Speakers

Greg Bagwell

Air Marshal (Ret’d) Greg Bagwell CB CBE FRAeS

President
The Air & Space Power Association

Brigadier Matt Baker

Brigadier Matt Baker OBE MSc

Head Warfare Development
Integrated Warfare Centre

Air Commodore Steve Berry MBE MEng

Air Commodore Steve Berry MBE MEng

Commandant
Air & Space Warfare Centre

Group Captain Jim Calvert

Group Captain Jim Calvert OBE

Commander
Lightning Air Wing

Sir David Capewell KCB OBE FRSA

Sir David Capewell KCB OBE FRSA

Distinguished Fellow
at RUSI and DSTL

Arun Dawson

Arun Dawson

PhD candidate
Freeman Air and Space Institute, King's College London

Philip Dennis MBE

Philip Dennis MBE

Head Strategic Engagement (Maritime)
Lockheed Martin (UK)

Brigadier Chris Fogarty MBE

Brigadier Chris Fogarty MBE

Deputy Commander
UK Space Command

Al Harris

Alistair Harris

Assistant Head Space Capability Planning Group
Cyber & Specialist Operations Command

Kev Jones

Kev Jones MBA MSc

Director Secure Space Systems
CGI

Maj Gen Kingsbury

Major General Ollie Kingsbury OBE

Director
Land Warfare Centre

Max Kroyer

Max Kroyer MA

C4I Information Advantage Campaign Lead. Integrated Airspace-protection Systems
Thales

Air Marshal Suraya Marshall CBE

Deputy Commander
Cyber & Specialist Operations Command

Lieutenant Colonel Dan Mitchell

Lieutenant Colonel Dan Mitchell

SO1 Space
Army Headquarters

Dr Andrew Monaghan

Dr Andrew Monaghan

Senior Associate Fellow
Royal United Services Institute

Brigadier Mike Morton

Brigadier Mike Morton MSc CEng MIET

Head Force Development
Defence Cyber and Electromagnetic Force

Aleix Nadal

Dr Aleix Nadal

Analyst
RAND Europe Space Hub

Justin Reuter

Air Vice-Marshal (Ret’d) Justin “Reuts” Reuter
CBE MA

Defence, National Security and Business Consultant

Cdr Ridley

Commander George Ridley

SO1 Air Maritime Integration
UK Joint Air Liaison Organisation (JALO)

Air Commodore (Ret’d) Mark Roberts CBE

Chair
The Air & Space Power Association

Brigadier Simon M Rogers

Brigadier Simon M Rogers OBE

Director
Operational Advantage Centre (OAC) and an Assistant Commandant General Royal Marines

Dr Emma Salisbury

Dr Emma Salisbury

Senior Fellow, National Security Program
Foreign Policy Research Institute

AVM Strasdin

Air Vice-Marshal Simon Strasdin CBE MA

Director, Integrated Warfare Centre, Cyber and Specialist Operations Command

Mark Todd

Mark Todd

Innovation & Technology Director
Defence, Digital Intelligence

Mark Urban

Mark Urban

Broadcaster and Author

Lieutenant General (ret) Chris “Wedge” Weggeman USAF

Lieutenant General (ret) Chris “Wedge” Weggeman

Managing Director, Cyber and Strategic Risk
Deloitte’s Government and Public Services Practice

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Greg Bagwell

Air Marshal (Ret'd) Greg Bagwell CB CBE FRAeS

President
The Air & Space Power Association

Air Marshal (Retd) Greg Bagwell served for 36 years in the Royal Air Force, leading at all levels, and retired as the Deputy Commander and a member of the Air Force Board. He joined in 1981 as a combat pilot and flew the Tornado GR1/GR4 and F-18 Hornet on operations for over 20 years. The latter half of his service career saw him become one of the RAF’s most experienced operational commanders, where he oversaw combat operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria, as well as numerous humanitarian and peace keeping missions world-wide. He was the UK’s first Director of Joint Warfare, where he was responsible for the development of all UK military capability. He is a graduate of the Indian Defence Services and Staff College, Wellington. Today, he has a number of commercial interests and is a Non-Executive Director at NATS. In addition, to being the President of the Air and Space Power Association, he is also a Distinguished Fellow of the Royal United Services Institute, and a trustee of Flying for Freedom, a group dedicated to helping wounded, injured and sick service women and men learn to fly on flex-wings and microlights.

