
Program Executive Officer, ICBM - Ben Davies
Corporate Vice President and President, Defense Systems, Northrop Grumman Corporation - Moderator:
Maj. Gen. Larry Stutzriem, USAF (Ret.)
Executive Vice President, Air & Space Forces Association
Leveraging Commercial Space Domain Awareness
- Patrick Biltgen
Vice President, Space AI, Booz Allen - Josh Conine
Director, Space Command and Control, SAIC - Wallace Turnbull
Senior Solution Architect, Leidos - Brandon White
Vice President and General Manager, Tactical Space Systems Division, Northrop Grumman - Moderator:
Col. Bryon E.C. McClain
Program Executive Officer, Space Domain Awareness and Combat Power, Space Systems Command
Affordable Munitions
- The Honorable Shon J. Manasco
Senior Counselor, Palantir - Mark Miller
Senior Vice President, Missile Aviation Solutions, Leidos - Maj. Gen. Steve Sargeant, USAF (Ret.)
CEO, Marvin Test Solutions - Matt Steenman
Chief Technology Officer, Elbit America - Moderator:
Brig. Gen. Robert Lyons III
Director, Armament Directorate, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center
The China Threat
- Lt. Gen. Max E. Pearson
Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence - Brig. Gen. Brian D. Sidari
Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Intelligence - Chief Master Sgt. Stefan Blazier
Senior Enlisted Leader, Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence - Chief Master Sgt. Ron Lerch
Senior Enlisted Advisor, Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Intelligence - Moderator:
J. Michael Dahm
Senior Fellow for Aerospace and China Studies, AFA's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
United Forces & Families: Multigenerational Perspectives on Family Readiness
- Lyndsey Akers
Founder & CEO, Akers&Co and AFA's Senior Consultant for United Forces & Families (F2) - Sharene Brown
Co-founder and Champion, Five and Thrive; Spouse of the 21st Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff - Chief Master Sgt. Chris McCool, USAF (Ret.)
Husband of Chief Master Sgt. Kathleen McCool, Command Chief, Pacific Air Forces - Moderator:
Corie Weathers
Author, "Military Culture Shift"
Air and Missile Defense Through an Allied Lens
- Brig. Gen. Alexis Rougier
General Officer in charge of Higher Airspace Operations, French Air and Space Force - Air Commodore Nikki Thomas
UK Air & Space Attaché to the United States - Moderator:
Brig. Gen. Houston Cantwell, USAF (Ret.)
Senior Resident Fellow, AFA's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
Lessons in Servant Leadership
- Dr. Heather Wilson
24th Secretary of the Air Force - Gen. David Goldfein, USAF (Ret.)
21st Chief of Staff of the Air Force - Moderator:
Lt. Gen. Burt Field, USAF (Ret.)
President & CEO, Air & Space Forces Association
Modernizing Training for 21st Century Air Superiority
- Maj. Gen. Barry Cornish, USAF (Ret.)
Vice President, Aerospace, Booz Allen - Cedric George
Vice President, Strategy and Growth, MetroStar - Dan Ourada
Vice President, Captures & Business Development, Amentum - Jenn Serra
Senior Director, Simulation & Training, Collins Aerospace, an RTX Business - Moderator:
Maj. Gen. Clark J. Quinn
Deputy Commander, Air Education and Training Command
Delivering Training Capabilities for Space Superiority
- Matt Brown
Executive Technology Director, Air & Space Defense Systems, Raytheon, an RTX Business - Col. Emily Farkas, USAF (Ret.)
Air Force and Space Force Account Executive, Shift5 - Jim Reynolds
Vice President, Business Development for Defense Space, SAIC - Justin Tkach
Director, Virtual Warfare Center, Boeing Defense, Space & Security - Moderator:
Brig. Gen. Matthew S. Cantore
Deputy Commander, Space Training and Readiness Command
Expanding the Defense Industrial Base
- Bryon Kroger
Founder & CEO, Rise8 - Shyam Sankar
Chief Technology Officer, Palantir Technologies - Raj Shah
Author, "Unit X: How the Pentagon and Silicon Valley are Transforming the Future of War" - Moderator:
Gen. Herbert J. “Hawk” Carlisle, USAF (Ret.)
