Under the patronage of Mohammed bin Rashid…the opening of the 12th Dubai International Conference for Air Force Commanders with the participation of more than 100 official delegations
DUBAI, 16 November / WAM / Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, “may God protect him”, His Excellency Mohammed bin Mubarak bin Fadel Al Mazrouei, Minister of State for Defense Affairs, and in the presence of His Excellency Dr. Ahmed Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of Sports, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Space Agency, His Excellency Lieutenant General Ibrahim Nasser Al Alawi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Defence, and Major General Rashid Mohammed Al Shamsi, Commander of the Air Force and Air Defence, opened the twelfth session of the conference. Dubai International Air Force Commanders Conference with the participation of more than 100 official delegations from all over the world.
The opening ceremony of the conference was attended by a number of senior officers of the Ministry of Defense, air force commanders from brotherly and friendly countries, and an elite group of decision makers and CEOs of major national, regional and international companies specialized in defense industries in the field of aviation and advanced technology in space science and artificial intelligence.
The conference activities were held over the course of a full day at the Atlantis Hotel – Palm Jumeirah, organized by the Ministry of Defense and in strategic partnership with the ADNEC Group, under the slogan “Hypersonic Reduction – Reimagining Air Power across Asymmetrical Spaces”, prior to the launch of the Dubai Airshow 2025, to continue consolidating its position as one of the most prominent global strategic platforms in the air and space defense sectors.
His Excellency Mohammed bin Mubarak bin Fadel Al Mazrouei, Minister of State for Defense Affairs, said in his opening speech: “The UAE continues its leadership as a global partner and a platform that enables major international, emerging and ambitious companies to grow their businesses with confidence. Our presence here comes within the framework of all of our awareness of our shared ability to build a pioneering and sustainable economic system in the UAE.”
His Excellency added: “During the past two years, the UAE has committed to pumping significant investments into the fields of defense procurement and technological partnerships. These investments have strengthened our national capabilities, provided high-value job opportunities, and supported the country’s position as a regional center for advanced defense manufacturing. Today, we stand at a technological turning point, and are experiencing a transformation no less important than the innovation of jet propulsion engines.”
He said that the value provided by the UAE is clear. We make decisive decisions, implement them efficiently, and fulfill our commitments. Attracting technology, innovation, capital, and competencies to the country makes it the best environment for establishing and expanding businesses.
For his part, Major General Mohammed Salem Ali Al Hameli, Deputy Commander of the Air Forces and Air Defense, delivered the welcome speech, in which he stressed the importance of this international gathering in promoting strategic dialogue and exchanging visions about the future of air defense in light of the accelerating global changes.
Al Hameli said: “The Dubai International Air Force Leaders Conference represents a qualitative platform to enhance dialogue and innovations in global air and space power, as we bring together leaders, experts and pioneers in the sector to exchange visions and shape the future of air power. The conference goes beyond its traditional role to form a community based on trust and vision, in which experience meets innovation and technology with strategy, and in which countries are united around a common goal.”
Al Hameli added: “Our slogan this year reflects a clear fact, that the air force is changing, and we must change with it. The hypersonic advantage is not only technical, but a mentality that pushes us to work quickly and intelligently at the same time. Despite the role of artificial intelligence in enhancing awareness and accelerating decisions, the real advantage remains dependent on the clarity of vision and the level of discipline and strategy.”
He said: “The UAE is honored to host this dialogue, which brings together the leaders of global air forces with trends in innovation and partnerships, and through it we affirm our shared responsibility in preparing the next generation, and arming it not only with advanced technologies, but also with the solid values on which this field is based, which are integrity and discipline.”
Under the title “Hypersonic Speed, Drones, and Artificial Intelligence: Adapting Air Power to the Asymmetric Battlefield,” the first session was moderated by Joseph Gostella, Vice President and Regional CEO for Europe and the Middle East at Northrop Grumman.
In his speech during the session, Major General Rashid Mohammed Al Shamsi, Commander of the UAE Air Forces and Air Defense, addressed mission assurance in a multi-domain combat environment and integration to achieve superiority.
Al Shamsi said: “We work in fields dominated by hypersonic weapons, drones, and systems enhanced by artificial intelligence, which erases the boundaries between the various strategic, operational, and tactical levels of wars, where the traditional ability to predict direct confrontations has disappeared, and has been replaced by fragmented attacks that aim to confuse as much as they aim to destroy… and the disparity in the cost of attack and defense has become clearer, as an inexpensive drone can… “It operates a multibillion-dollar air defense system, and a single strike targeting civilian infrastructure could disrupt the global economy and international air traffic.”
He added: “In light of this reality, the fifth generation methodology must develop into a new operational concept that expands to confront the state of uncertainty, and makes innovation in peacetime an essential path to readiness in wartime. This transformation must begin in academies and institutions, and in the UAE, our mission is to provide the new generation with the tools, confidence, and authority to lead change instead of inheriting it. The future of the Air Force will not only be made through the platforms that we possess, but through the minds that we nurture and the institutions that allow them to flourish.”
