10 Sep 20. ComDef 2020, the 49th conference in the Common Defense series, will have the theme, “Ensuring a Resilient and Agile Defense Industrial Base”. Headlined by The Hon. Ellen Lord and featuring the United Kingdom, the online event is scheduled for September 29 – October 1st. The program is now set and most speakers are confirmed. Program here.
There is a big effort underway to enhance the defense industrial base to ensure accelerating technology shifts are incorporated into defense equipment and doctrine. This ComDef will look at the various initiatives ongoing.
The goals for the upcoming ComDef 2020 Conference are as follows:-
This Administration has shifted focus to near peer competition
- How will this impact older defense programs?
- What will its impact be on force structure?
- What programs are likely to be impacted?
- What strategies will be given emphasis in exporting?
- Will there be more protectionism?
- How will basing adjustments be addressed?
- How fast will industry adjust to the new realities?
- Will there be a frenzy of mergers and acquisitions?
- Will defense industry quickly integrate commercial technology into their offerings?
- What role will commercial firms play in defense to speed up the technology refresh?
- What new procurement approaches will be tested to bring in commercial/non traditional entities?
- How will COVID 19 alter the landscape?
- How will NATO adjust to evolving imperatives?
- Several nations in Europe have begun to increase defense budgets.
- NATO is reviewing its focus areas in light of recent government changes and international events.
- BREXIT and its aftermath – how will the UK engage with Europe and the United States?
- A changed security situation in Europe, in particular in the Baltic Sea area, have created new challenges and operating environments.
- Will the evolving situation in Europe impact US Pacific efforts?
- How is the threat matrix influencing equipment development and cooperation?
- Immediate risk planning and signaling
- Future operating environments – Space and Cyber
- Where are the low hanging fruit of cooperation and capability?
- Will Exportability be baked into security cooperation?
- Where should friends and allies invest their capability?
- in what technologies and capabilities should governments invest?
- What will be the impact of cancelled programs on arms exports?
- How can industry partner internationally for success?
- How potent are existing and envisaged export control regimes?
Invited Speakers
- Katie Arrington, Chief Information Security Officer, CISO(A) to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, ASD(A) (Confirmed)
- Rutha Astravas, Director Continental Materiel Cooperation, DGIIP/ADM(MAT), DnD Canada
- Adrian Baguley, Director General, Strategic Enablers, MoD, UK (Confirmed)
- Air Marshal (ret.) Sir Simon John Bollom, KBE, CB, FREng, CEO, Defence Equipment and Support, UK (Confirmed)
- Matthew S. Borman, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Export Administration (Confirmed)
- Richard Burley, Acquisition Attaché – Defence Acquisition and Technology, British Embassy, Washington, DC (Confirmed)
- Frank Cevasco, President, Cevasco International (Confirmed)
- McKenzie Eaglen, Resident Fellow, AEI
- Edward Ferguson, Minister Defence, British Embassy, Washington, DC (Confirmed)
- Frank Finelli, Managing Director, Carlyle Group (Confirmed)
- Andrew Forzani, Chief Commercial Officer, Ministry of Defence, UK (Confirmed)
- Mark Goldsack, Director, Defence and Security Exports, Department for International Trade, UK (Confirmed)
- Heidi Grant, Director, Defense Security Cooperation Agency (Confirmed)
- Bill Greenwalt, Visiting Fellow, AEI (Confirmed)
- Christopher Haave, Vice President, International Operations and Disclosure, Raytheon Technologies (Confirmed)
- Andrew Hunter, Director, Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group and Senior Fellow, International Security Program, CSIS (Confirmed)
- Nick Joad, Director Defence Science & Technology (DST) /Deputy Chief Scientific Adviser at UK Ministry of Defence (Confirmed)
- Gregory M. Kausner, Executive Director, International Cooperation, OUSD(A&S) (Confirmed)
- Angus Lapsley, Director General Strategy & International, MoD, UK (Confirmed)