Brigadier Matt Baker

Brigadier Matt Baker OBE MSc

Head Warfare Development
Integrated Warfare Centre

Brigadier Matt Baker is Head of Warfare Development at the Integrated Warfare Centre within Cyber & Specialist Operations Command. In June 2026, he will become Head of Strategic Concepts & Warfare Development in Futures & Force Design at the Military Strategic Headquarters.

From 2022 to 2023, he commanded Operation ORBITAL, providing UK training support to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Between 2019 and 2022, he served as Assistant Head Warfare at the British Army’s Land Warfare Centre, overseeing updates to land tactical doctrine and driving initiatives to optimise the Field Army. He was also the lead author of the Army’s capstone doctrine, ADP Land Operations.

As an Infantry Commanding Officer, he led a NATO Spearhead Battle Group within the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force and commanded his battalion in Afghanistan as part of the Kabul Security Force. Earlier, as a Company Commander, he led an armoured infantry company in Germany and then on operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in 2011.

His staff appointments include SO1 Operational Plans in Army HQ, Military Assistant to the Assistant Chief of the General Staff, and SO2 for Dismounted Close Combat capability in the MOD. As a junior officer, he completed multiple operational tours in Northern Ireland, Kosovo, and Afghanistan.

He is a graduate of the Higher Command and Staff Course (2024) and the Advanced Command and Staff Course (2015). His academic qualifications include a BA (Hons) in Strategic Studies, a Postgraduate Diploma in War Studies from King’s College London, and an MSc in Battlespace Technology from Cranfield University.

Air Commodore Steve Berry MBE MEng

Air Commodore Steve Berry MBE MEng

Commandant
Air & Space Warfare Centre

Commissioned in 1997, Berry’s first operational tour was with IV(AC) Squadron flying the Harrier GR7. He flew Operational sorties in Gulf War 2 and was the Harrier project pilot before completing Test Pilot training and becoming the Executive Officer of 41(R) Squadron, flying the Tornado GR4 on the retirement of the Harrier. Following a tour as the Requirements Manager of the Typhoon aircraft, Berry promoted, attended the Advanced Staff and Command Course and returned to command 41(R) Sqn this time flying Typhoon; testing and delivering Typhoon’s major multi-role capability upgrade as it entered service.  Following Command, Berry was posted to the Air Warfare Centre as the Combat Air lead for Capability Assurance and during this tour, he deployed to Op KIPION as the National Asset Authority in the CAOC, Qatar. On promotion to Group Captain, he became Deputy Force Commander for the Typhoon Force, before being posted to the Military Aviation Authority as Deputy Head of Test, Evaluation and Special Tasks. Between 2021 to 2023 Berry was the Chief Test Pilot for the Air & Space Warfare Centre, and after Higher Commander Staff Course promoted to Air Cdre to become Head (and SRO) of the Qatar Air Programmes and latterly also became Head of the Joint Counter-UAS Office. In April 2025, he took command of the Air and Space Warfare Centre, as Commandant. 

Air Cdre Berry is married to a hard-working GP and they have three children. He is a keen offshore and dinghy sailor, a STEM ambassador, and an Instructor and Treasurer for a youth sailing association.

Group Captain Jim Calvert

Group Captain Jim Calvert OBE

Commander
Lightning Air Wing

Group Captain Jim Calvert OBE is the Commander of the UK Lightning Force, leading the integration, readiness and combat output of the nation’s F35 capability. His focus is on maximising the contribution of fifthgeneration air power to multidomain operations and strengthening interoperability with UK, US and NATO partners.

