Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Smyth used the opening of the Global Air and Space Chief Conference in London to warn that Raf Stormfighter-era air forces must move faster. He said the security picture is more complex and volatile today than it has been in many, many decades.
He told delegates that geopolitical tremors are already changing operational realities. He said air forces must act quicker, think different, change the status quo, and innovate at an unprecedented pace.
London opens the two-day conference
The two-day meeting is run by the Air and Space Power Association. Its theme is dominating the skies and beyond through agility, integration and readiness. The agenda also includes the renewed importance of nuclear deterrence, space, integrated air and missile defence and lessons from current conflicts.
Smyth welcomed allies, industry and academics for the first time as host. He pointed to persistent conflict in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, plus escalating tension in the Indo-Pacific, as part of the pressure shaping air and space planning.
Greg Bagwell points to World War 3.0
Air Marshal Greg Bagwell opened proceedings and said there was a buzz around the event. He also directed delegates to the Air and Space Power Association booklet World War 3.0, which uses ten UK-based vignettes to explain what air and space power would mean in a future conflict.
Bagwell said, “It’s not really a book for the people in this room,” and added, “It’s a book for the people outside who either don’t get it, don’t believe it, or are yet to understand it.”
Smyth’s warning leaves one practical question hanging over the conference: which specific ideas will move from discussion into action over the next two days. The event is built around integration across every operational domain, but the harder test is whether the people, training and conceptual framework can keep up with the technology he described.