Former Commander, Air Combat Command
The Future of Multi-Domain ISR
- Michael Geist
Vice President, Product Management, SES Space & Defense - Scott Jobe
Executive Director, Business Development & Strategy, Phantom Works, Boeing Defense, Space & Security - Tyler Saltsman
Co-Founder & CEO, EdgeRunner AI - Mike Shortsleeve
Vice President, DoD Strategic Development, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems - Moderator:
Brig. Gen. Melissa A. Stone
Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence
The Expanding Cyber Threat
- Lt. Gen. Thomas K. Hensley
Commander, 16th Air Force; Commander, Air Forces Cyber - Charleen Laughlin
Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Cyber and Data - Brig. Gen. Joy Kaczor
Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff, Warfighter Communications and Cyber Systems - Moderator:
Lt. Gen. Kevin Kennedy, USAF (Ret.)
Former Commander, 16th Air Force
Tuesday, September 23, 2025
Keynote Address—The State of the Space Force
- Gen. B. Chance Saltzman
Chief of Space Operations
Building the Space Force
- Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond, USSF (Ret.)
1st Chief of Space Operations - Gen. David D. “DT” Thompson, USSF (Ret.)
1st Vice Chief of Space Operations - Moderator:
Lt. Gen. Nina Armagno, USSF (Ret.)
1st Director of Staff, U.S. Space Force
Civilians’ Role in Mission Success
- Robert E. Corsi, Jr.
Former Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower, Personnel, and Services - Gen. Frank Gorenc, USAF (Ret.)
Former Commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe - Marilyn Thomas
Former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Financial Management and Comptroller - Moderator:
Kathleen I. Ferguson
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment, and Energy
Dangerous Game: Lessons from the April 2024 Drone Attack in Israel
- Lt. Col. Timothy Causey
Commander, 494th Fighter Squadron - Maj. Benjamin Coffey
Chief of Air Staff, 48th Fighter Wing - Moderator:
Tobias Naegele
Editor-in-Chief, Air & Space Forces Magazine
Accelerating Decision Superiority: Harnessing Data and AI
- Maj. Gen. Luke Cropsey
Program Executive Officer for Command, Control, Communications and Battle Management - Maj. Gen. Michele C. Edmondson
Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff, Warfighter Communications and Cyber Systems - Ryan Tseng
Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, Shield AI - Moderator:
David Ware
Partner, Leader of Public Sector AI Practice, McKinsey & Company
Dynamic Space Operations
- Maj. Gen. Dennis O. Bythewood
Special Assistant to the Chief of Space Operations - Dr. Monty Greer
Government Caucus Facilitator, Aerospace Corporation - Rob Hauge
President, SpaceLogistics LLC - Moderator:
Col. Charles Galbreath, USSF (Ret.)
Senior Fellow for Space Studies, AFA's Mitchell Institute’s Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence
Keynote Address—The Guardian Experience: Answering the Call, Building the Force
- Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force John Bentivegna
Pivotal Moments in Air & Space: A Six-Kill Ace and that Time We Shot Down a Satellite
- Col. Charles “Chuck” DeBellevue, USAF (Ret.)
Vietnam War Ace - Maj. Gen. Doug Pearson, USAF (Ret.)
Former Commander, Air Force Flight Test Center - Moderator:
Tobias Naegele
Editor-in-Chief, Air & Space Forces Magazine
Air Superiority
- Gen. James “Mike” Holmes, USAF (Ret.)
Senior Advisor, Boeing Defense - Dan Javorsek
President, EpiSci, an Applied Intuition company - Gen. Gary “Nordo” North, USAF (Ret.)
Vice President, Customer Requirements, Aeronautics, Lockheed Martin - Robert Rose
Founder & CEO, Reliable Robotics - Moderator:
Maj. Gen. William Betts
Director of Plans, Programs, and Requirements, Headquarters Air Combat Command
Improving Cybersecurity for Space Operations
- Ron Bushar
Managing Director & CISO, Google Public Sector - Christopher P. Cleary
Vice President, Global Cyber Practice, ManTech - Alice Fakir
Senior Partner and Vice President, IBM - Brad Pyburn
Managing Director, Deloitte - Moderator:
Charleen Laughlin
Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Cyber and Data
Enhancing Readiness and Generating Combat Forces
- Gen. Adrian L. Spain
Commander, Air Combat Command - Lt. Gen. John P. Healy
Chief of Air Force Reserve and Commander, Air Force Reserve Command - Maj. Gen. John M. Klein Jr.
Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations - Maj. Gen. Duke Pirak
Acting Director, Air National Guard - Moderator:
Kirk Rieckhoff
Senior Partner, Leader of Global Defense and Security Practice, McKinsey & Company
Emerging Trends in EW
- Scott Bailie
Product Line Director, Advanced Electronic Warfare Solutions, BAE Systems - Eric Fischer
Chief Engineer, Non-Kinetic Effects, Applied Intuition - Clayton Spakes
Growth Manager, Rise8 - Moderator:
Col. Eddie Gutierrez
Deputy Commander, Mission Delta 3
United Forces & Families: Building Your Community
- Maj. Gen Trent C. Davis
Chief of Chaplains - Command Chief Master Sgt. Kathleen McCool
Command Chief, Pacific Air Forces - Dr. Jason “JW” Womack
Strategist, Leader Development for Operational Readiness, Space Systems Command - Shaun Beal
2025 Armed Forces Insurance Air Force Spouse of the Year - Moderator:
Maj. Gen. Chaplain Randy E. Kitchens, USAF (Ret.)
20th Chief of Chaplains, Department of the Air Force
International Partnerships in Space
- Brig. Gen. Jacob Middleton
Commanding General, U.S. Space Forces in Europe and Space Forces Africa - Air Cdre. Chris Robson
Commander Space Forces Group, Space Command Australia - Col. Frank Brooks
Deputy Director, Space International Affairs - Col. Walter Jull
Deputy Commander, 3 Canadian Space Division - Moderator:
Gen. Kevin Chilton, USAF (Ret.)
Explorer Chair, AFA's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence
The Future of Airpower: 5th Gen and Beyond
- Maj. Gen. Joseph Kunkel
Director of Force Design, Integration and Wargaming, Deputy Chief of Staff for Air Force Futures - Brig. Gen. Jason D. Voorheis
Program Executive Officer, Fighters and Advanced Aircraft, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Air Force Materiel Command - Dan Gillian
Vice President and General Manager, Air Dominance, Boeing Defense, Space & Security - Tom Jones
President, Aeronautics Systems, Northrop Grumman Corporation - Lt. Gen. David Krumm, USAF (Ret.)
Vice President, Business Development, Electronic Systems, BAE Systems - Moderator:
Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, USAF (Ret.)
Dean, AFA's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
Counter-Drone Defenses
- Michael Hiatt
Chief Technology Officer, Epirus - Kons Muhtaris
Senior Principal, Program Management, L3Harris Technologies - Jon Piatt
Executive Vice President, ISR, Aviation, & Security, SNC - John Theuerkauf
Vice President, Engineering, Frequentis Defense Inc. - Moderator:
Col. James W. Price
Special Assistant to the Director of Operations, Headquarters Air Combat Command
Wednesday, September 24, 2025
Armed and On Time: The Art of Delivering Space Capabilities at Speed and Scale
- Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant
Commander, Space Systems Command - Lt. Gen. David N. Miller, Jr.
Commander, Space Operations Command - Maj. Gen. Stephen G. Purdy
Acting Assistant Secretary of the Air Force - Moderator:
Col. Charles Galbreath, USSF (Ret.)
Senior Fellow for Space Studies, AFA's Mitchell Institute’s Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence
Air Superiority Remains a Fundamental Tenet of Airpower
- Maj. Gen. William Betts
Director of Plans, Programs, and Requirements, Headquarters Air Combat Command - Maj. Gen. John M. Klein Jr.
Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations - Maj. Gen. Parker Wright
Commander, Curtis E. LeMay Center - Col. John Venable, USAF (Ret.)
Senior Resident Fellow, AFA's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies - Moderator:
Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, USAF (Ret.)
Dean, AFA's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
Achieving Space Superiority
- Lt. Gen. David N. Miller, Jr.
Commander, Space Operations Command - Lt. Gen. Douglas Schiess
Commander, U.S. Space Forces-Space - Maj. Gen. Jim Smith
Commander, Space Training and Readiness Command - Moderator:
Gen. Kevin Chilton, USAF (Ret.)
Explorer Chair, AFA's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence
Enabling the Long-Range Kill Chain
- Mike Dupasquier
Vice President, Airborne Systems, General Dynamics Mission Systems - Gen. Jeff “Cobra” Harrigian, USAF (Ret.)
Vice President, Strategy and Business Development, Skunk Works, Lockheed Martin - Erich Hernandez-Baquero
Vice President, Space ISR, Raytheon, an RTX Business - Jon Rhone
Command and Control (C2) Strategist, SAIC - Moderator:
Maj. Gen. Joseph Kunkel
Director of Force Design, Integration, and Wargaming, Deputy Chief of Staff for Air Force Futures
Sixth-Gen Missiles for Sixth-Gen Threats
- Maj. Gen. Mark Mitchum
Commander, Integrated Capabilities Command - Brig. Gen. Jason E. Bartolomei
Commander, Air Force Research Laboratory - Brig. Gen. Robert Lyons III
Director, Armament Directorate, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center - Sam Deneke
President, Air & Space Defense Systems, Raytheon, an RTX Business - Moderator:
Lt. Gen. David S. Nahom, USAF (Ret.)
