The Chief of the Air Staff’s Global Air & Space Chiefs’ Conference 2026

15 - 16 July 2026

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Day one

Day two

Day One

0900	Conference registration opens
0930-1030	Coffee & Networking
1030-1040	Welcome & Conference Introductions	Susannah Streeter Broadcaster and Analyst Air Marshal (Ret’d) Greg Bagwell President, The Air & Space Power Association Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smyth Chief of the Air Staff, Royal Air Force
1045-1200	Session 1. Nuclear – Back to the Future? The decision to procure the F-35A provides an opportunity for the RAF to return to the nuclear role. After a three-decade sabbatical, the RAF must refresh its ‘nuclear IQ.’ This first session sees senior defence officials and an international chief share insights on airborne nuclear capability. The panel also includes an Indo-Pacific expert and a leading industry figure who will discuss re-introducing a critical capability to the UK’s and NATO’s inventory.	Air Vice-Marshal Jim Beck Director Capability & Programmes, Royal Air Force Lieutenant General Stéphane Virem Commander, Strategic Air Forces, French Air & Space Force Dr Brendan Mulvaney Director, China Aerospace Studies Institute, National Defense University Chauncey McIntosh Vice President, F-35 Programme Lockheed Martin
1200-1300	Lunch & Networking
1300-1410	Session 2. Operationalising the Space Domain Following the exploration of air-delivered nuclear capability, we shift focus to the rapidly evolving space domain and the importance of space domain awareness for allied security. Following a keynote address by an international space commander, a panel of space experts and practitioners will examine how we achieve optimum space domain awareness and what can be done to counter the threats to this key domain.	Keynote Address General B. Chance Saltzman Chief of Space Operations, United States Space Force Panel Air Vice-Marshal Jamie Thompson Commander, UK Space Command Major General Greg Novak Commander, Space Command Australia Dr Julia Balm Co-Director of Freeman Air & Space Institute, King’s College London Dr Michael O’Callaghan Head of Geospatial UK and Future Programmes, Airbus Defence & Space
1420-1530	Session 3. Putting the Integrated into IAMD With NATO First and Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) both central tenets of the UK’s Strategic Defence Review, this third session brings both elements together. A senior RAF leader will chair a panel to look at the challenges and opportunities of developing and delivering IAMD, with valuable input from an international air chief, RAND Europe, and industry.	Air Vice-Marshal Andy Martin Director Integrated Air & Missile Defence, Royal Air Force Lieutenant-General J. R. Speiser-Blanchet Commander, Royal Canadian Air Force James Black Deputy Director Defence and Security, RAND Domenico Vigilante Head of Technology & Innovation Department, Leonardo Electronic Division, Land&Sea Business Area
1530-1600	Afternoon Tea & Networking
1600-1715	Session 4: Delivering the Integrated Force Having explored integration in IAMD, this session will go on to examine how this approach extends across all the UK armed forces. This panel will address for the first time how each of the UK’s armed forces and each service can develop and deliver together a fully integrated approach to operations.	Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smyth Chief of the Air Staff, Royal Air Force General Sir Gwyn Jenkins First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, Royal Navy General Sir Roly Walker Chief of the General Staff, British Army General Sir Rob Magowan Commander, Cyber & Specialist Operations Command
1715-1730	Conference Day One Reflections	Air Marshal (Ret’d) Greg Bagwell President, The Air & Space Power Association
1730-2000	VIP Drinks Reception in the Riverside Room & Johnson Roof Terrace

Day Two

0800	Venue registration open
0800-0845	Coffee & Networking
0845-0900	Welcome & Conference Day Two Introductions	Susannah Streeter Broadcaster and Analyst Air Marshal (Ret’d) Greg Bagwell President, The Air & Space Power Association
0900-0935	Keynote and Q&A	Luke Pollard MP Minister of State for Defence Readiness’ & Industry
0940-1040	Session 5: Contemporary Air & Space Power Lessons This final panel will debate the challenges and opportunities of innovating for multi-domain effect. A senior RAF official will lead the session supported by a senior NATO commander, a leading academic from RUSI and a senior industry figure.	Air Marshal Al Marshall Air & Space Commander, Royal Air Force Air Chief Marshal Sir Johnny Stringer Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe (DSACEUR), NATO Dr Jack Watling Senior Research Fellow, Applied Military Sciences, RUSI Sir Stuart Atha Senior NATO Advisor, BAE Systems Tom Jones Corporate VP and President, Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems sector
1045 - 1115	Coffee & Networking
1115 -1220	Keynote Session and Q&A	General Kenneth S. Wilsbach Chief of Staff of the Air Force, United States Air Force Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smyth Chief of the Air Staff, Royal Air Force
1220-1230	Conference Day Two Reflections & Closing Remarks	Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smyth Chief of the Air Staff, Royal Air Force Air Marshal (Ret’d) Greg Bagwell President, The Air & Space Power Association
1230-1400	Lunch & Networking