He stressed that for the leaders and chiefs of the Air Force, this approach means clarity of vision in a time witnessing a state of uncertainty, investing in personnel as much as investing in systems, and building an air force that adapts faster than the threats it faces, as the Air Force is in a transitional stage, and this stage represents our greatest challenge and our greatest opportunity at the same time.
For his part, General Adrian L. Spin, Commander of the Air Combat Command – US Air Force, spoke about hypersonic speeds in modern combat, pointing out their role in redefining the concepts of speed, accuracy and operational integration.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant General Jerome Belanger, Chief of Staff of the French Air and Space Forces, addressed the issue of strategic adaptation in preparing the Air Force to confront large-scale disturbances.
The first session concluded with an intervention by Team G. R. Spezer Blanchet, Commander, Royal Canadian Air Force, on building alliance resilience and leadership in the face of emerging air power challenges, followed by an interactive panel discussion with the participation of official delegations.
The second session was titled “Beyond the Atmosphere: Integrating Air and Space Capabilities to Achieve Strategic Superiority,” which was moderated by Mike Shoemaker, Vice President and General Manager of the Integrated Fighter Group at Lockheed Martin.
Major General Vincent Chausseau, Commander of the French Space Center, spoke at the session about ensuring the mission in a multi-domain battle: “Integration to achieve advantage.”
Meanwhile, His Excellency Engineer Salem Butti Al Qubaisi, Director General of the Emirates Space Agency, reviewed the agency’s role in enhancing national capabilities and linking them to advanced defense frameworks, as he presented a paper entitled “From Orbit to Impact: Activating Space to Achieve Air Supremacy.”
For his part, Airman Stephen Chappell, Commander of the Australian Air Force, presented his vision on building a flexible, multi-domain air-space force in a paper entitled “Air and Space: Crafting a Flexible Multi-Domain Force,” followed by Lieutenant-General Nirmudeshwar Tiwari, Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, Indian Air Force, who addressed the Indo-Pacific region’s perspective in activating space to achieve air superiority.
The third and final session was held entitled “Fighter of the Future: Standards, Artificial Intelligence and Accountability in the Next Generation of Air Power” and was moderated by Dr. Shawqi Qasimi, Head of Technology and Innovation at EDGE Group. It included the participation of Major General Jonas Wickman, Commander of the Swedish Air Force, who spoke about rethinking recruitment and building the force of the future, while Lieutenant General Son Soo Raq, Chief of Staff of the Korean Air Force, addressed the concept of “Mastering Asymmetrical Spaces: Redefining the Fighter for the Future.”
For his part, Lieutenant General Antonio Conserva, Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force, presented a paper entitled “Standards Under Pressure: Maintaining Excellence in the Age of Automation,” while Professor Peter Hayes, from the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University, presented a research paper entitled “The Art of How to Learn: Building Intellectual Readiness for the Future Space Battle,” before the session concluded with a tribute to the participants and taking a group photo.
The conference concluded its work with participants emphasizing the importance of developing concepts of operational integration between air and space power, and enhancing research and innovation investments in the fields of artificial intelligence, unmanned systems, and hypersonic technologies, as they are major drivers for redefining future defense superiority.
They stressed that the twelfth session formed a global platform for exchanging visions and formulating new directions for the future of air defense, at a time when the importance of international cooperation and integration of capabilities across various fields is increasing.
The UAE’s organization of the Dubai International Air Force Commanders’ Conference embodies its firm commitment to supporting the global defense innovation system, strengthening its position as a stimulating country for strategic dialogue, and an essential axis for shaping concepts of readiness and integration in the aviation and defense sectors, thus consolidating its leadership role in shaping a safer and more stable future for the world.
The conference is supported by a group of leading strategic partners at the sector level, which contributes to achieving their goals and strengthening their commitments to developing innovation in the fields of aviation and defense. Tawazun supports the conference as a national industry empowerment partner, while EDGE, the world’s leading group in the field of defense and advanced technology, provided support to the conference as a strategic partner. Airbus participates as the distinguished partner. Northrop Grumman Aerospace and Military Industries and RTX Collins Aerospace, which specializes in aviation technology, participated. Defense, and Lockheed Martin are supporting the conference as platinum partners, while Saab Technologies, MBDA, Dassault Aviation, Thales, Boeing, and General Atomics are participating in the conference as gold partners, in addition to the media partner of the conference, “Nation Shield Magazine.”
The organizing committee provided all the information and details for the twelfth session on the conference’s official website, diacc.ae, in addition to the specialized scientific bulletin on the website, which constitutes a comprehensive knowledge reference for air and space power, and provides qualitative content that supports the conference’s objectives and keeps pace with its strategic directions.
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