“Air & Space Power: America’s Decisive Edge” was the theme for this year’s annual Air, Space & Cyber Conference. Hosted by the Air & Space Forces Association and drawing about 20,000 attendees, the event attracts high-ranking officials such as the secretary, chief of staff, and chief master sergeant of the Air Force; the chief of space operations; the chief master sergeant of the Space Force; and commanders from all 11 major commands in addition to government contracting professionals.
The group met Sept. 22-24 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. About 300 GovCon exhibitors were on hand to show off their latest and greatest technology.
Innovate — And Quickly
Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink delivers a keynote address during the 2025 Air, Space and Cyber Conference. (U.S. Air Force photo by Andy Morataya)
A popular theme at military conferences is modernization. After all, everyone there is eager to learn about the newest approaches and technologies — and updates to acquisition processes. This event was no exception, with Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink emphasizing the need to innovate to maintain U.S. military dominance.
“The only way we will be able to maintain our advantage is to innovate, and we have to innovate faster than our adversaries,” Meink said. “We have to be innovative in how we operate. We have to be innovative in how we maintain our systems. We have to be innovative in how we train. We really need to be innovative across the board.”
One area he highlighted for modernization included equipment, especially planes. Such as developing the B-21 bomber, the next-gen version of the iconic B-52. Others include being able to launch more satellites and develop uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft.
Acquisition Adjustments
Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman offers a keynote address at the Air, Space & Cyber Conference. (U.S. Air Force photo by Andy Morataya)
The Space Force has several initiatives under way to improve its IT use and delivery. One is Space Force Front Door, a rebranding of Front Door, a single way for companies and contractors to approach the Space Systems Command. Since Front Door started in 2023, more than 1,400 companies have used it to connect with potential customers, and now this change gives GovCon access to the entire service.
“Your concepts are now vetted against the needs of organizations beyond just SSC, including all Space Force equities, broader department needs, other government agencies and allies,” Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman said. “Every bit of new technology that gives us an advantage is a win for the Space Force and the nation.”
This adjustment supports Saltzman’s goal of focusing on capabilities delivery to maintain U.S. military superiority. He pointed to advances in GPS accuracy and highlighted the service’s launch of two GPS satellites that took only three months to stand up, compared to two years in the past.
“Effective systems don’t require perfection to be combat-credible,” he added. “We need to consider rapid entry into operations, manage the capability with a smart risk posture and then focus on rapid and continuous improvement of the capability in operations.”
He also highlighted a change in Space Force’s interaction with the private sector: “We’re leading a shift from a transactional relationship with industry to a collaborative one,” Saltzman. “We’re planning more high-level touchpoints with industry leaders to make sure our strategies align.”
Getting AI Help from Above
Kirk Rieckhoff, center, moderates a panel discussion “Enhancing Readiness and Generating Combat Forces” with Maj. Gen. Duke Pirak, left, Air National Guard acting director, Lt. Gen. John Healy, chief of Air Force Reserve, Gen. Adrian Spain, commander of Air Combat Command, and Maj. Gen. John Klein, assistant deputy chief of staff for operations, during the Air, Space & Cyber Conference. (U.S. Air Force photo by Eric Dietrich)
No discussion of modernization is complete without AI. Specifically, the National Reconaissance Office is looking to use AI with the many satellites that make up its proliferated Low Earth Orbit constellation. In the past 24-30 months, the organization has launched more than 200 satellites, with plans to put more up next week, said NRO Director, Dr. Chris Scolese.
Some of those are research satellites testing AI and autonomy technologies. “They’re on a couple of satellites called Big Impact that are testing autonomous operations of space systems, where they can make decisions,” Scolese said.
NRO already uses AI in other ways, he added: “We use it everywhere, from our personnel systems [to] our financial systems, [but] we also use it to monitor our constellations and … to help the user community better use our constellations.”
Typically, human operators control individual satellites from the ground. With AI, the objective is to be able to ask the entire constellation a question in plain English and let the AI figure out which sensors to turn to what angles at what times to capture the necessary data and combine it into a single report.
With technological development moving at the speed of light, the Air and Space forces have a lot to keep an eye on. We’ll be tuning in to see how these efforts develop and what the military has on deck for 2026.