Former Commander, Alaskan Command, United States Northern Command
Exercising at Scale: What We’re Learning
- Gen. Kevin Schneider
Commander, Pacific Air Forces - Gen. Adrian L. Spain
Commander, Air Combat Command - Gen. John Lamontagne
Commander, Air Mobility Command - Lt. Gen. David N. Miller, Jr.
Commander, Space Operations Command - Moderator:
Gen. Jacqueline D. Van Ovost, USAF (Ret.)
Former Commander, U.S. Transportation Command
Balancing Stand-off and Penetrating Airpower
- Maj. Gen. Jason Armagost
Commander, Eighth Air Force - David Alexander
President, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. - Gen. Jeff “Cobra” Harrigian, USAF (Ret.)
Vice President, Strategy and Business Development, Skunk Works, Lockheed Martin - Robert Winkler
Vice President, Corporate Development & National Security Programs, Kratos - Moderator:
Mark Gunzinger
Director, Future Concepts & Capability Assessments, AFA's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
The Imperative for Laser Communications in Space
- Art Dhallin
Director, Military and Strategic Communications, Lockheed Martin - Nathan Getz
Director, Data Communications, Space Development Agency - Trevor Haak
Director, Electromagnetic Systems Division, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. - Moderator:
Col. Jennifer Reeves, USAF (Ret.)
Senior Resident Fellow for Space Studies, AFA's Mitchell Institute’s Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence
The Nexus of Space, Cyber, and Special Operations
- Gen. Stephen Whiting
Commander, U.S. Space Command - Lt. Gen. Sean Farrell
Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Special Operations Command - Lt. Gen. Thomas K. Hensley
Commander, 16th Air Force; Commander, Air Forces Cyber - Moderator:
Gen. James B. Hecker, USAF (Ret.)
Former Commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa
Artificial Intelligence in Command and Control
- Trey Coleman
Chief Product Officer, Raft - Peter Guerra
Global Vice President, Data & AI, Oracle - Col. Louis Ruscetta, USAF (Ret.)
Director, Strategic Development, Virtualitics - Ben Van Roo
CEO & Co-Founder, Legion Intelligence Inc. - Moderator:
Col. Ryan T. “Ape” Hayde
Commander, 505th Command and Control Wing
Continental Defense in the 21st Century
- Steve Arnette
COO, Amentum - Dr. Robert Fleming
Corporate Vice President and President, Northrop Grumman Space Systems - Robert Lightfoot
President, Lockheed Martin Space - Ed Zoiss
President, Space & Airborne Systems, L3Harris - Moderator:
Col. Jennifer Reeves, USAF (Ret.)
Senior Resident Fellow for Space Studies, AFA's Mitchell Institute’s Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence
Manifesting the Future of Air & Space Power
- Christian Brose
President & Chief Strategy Officer, Anduril Industries - Moderator:
Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, USAF (Ret.)
Dean, AFA's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
Generating Effects with Cyber and Electronic Warfare
- Col. Marckenson Dieujuste
Commander, 867 Cyberspace Operations Group - Col. Larry Fenner Jr.
Commander, 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing - Col. Eddie Gutierrez
Deputy Commander, Mission Delta 3 - Moderator:
Lt. Gen. Robert J. Skinner, USAF (Ret.)
Former Director, Defense Information System Agency
Air and Missile Defense
- John Breitenbach
Director, A&D Markets, Real-Time Innovations - Randy Fields
Chief Technology Officer, Ultra I&C - Dr. J. Scott Goldstein
Senior Vice President, Strategy, Parsons - Greg Little
Senior Counselor, Palantir Technologies - Moderator:
Michael Winkler
Executive Director, Operations, Pacific Air Forces
United Forces & Families: Senior Leaders’ Perspectives
- Gen. David Allvin
Chief of Staff of the Air Force - Gina Allvin
Wife of Chief of Staff of the Air Force - Gen. B. Chance Saltzman
Chief of Space Operations - Jennifer Saltzman
Wife of Chief of Space Operations - Moderator:
Lt. Gen. Burt Field, USAF (Ret.)
President & CEO, Air & Space Forces Association