Sir Stuart Atha KBE CB DSO MA MSc

Director of Training Strategy, BAE Systems

Air Marshal (Ret’d) Greg Bagwell CB CBE FRAeS

President, The Air & Space Power Association

Dr Julia Balm

Co-Director of Freeman Air & Space Institute, King’s College London

Air Vice-Marshal James Beck OBE MA BEng(Hons) FIKE RAF

Director Capabilities & Programmes

James Black

Deputy Director Defence and Security, RAND

General Sir Gwyn Jenkins KCB OBE ADC RM

First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, Royal Navy

Tom Jones

Corporate VP and President of Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems sector

General Sir Rob Magowan KCB CBE ADC RM

Commander Cyber & Specialist Operations Command

Air Marshal Allan Marshall OBE MA

Air and Space Commander, Royal Air Force

Air Vice-Marshal Andrew Martin CBE MSc MDS BSc(Hons) RAF

Director Integrated Air & Missile Defence, Royal Air Force

Chauncey McIntosh

Vice President and General Manager, F-35 Lightning II Program

Dr Brendan Mulvaney

Director, China Aerospace Studies Institute, National Defense University

Major General Gregory Novak

Commander, Space Command Australia

Luke Pollard MP

Minister of State for Defence Readiness and Industry

General B. Chance Saltzman

Chief of Space Operations, United States Space Force

Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smyth KCB OBE DFC ADC MA RAF

Chief of the Air Staff, Royal Air Force

Lieutenant-General J.R. Speiser-Blanchet, CMM, CD

Commander Royal Canadian Air Force

Dr Michael O’Callaghan FRAeS

Head of Geospatial UK and Future Programmes, Airbus Defence and Space

Susannah Streeter

Broadcaster & Analyst

Air Chief Marshal Sir Johnny Stringer KCB CBE MA FRAeS RAF

Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, NATO

Air Vice-Marshal Jamie Thompson CBE RAF

Commander, United Kingdom Space Command

Domenico Vigilante

Head of Technology & Innovation Department, Leonardo Electronic Division, Land&Sea Business Area

Lieutenant General Stéphane Virem

Commander of the Strategic Air Forces,
French Air & Space Force

General Sir Roly Walker KCB DSO

Chief of the General Staff, British Army

Dr Jack Watling

Senior Research Fellow for Applied Military Sciences, RUSI

General Kenneth S Wilsbach

Chief of Staff of the Air Force, United States Air Force

Strategic Partners

Conference Sponsors

Individual Sponsors

Associate Sponsors

Chief of the Air Staff Reading List 2026

On Demand Sponsored by Rolls-Royce

Remarks made in Q&A sessions by all speakers are off the record and non-attributable

The High Ground: Looking ahead to GASCC 2026

Welcome & Conference Introductions

Session 1. Nuclear – Back to the Future? - With Q&A

ASPA On Air: Nuclear – Back to the Future?

General Saltzman CSO US Space Force Keynote

Session 2. Operationalising the Space Domain - With Q&A

ASPA On Air: Session 2. Operationalising the Space Domain

Session 3. Putting the Integrated into IAMD - With Q&A

ASPA On Air: Session 3. Putting the Integrated into IAMD

Session 4: Delivering the Integrated Force - With Q&A

Conference Day One Reflections

ASPA On Air: Day One Review

The High Ground - Day One Resume

Welcome & Conference Day Two Introductions

Luke Pollard MP Keynote with Q&A

Session 5: Contemporary Air & Space Power Lessons - With Q&A

ASPA On Air: Contemporary Air & Space Power Lessons

General Kenneth S Wilsbach CSAF, Keynote

ACM Sir Harv Smyth CAS Keynote with Q&A alongside Gen Kenneth S Wilsbach CSAF

Conference Day Two Reflections & Closing Remarks

COMPANY

ASPA MEMBERS

CONFERENCES

THE AIR & SPACE POWER ASSOCIATION

Shaping the future of air and space power

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Air Vice-Marshal Jamie Thompson CBE RAF

Commander, United Kingdom Space Command

Air Vice-Marshal Thompson joined the RAF as a Weapons Technician in 1997. Commissioned in 2003 as a Communications Electronics Engineering Officer, he has subsequently served in a broad portfolio of assignments across Land, Air, Cyber and Space.