Before taking command in 2025, he served as Group Captain Operations and Training at the Air and Space Warfare Centre, where he shaped Combat Air tactics, advanced training, and operational integration across the Air and Space domain. His recent work has centred on enhancing operational advantage through improved missiondata generation, synthetic and livevirtualconstructive training, and more coherent test and evaluation across Combat Air.

With a background spanning Harrier, Typhoon and now Lightning, he brings extensive experience in operational delivery, capability development and the employment of air power within increasingly contested and congested environments. His current leadership is focused on ensuring the Lightning Force is fully aligned with the demands of modern, integrated warfighting.

Sir David Capewell KCB OBE FRSA

Sir David Capewell KCB OBE FRSA

Distinguished Fellow at RUSI and DSTL

David Capewell is the Chairman of a privileged insight and analytics company. He holds a range of advisory roles including a non-executive board role in a prestigious UK private equity house, a large digital systems company and the advisory council of two prominent international businesses. He was the Hudson Fellow at the University of Oxford in 2014 and was the middle east adviser to Ernst & Young LLP in 2015.  He is a Distinguished Fellow at RUSI and a visiting senior Fellow at the UK Defence Scientific and Technical Facility where he is published in cybernetics and advises on novel technology.

He served 37 years in the UK Military.  His last appointment was as the UK Commander Joint Operations (CJO) responsible to the Government for the conduct of all UK global and allied operations. Prior to that he was the Assistant Chief of Defence Staff for Operations in the Ministry of Defence, responsible for directing the development of national operational policy and strategy worldwide – including the security operation for the London 2012 Olympics.  With extensive field experience he has commanded on operations at all levels including a NATO Rapid Reaction Corps, 3 Commando Brigade RM and 40 Commando RM. He was awarded the OBE in 2002 (Commanding 40 Commando) and was Knighted (KCB) in 2014 for command of UK global operations in a period of unprecedented volatility.

A regular contributor to national security forums, he has unique experience in security sector reform, strategic resilience, cyber and counter extremism. He is a Freeman of the City of London, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and is proud to be involved with Royal Marine charities.

Arun Dawson

Arun Dawson

PhD Candidate
Freeman Air & Space Institute, Kings College London

Arun Dawson is a PhD candidate at the Freeman Air and Space Institute, King’s College London. A specialist in defence acquisition and airpower, he has written about and worked on drones in the air littoral, including at NATO Headquarters and at the Baltic Defence College. His published and forthcoming pieces cover RAF drone innovation, the Eastern Flank Deterrence Line, and the “high-low mix” proposed in the Strategic Defence Review, while his wider interests include Cold War combat air procurement, the High North, and the RAF’s resumption of a nuclear mission. Alongside his academic career, Arun serves as Parliamentary Researcher to Lord Stirrup, former Chief of the Defence Staff (2006–2010).

Philip Dennis MBE

Philip Dennis MBE

Head Strategic Engagement (Maritime)
Lockheed Martin (UK)

Philip Dennis served for thirty years in the Royal Navy as a surface warfare officer specialising in Air Defence, Carrier Strike and Amphibious operations.  He commanded HMS DARING in the Middle East in 2016 during the first attacks by Houthi rebels on merchant shipping in the Red Sea, and then returned to the Middle East in 2023 as Commander United Kingdom Maritime Component and as Deputy Commander Combined Maritime Forces. He served ashore as the Fleet Operations Officer in the Maritime Operations Centre, and also on the Middle East Operations Team at Permanent Joint Headquarters Northwood. He attended ACSC 16 in 2013/14 and is a member of RCDS 2022. He was made an ordinary Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2014 operational honours list. He retired from regular service in 2025 and subsequently joined Lockheed Martin (United Kingdom) with responsibility for strategic engagement with the Royal Navy and maritime elements of MoD and DE&S.

Brigadier Chris Fogarty MBE

Brigadier Chris Fogarty MBE

Deputy Commander
UK Space Command

Brigadier Chris Fogarty has worked extensively within Electromagnetic Warfare (EW) roles throughout his career as well as with the Queen’s Gurkha Signals, the Parachute Brigade and the Norwegian Army.

