DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, His Excellency Mohamed bin Mubarak bin Fadhel Al Mazrouei, UAE Minister of State for Defence Affairs, inaugurated the 12th edition of the Dubai International Air Chiefs Conference.
The opening ceremony at Atlantis – The Palm, Dubai, witnessed the participation of more than 100 official delegations from around the world alongside senior officers from the Ministry of Defence, Air Force commanders, Chiefs of Staff from friendly and allied nations, as well decision–makers and chief executives from major national, regional, and international companies specialising in defence, aviation, advanced technologies, space sciences, and artificial intelligence.
The conference was organised by the UAE Ministry of Defence in strategic partnership with ADNEC Group, under the theme ‘Hypersonic Edge: Re–Envisioning Airpower Across Asymmetric Spaces.’
Session 1
The first session titled ‘Hypersonics, UAVs, and Artificial Intelligence: Adapting Airpower to Asymmetric Battlespaces’ opened with an introductory remark by Joseph Guastella, Corporate Vice President and Regional Executive for Europe and Middle East at Northrop Grumman.
The first session featured Major General Rashid Mohammed Al Shamsi, Commander of the UAE Air Force and Air Defence, General Adrian L. Spain, Commander of the US Air Combat Command, General Jérôme Bellanger, Chief of the Staff of the French Air Force and Space, and Lieutenant General J.R. Speiser–Blanchet, Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force, on building coalition agility and leading through emerging airpower challenges, followed by an interactive discussion with official delegations.
The second session titled, ‘Beyond the Atmosphere: Integrating Air and Space Capabilities for Strategic Superiority,’ featured Major General Vincent Chusseau, Commander of the French Space Command, His Excellency Eng. Salem Butti Al Qubaisi, Director General of the UAE Space Agency, Air Marshal Stephen Chappell, Chief of the Royal Australian Air Force, followed by Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari, Vice Chief of Air staff, Indian Air Force.
The third and final session, titled ‘The Warfighter of Tomorrow: Standards, Artificial Intelligence, and Accountability in Next–Generation Airpower,’ opened with an introductory remark by Dr. Chaouki Kasmi, President of Technology and Innovation at EDGE Group.
The session, moderated by Kasmi, was attended by Major General Jonas Wickman, Commander of the Swedish Air Force, discussed rethinking recruitment and building the future force.
General Son Sug Rag, Chief of Staff of the Republic of Korea Air Force, addressed ‘Mastering asymmetric spaces: redefining the warfighter for the future.’
Lieutenant General Antonio Conserva, Chief of the Italian Air Forces, touched on the topic ‘Standards under pressure: maintaining excellence in the age of automation.’
Professor Peter Hays from the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University, presented a paper titled ‘Learning to Learn: Building Intellectual Readiness for the Future Space Battlespace.’
The discussion concluded with an official recognition ceremony for participants and a group photo session.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7a845457–8765–4061–9420–c92aa633e9ca
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