Leaders from the U.S. military and defense industry will gather next week outside Washington to help the U.S. “decisive advantage” over its opponents in the air, space and cyber arena, the moment when more and more threats and anger clashes collide with the technological advancement.
This week’s Air, Space and Cyber Conference is sponsored and organized by the Air & Space Forces Association and held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Maryland, one of the largest gatherings for U.S. military personnel and Department of Defense leaders.
The event’s slogan “Air and Space Power: America’s Decisive Advantage” pays tribute to the U.S.’s race against rivals like China. It is also a demand for the Pentagon and its private sector partners to quickly use new cutting-edge tools such as next-generation drones and manned aircraft, satellites and other space assets, cyberspace, new offensive and defensive capabilities for electronic warfare weapons, the proposed Golden Dome missile shield, and other launches spanning three Domains.
Leading Defense Department officials plan to speak at the meeting, including air force Secretary Troy Meink, air force chief of staff David AllvinB. Chance Saltzman and dozens of other space action directors.
Leaders from some of the top defense companies in the United States told The Washington Times that their goal is to use the conference as a platform to showcase existing capabilities and to propose some potential parts in the upcoming Trump Golden Dome, an ambitious proposal by President Trump to protect the attacks in the United States across the continent.
“Our goal during the conference is to demonstrate the perception, connectivity and effects we bring to give air and space advantages air force,” Retirement said air force brig. General Tom Gould, vice president of global business development at major defense company L3HARRIS.
“The theme of this year’s show is air and space superiority,” he said in an exclusive interview with the latest episode of the Threat Status Weekly podcast. “And we certainly want to showcase those abilities that support this. But, in addition to these abilities, we will also have an important audio-visual introduction to the abilities we bring. We will provide you with the ability to support the Golden Dome. We will show you the details of the inductive aspects of the house, support for the connection of the house and its impact on the house.
Indeed, the Golden Dome project will be one of the hottest topics at the conference. Companies like L3HARRIS and dozens of other companies are eager to ensure a prominent place as part of the project.
The leaders of the Department of Defense (Mr. Trump gave the secondary name “The Department of War”) reportedly received briefings this week on the construction plan, the $175 billion gold dome. Michael Guetlein, the project’s government role, will report to brief Congress leaders in recent days.
The Trump administration’s signature defense and technology initiative, Golden Dome, is seen as key to protecting homes from rivals like Russia and China. Both countries have advanced missile programs. According to U.S. government estimates, China is expected to expand its arsenal of 600 hypersonic missiles to as many as 4,000 by 2035. Russia is expected to have 1,000 supersonic weapons within a decade.
Mr. Trump has ordered the Pentagon to complete the Golden Dome before leaving the office in January 2029. The project is expected to combine advanced space-based interceptors with existing missile defense capabilities, which may include terminal high-altitude defense, or THAAD, anti-welded missile defense batteries. A “layered defense” system for space interceptors and ground-based missile defense tools means that the United States will have multiple guns in any incoming missile.
Top defense companies (almost all of which will be represented in the air, space and cyber conferences, all tend to be part of the effort and secure potentially profitable gold dome contracts, although such contracts have not been obtained yet.
Modern American air force
Pentagon leaders use the days of meetings to hammer another key message home: The U.S. Air Force must change, and this change is already underway.
For example, Lieutenant General David A. Harris, Deputy Chief of Staff air force Futures, recently explained why the approach in the past few decades is no longer sufficient.
“No more air force Thanks to the counter-visit and regional capabilities developed by China and others, relying on the Bagram-style air base as a shelter,” he wrote in a recent News Media Defender column, referring to the sprawling Bagram base, the center of the U.S. military’s center in Afghanistan for nearly 20 years.
Counter-access and area verification capabilities or A2/AD refers to the combination of defense systems, artillery, radar and other tools to deny the enemy’s ability to occupy or cross land, air or sea in a particular area. There is a general expectation that China will clash with the future of the United States in the case of a democratic party to Taiwan Island nation, and will adopt this strategy.
General Harris says this new combat reality means air force Must be faster and more agile.
“To stop and defeat opponents, the service must focus on agility, adaptability and operating with a smaller footprint in a harsh environment. Leaders must optimize their choices to enter the theater to generate rhythm and seize initiative. In short, air force He said it is necessary to return to its expeditionary roots – a key change,” he said. “In today’s controversial operating environment, agility, adaptability, judgment and innovation are as crucial as aircraft and ammunition. There is no boldness in the ability to operate the edge and execute task commands, air force Keep it bound to outdated methods. This has the potential to ced the strategic basis to the opponent, who are more agile and less restrictive. ”
To help keep the opponents ahead, the United States is also in the midst of a major modernization of its nuclear triad, based on nuclear energy on land, sea and air. A panel discussion at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference will focus on “orders” to move forward toward the outpost planning, i.e. air force Initiative aimed at replacing the aging Militia III intercontinental ballistic missile and B-21 stealth bomber program.
Nuclear energy B-21 made by a major defense contractor Northrop Grummanconsidered a crucial part of Air Force Modernization and its future capabilities. gen Allvin It has been described recently as “the cornerstone of our strategic nuclear modernization.”
The second B-21 Raider test aircraft arrives at Edwards air force The foundation in California last week, as the service enters a more advanced testing phase, including testing for mission-critical systems and weapon integration.