At Regimental duty he has held roles within the Army’s EW Regt, including as the Commanding Officer (2019-2022). On the staff he has worked in the Standing Joint Command Headquarters for Operation OLYMPICS, within Army HQ running the EW and ECM(FP) operate and generate portfolios, within HQ 3(UK)Div as the SO1 Cyber and Electromagnetic Activities and on the US Joint Staff in the Pentagon within J5, responsible for developing strategic effects aligned to the US campaign plans. He started as the Chief of Staff in UK Space Command in Apr 2023, before assuming the Deputy Commander role in Jan 2026. He has a technical MSc in CIS management, an MRes in defence studies (focussing on information advantage), PSC(J) from ACSC and a PG Dip in Cyberspace operations.

Al Harris

Alistair Harris

Assistant Head Space Capability Planning Group
Cyber & Specialist Operations Command

Al is the Assistant Head of the Space Capability Planning Group (CPG) in the Cyber & Specialist Operations Command’s Integrated Capability Directorate. Space CPG is small team of specialists responsible for leading capability development for positioning, navigating and timing (PNT), navigation warfare (NAVWAR) and military satellite communications on behalf of Defence. In addition to running the team, Al’s focus and specialist area is leading the work to ensure that Defence has the right mix of PNT and NAVWAR capabilities to enable the future force to fight and win.

A submarine navigating officer by training, Al’s career began in the Royal Navy in 2004, including training in the surface fleet before becoming a submariner and conducting operational patrols in both strategic missile and hunter-killer submarines. After a period in the private sector, he rejoined Defence as a civil servant in 2015 when he became the Staff Author for Navigation in the Navy Publications and Graphics Organisation, responsible for the Admiralty Manual of Navigation series of publications. He joined Space CPG in 2021 as the Space PNT Lead, becoming Assistant Head after two promotions in 2025. 

Kev Jones

Kev Jones MBA MSc

Director Secure Space Systems, CGI

Kev is a director-consultant within CGI’s Space Defence and Intelligence Business Unit.  Beginning in 2017 Kev was the enterprise, business-change, and the programme coherence lead for the UK Ministry of Defence and UK Space Agency’s National Space Operations Centre Space Domain Awareness and C2 capability programme.  

A business transformation architect, Kev is currently helping the Royal Air Force and UK Space Command design, implement and operate architecture functions that provide systems design, coherence and delivery governance, assurance and sustainment services to support Air and Space capability portfolio planning for digital information systems.  

Kev is co-chair of the Space Information Sharing and Analysis Centre (SISAC) UK-Global hub, and represents its UK members on the SISAC board of directors based in Colorado Springs, U.S. 

Kev operated Tornado GR1/4 and F-18 Hornet strike/attack aircraft for over 15 years for the RAF and USN.  He is a Qualified Weapons and Electronic Warfare Instructor, and has an MSc in aero-space systems.  Kev graduated from University of Warwick’s Business School (WBS) Executive MBA in 2012. He remains an active WBS alumni member and has for the last five years led CGI’s engagement with the school and the wider university including cyber security faculity within the Warwick Manufacturing Group.  

Maj Gen Kingsbury

Major General Ollie Kingsbury OBE

Director
Land Warfare Centre

Major General Kingsbury commissioned into the Parachute Regiment in 1997. He served his early years with 1 and 2 PARA, with a tour as ADC to General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland. As a junior officer he deployed on operations in Northern Ireland, Macedonia and Kabul; and to Helmand as. brigade Chief of Staff in 19 Light Brigade in 2009, and commanding C Company 3 PARA in 2010.

Major General Kingsbury commanded 2 PARA from 2013 to 2016. As a Brigadier, he was the UK’s Deputy Commanding General (DCG) in the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. In August 2023, he promoted to 2*, as DCG-Manoeuvre in the US Army’s V Corps, based in Poland. He was appointed Director Land Warfare at the British Army’s Land Warfare Centre in December 2025.

