100 international official delegations at the Dubai International Conference of Air Force Commanders

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, may God protect him, the Minister of State for Defense Affairs, Mohammed bin Mubarak bin Fadel Al Mazrouei, opened yesterday, in the presence of the Minister of Sports and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Space Agency, Dr. Ahmed Belhoul Al Falasi, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Defence, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Nasser Al Alawi, and the Commander of the Air Force and Air Defence, Major General Rashid Mohammed Al Shamsi, the 12th session of the Dubai International Air Force Commanders Conference, with the participation of more than 100 official delegations from all over the world.

The conference activities were held over the course of a full day at the Atlantis Hotel – Palm Jumeirah, organized by the Ministry of Defence, and in strategic partnership with the ADNEC Group, under the slogan “Reducing Hypersonics – Reimagining Air Power across Asymmetrical Spaces,” prior to the launch of the Dubai Airshow 2025, today.

Mohammed bin Mubarak bin Fadel Al Mazrouei said, during 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.”

He 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.”

For his part, Major General Mohammed Salem Ali Al Hameli 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.”

Under the title “Hypersonic speed, drones, and artificial intelligence: Adapting air power to the asymmetric battlefield,” the first session was moderated by Joseph Gustella, Vice President and Regional CEO for Europe and the Middle East at Northrop Grumman. The Commander of the UAE Air Force and Air Defense, Major General Rashid Mohammed Al Shamsi, addressed in his speech during the session ensuring the mission in a multi-domain combat environment and integration to achieve superiority.

He added: “The fifth generation methodology must evolve 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 be made only through the platforms that we possess, but through the minds that we nurture and the institutions that allow it to flourish.”

For his part, Commander of the Air Combat Command – US Air Forces, Lieutenant General Adrian L. Spin, about hypersonic speeds in modern combat, pointing to their role in redefining the concepts of speed, accuracy and operational integration, while the Chief of Staff of the French Air and Space Forces, Lieutenant General Jerome Belanger, addressed the issue of strategic adaptation in preparing the air forces to confront large-scale disturbances.

The first session concluded with an intervention by the Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force, Lieutenant General J. R. Spezer Blanchet, on building alliance resilience and leadership in the face of emerging air power challenges, followed by an interactive discussion session with the participation of official delegations.

The second session was titled “Beyond the Atmosphere: Integrating Air and Space Capabilities to Achieve Strategic Supremacy,” which was moderated by Mike Shoemaker, Vice President and General Manager of the Integrated Fighter Group at Lockheed Martin. The Commander of the French Space Center, Major General Vincent Chausseau, spoke in the session about ensuring the mission in a multi-domain battle: integration to achieve advantage, while the Director General of the Emirates Space Agency, Engineer Salem Butti Al Qubaisi, reviewed the agency’s role in strengthening national capabilities and linking them to advanced defense frameworks, where He presented a paper entitled “From Orbit to Impact: Activating Space to Achieve Air Supremacy.”

For his part, the Commander of the Australian Air Force, Lieutenant General Stephen Chappell, presented his vision on building a flexible, multi-domain force between air and space in a paper entitled “Air and Space: Crafting a Flexible Multi-Domain Force,” followed by the Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, Indian Air Force, Lieutenant General Nirmudeshwar Tiwari, who addressed the Indo-Pacific region’s perspective on space activation 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 Force,” where the session was moderated by the Head of Technology and Innovation at the EDGE Group, Dr. Shawqi Qasimi, and the Commander of the Swedish Air Force, Major General Jonas Wickman, participated in the session, while the Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force, Lieutenant General Antonio Conserva, presented a paper entitled “Standards Under Pressure: Maintaining Excellence in the Age of Automation,” as Professor Peter Hayes, from the Space Policy Institute at George University, presented. Washington, a research paper entitled “The Art of How to Learn: Building Intellectual Readiness for Future Space Battle.”

At the conclusion of the conference, the participants stressed the importance of developing concepts of operational integration between air and space forces, 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.

• The “Conference” consolidates the UAE’s position as a global center for strategic dialogue and defense readiness.