Following completion of Officer Training, he was assigned to Number 1 Air Control Centre where he was responsible for deployable Air Defence Radars and Air C2 systems. As an Operations Officer on exchange with the Royal Signals, he deployed with the Spearhead Land Element during crisis operations in the Levant and on Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Squadron Command was undertaken with 2 (Field Communications) Squadron, Tactical Communications Wing, where he returned to Afghanistan and supported global operations. On the Staff he has held appointments in PJHQ and MOD A Block, alongside broader appointments across Government.

Employed on wider Defence activity he has undertaken an exchange assignment with the US Department of Defence and been seconded to several UK Partner Agencies. Operational planning in MOD and PJHQ has been balanced against command appointments at every level and across multiple operations, including command of NATO CIS forces in the UK. Time in MOD has been spent as the Deputy Principal Staff Officer to the Chief of Defence Staff, with the responsibility for Defence Engagement, NATO and UN portfolios alongside international relations. He is a graduate of the Canadian Forces Joint Command & Staff Program, where his academic focus was Women, Peace & Security.

As the 1* Commander of RAF Global Enablement he was responsible for six air combat support forces and over 8000 personnel providing force protection, sustainment, and command & control for global Air operations. This appointment followed his 1* command of the RAF Regiment and RAF Police as the FP Force Commander. In January 2025, he was appointed as Deputy Commander of UK Space Command, responsible for Defence space education, force generation and the operational command of the Joint Force Space Component. Following graduation from the Higher Command & Staff Course in 2026, he was subsequently promoted to Air Vice-Marshal and appointed as Commander UK Space Command in June 2026.

Air Vice-Marshal Thompson is the President of RAF Field Gun and the RAF eSports Association. As a Trustee of the RAF Rugby Union Charity, he enjoys promoting the grassroots community game. More broadly, as the Lead Advocate for RAF Diversity Allies, he champions diversity across the RAF community.

His personal time is spent with his daughters and wife Katy, enjoying their passion for global travel adventures.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smyth KCB OBE DFC ADC MA RAF

Chief of the Air Staff, Royal Air Force

Born and educated in Northern Ireland, Smyth joined the RAF in 1991 via the Sixth Form Scholarship Scheme, and upon completion of flying training, spent 15 years as a frontline Harrier pilot and weapons instructor. He has extensive combat experience having flown hundreds of operational missions from both land bases and aircraft carriers over: Bosnia; Kosovo; Serbia; Iraq; and Afghanistan. In early staff roles Smyth worked in the UK Air & Space Warfare Centre and spent 2 tours in the F-35 Lightning programme, the latter based in Washington DC as the UK’s F-35 National Director.

In 2013 Smyth retrained as a Tornado pilot and became the Station Commander of RAF Marham, transitioning the base for F-35 integration. On promotion to Air Commodore (1*) in 2015 he became the Tornado Force Commander, and in parallel, the UK’s first F-35 Lightning Force Commander. He followed this with a short appointment in the MOD as the 1* Head of Carrier Enabled Power Projection (CEPP), before deploying to Qatar as Director of the 609th Combined Air and Space Operations Centre during the height of the Counter-Daesh campaign.

Promoted to Air Vice-Marshal (2*) in 2018, Smyth retrained as a Typhoon pilot and became Air Officer Commanding Number 1 Group (AOC 1Gp), where he was responsible for the Air Combat Group of the RAF. In 2020, Smyth then became UK MOD’s inaugural Director Space, setting the foundation for UK Space Command, building the Defence Space Programme, and producing UK’s foundational National and Defence Space Strategies.

Smyth was promoted to Air Marshal (3*) in 2022 and appointed as the RAF’s Deputy Commander (Operations): this role transitioned to become the UK Air and Space Commander in 2023 and was responsible for all RAF’s air and space operations globally.

In Apr 24 Smyth became the first RAF officer to hold the role of Deputy Chief of Defence Staff - Military Strategy and Operations (DCDS (MSO), responsible for the provision of military advice to senior leadership across government including the Prime Minister, the development of UK military strategy and its integration with partners across government and allies, and the commissioning of UK military operations at home and across the globe. During this tour Smyth was a routine member of COBR, the Joint Intelligence Committee, Small Ministerial Groups, and the National Security Council.

Smyth is a Patron of 2 charities: the Jon Egging Trust (supporting troubled teenagers) and the Mark Long Trust (giving disadvantaged individuals the wings to fly). He is also President of RAF Rugby, President of RAF Rowing, President of the RAF Small Arms Association, Admiral of RAF Sailing Association, a Board Member of the Freeman Air and Space Institute, and an ambassador for the RAF Charitable Trust. With strong links to Northern Ireland, Smyth is extremely proud to be Honorary Colonel for the 2nd Battalion (Northern Ireland) Army Cadet Force, Senior Mentor to the Northern Ireland Universities’ Air Squadron (NIUAS), and Patron of the Ulster Aviation Society, Ireland’s sole military aircraft museum.