- Michael Laychek, Acting Director DTSA (Confirmed)
- Sandra E. Long, Office of Assistant Secretary of the Army for Def. Exports and Cooperation, ASA(ALT) (Confirmed)
- The Hon. Ellen M. Lord, Under Secretary of Defense for A&S (Confirmed)
- John Luddy, VP National Security, Aerospace Industries Association
- Christine Maxwell, Director, Cyber Defence and Risk, MoD, UK
- Mike Miller, DAS, Bureau of Political Military Affairs, DDTC
- Rear Admiral Francis D. Morley, Director, Navy International Programs Office (Confirmed)
- Vago Muradian, Editor, Defense & Aerospace Report (Confirmed)
- Lois Nicholson, Counsellor Defence Acquisition and Technology, British Embassy, Washington, DC Confirmed)
- Alison Petchell, Minister-Counselor Defence Materiel, Embassy of Australia, Washington, DC (Confirmed)
- Lorna Prosper, Senior Director, USA Operations, Canadian Commercial Corporation (Confirmed)
- Pieter-Henk Schroor, Defense Cooperation Attaché, Royal Netherlands Embassy, Washington, DC (Confirmed)
- Kelli L. Seybolt, Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force, International Affairs (Confirmed)
- Air Vice Marshall Harvey Smyth, Director, Space, MoD, UK (Confirmed)
- Gary Stanley, President, Global Legal Services, P.C. (Confirmed)
- Michael J. Vaccaro, Director, International Armaments Cooperation, DoD (A&S) (Confirmed)
- Huw Walters, UK Director Economic Security and Prosperity, UK Ministry of Defence (Confirmed)
Government and industry representatives from more than 35 countries will participate. Over 35 speakers will provide their insight and perspectives.
Participate with Government and industry leaders from all US Services and Agencies at this premier international event held in Washington.
Confirmed speakers are marked with confirmed after their names.
The organizers reserve the right to change the program based on speaker availability and world events. The event is free to the first 300 attendees or until Sep. 18. Thereafter $75 per person.
Register Here: http://www.ideea.com/comdef20/registration.htm
10 Sep 20. China’s biggest airshow to go ahead as originally planned – event organizer. China’s International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, the country’s biggest airshow, will go ahead in November, the organizer said on Wednesday, backtracking on an earlier announcement the 2020 event had been cancelled due to COVID-19.
“As of now, China’s 13th Zhuhai Airshow will still be held as scheduled. If there is any change, please refer to the official news and website,” a spokesman said in a second statement.
An email from the spokesman earlier on Wednesday had said that the airshow, scheduled for November, had been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the next one will take place in 2022. He later said that statement was based on his own “prediction”.
The biennial event usually draws key suppliers – such as Airbus SE AIR.PA, Boeing Co BA.N and Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC) – and has traditionally been used by Beijing to show off its growing aviation capability, such as military fighters and drones.
The announcements come as foreign nationals are largely barred from entering China due to concerns about importing coronavirus cases and severe restrictions on international flights.
This year’s largest aerospace expo, Britain’s Farnborough Airshow, was canceled because of travel curbs and an industry downturn resulting from the pandemic.
The Zhuhai airshow’s organizers declined further comment on the reasons for the change in decision when contacted by Reuters.
China’s domestic aviation industry has been recovering and is now running at more than 90% of pre-pandemic capacity levels, according to data firm OAG, but that has yet to translate into a return to profitability for Chinese airlines.
As the global industry reels from the devastating impact of the pandemic, many Western aerospace companies have reduced budgets and some are not planning to attend the Zhuhai airshow if it goes ahead, company sources told Reuters.
Progress on some key civilian aircraft programs including COMAC’s narrowbody jet C919 and widebody CR929, jointly developed with Russia, has also been slow amid rising geopolitical tensions. (Source: Google/https://www.defenceweb.co.za/)