Air Vice-Marshal James Beck OBE MA BEng(Hons) FIKE RAF

Director Capabilities & Programmes

Air Vice-Marshal James Beck joined the RAF in 1997 having completed a degree in Electronic and Communication Engineering at Bath University. He spent the first ten years of his career flying the Tornado GR4. During this period, he completed several operational tours, including flying extensive sorties over Iraq and Libya. He is a graduate of the Qualified Weapons Instructor Course and was selected to be the Tornado Test and Evaluation Pilot on the Fast-Jet and Weapons Operational Evaluation Unit.

In staff roles, Beck has worked as the Tornado Requirements Manager, SO1 Current Platforms for Planning Round 10 and the subsequent Strategic Defence and Security Review for which he was responsible for future Combat Air Strategy.

Later in the same year, Beck was selected to Command 17(R) Squadron, which became the first UK squadron to operate the F-35B. During his 3-year tenure, he led 17(R) Squadron in becoming the first non-US unit to operate the F-35 under total sovereign jurisdiction for which he was made an OBE. Additionally, the Team completed a significant part of the Operational Test and Evaluation that was essential for the UK to declare Initial Operating Capability (IOC) towards the end of 2018. In doing so, he amassed 300 flying hours and became fully qualified in all operational roles of Lightning, including day/night STOVL.

In 2017, on promotion to Group Captain, Beck became the Battle Director in the AFCENT Combined Operational Centre in Al-Udeid for a four-month deployment; following which, he returned to the UK to assume the appointment of Lightning and UK Weapons Programme Director. In July 2019, Beck took Command of RAF Marham – the UK’s sole F-35 Main Operating Base – during a critical period that included the build-up of the Operational Conversion Unit, the Force’s transition to IOC (Maritime) and the deployment and delivery phases of Carrier Strike 21. From 2019-2021 Beck was an Aide de Camp to Her Majesty the Queen.

Following completion of the Higher Command and Staff Course, Beck was promoted to Air Commodore and appointed to be Head of Capability Strategy with Air Capability in 2022. In April 2024, Beck was promoted to Air Vice-Marshal and appointed as the RAF’s Director Capability & Programmes.

James is married to Amy and has two children, Charlotte and Oliver. He enjoys football, fly fishing and sailing his boat on the River Cam.

Sir Stuart Atha KBE CB DSO MA BSc

Director of Training Strategy, BAE Systems

Stuart Atha joined BAE Systems in 2020. Following roles in support and training, he is now responsible for advising the Company on all NATO matters. He is a member of the Air Board and Chair of PPM Ltd, a wholly owned entity specialising in advanced RF-over-fibre technology. Alongside his Company responsibilities for NATO, Stuart is also Head of the UK delegation to the NATO Industrial Advisory Group, NATO’s source of industrial insight and conscience.

Prior to joining BAE Systems, Stuart served in the RAF for 35 years. Following his first tour as a flying instructor on the Hawk aircraft, he flew the Harrier aircraft from 1990 to 2003, flying combat missions over Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq. Stuart commanded RAF Coningsby and the Eurofighter Typhoon Force 2006-2008, overseeing the Typhoon entry to operational service.

During this tour Stuart also had the privilege of displaying Spitfires and Hurricanes of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. In 2009/10 he commanded the UK Air Component operating in the Gulf and Afghanistan. In 2011 he headed the Ministry of Defence’s Libyan operations team, reporting directly to the UK National Security Council, following which he commanded No 1 Group, which comprised a diverse array of air and space forces including combat aircraft, ISTAR assets and the National Air and Space Operations Centre. As the UK Air Defence Commander, he was responsible for developing and delivering the London Olympics’ Air Security Plan in 2012.

Stuart’s staff experience includes posts in the RAF Air Warfare Centre and MOD including as personal staff officer to the Chief of the Air Staff. Between 2014 and 2016 he was deputy commander of the Permanent Joint Headquarters, responsible for all UK operations abroad and most notably involving Afghanistan. Stuart’s final tour in uniform was as Deputy Commander of the RAF, the Air Force Board member responsible for RAF operations 2016-2019, a tour that was dominated by the counter-ISIS campaign in Iraq/Syria and NATO’s response to a resurgent Russia.

Stuart is an Honorary Professor at the University of Nottingham, lecturing on contemporary air power subjects, and Patron of the Jon Egging Trust, a charity that seeks to inspire and develop young people. He is also privileged to be the RAF Commissioner on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and a Director on the Board of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Stuart lives in Teddington, London with his wife Caroline and has 5 adult children.