He has attended the US Army Command and General Staff College and the School of Advanced Military Studies in Fort Leavenworth, and the Higher Command and Staff Course in the UK. He was appointed MBE in 2009 and OBE in 2013. In 2024, he was appointed as Colonel Commandant of The Parachute Regiment.

Major General Kingsbury is married to Lauren, and they have six children; the eldest two have flown the nest, two are in university and two still at school. He skis, climbs and sails, enthusiastically if not skilfully and is an ever-hopeful Norwich City, Bath, and England fan, and spends much of his free time chasing his lurcher dog.

Max Kroyer

Max Kroyer MA

C4I Information Advantage Campaign Lead. Integrated Airspace-protection Systems
Thales

 Max joined Thales in November 2025 and is responsible for leading their C4I Campaign across a series of portfolios and technologies within their Integrated Airspace-protection Systems Business Line. His other endeavours include co-ordinating Thales capabilities and processes to meet the rapid pace of change across the MOD’s five operational domains to enable operational advantage.

Prior to Thales, he spent 3 years with CGI IT UK Ltd in their Space Defence and Intelligence Business Unit focusing on innovation and advisory services for MOD and Other Government Departments.

In the summer of 2022 Max left the Armed Forces after serving 23 years as a RAF officer. He served in numerous UK and abroad locations undertaking operational, staff and training tours across a plethora of appointments. During his operational service, he attended the Advanced Command and Staff Course in Shrivenham and gained a MA in Foreign Policy, Relations and Strategic Studies from King’s College London.

Air Marshall Suraya Marshall CBE

Deputy Commander
Cyber & Specialist Operations Command

Air Marshal Suraya Marshall CBE joined the Royal Air Force as a Navigator in 1994.  She completed three tours on the Tornado F3, qualifying as a Weapon’s Instructor and participating in numerous operational deployments in the Middle East, and in defence of the UK and Falkland Islands.

She has Commanded No. 92(R) and No.55(R) Squadron, was the Deputy Commander of the Royal Air Force’s Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance Force, Commandant of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell, Air Officer Commanding of No. 2 Group and Assistant Chief of the Air Staff.

She was Director of Coalition of Air Operations in the Middle East in 2019; has completed staff appointments in defence procurement, the Military Strategic HQ and as Military Assistant to Vice Chief of the Defence Staff. A graduate of Higher Command and Staff Course, she holds a Masters’ Degree in Defence Studies.  

Suraya is married to Air Marshal Al Marshall, the Royal Air Force’s Air and Space Commander, and they have two grown-up children. She was appointed Deputy Commander, Cyber & Specialist Operations (CSOC) on 28th November 2025.

Lieutenant Colonel Dan Mitchell

Lieutenant Colonel Dan Mitchell

SO1 Space, Army Headquarters

Lieutenant Colonel Dan Mitchell commissioned into the British Army in 2008 and currently serves as SO1 Space in Army Headquarters, leading the integration of space capabilities into the future force. He focuses on enhancing the Army’s Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) resilience to increase land forces’ lethality and improve their ability to operate decisively in complex electromagnetic environments.

He has spent the majority of his career in units that formed the precursor to today’s Cyber and Specialist Operations Command, including subunit command. His work routinely involves collaboration with Five Eyes and NATO partners, underpinned by operational experience with multiple deployments in the Middle East.

Outside of his core role, he is the Vice President of the Army Tabletop Wargaming Association, which promotes decisionmaking and analytical skills for soldiers through hobby wargaming. He is also a keen boulderer so can often be found falling off climbing walls in his spare time.

Dr Andrew Monaghan

Dr Andrew Monaghan

Senior Associate Fellow
Royal United Services Institute

Dr Andrew Monaghan is a specialist on Russia’s evolving grand strategy and way in war, as well as Moscow’s thinking about the future in the new age of Great Power competition.

He has led research on Russia at the NATO Defense College in Rome, and at Oxford University’s Changing Character of War Centre. He has also held positions at the UK’s Defence Academy and as a Senior Research Fellow at Chatham House. 

Retaining his connection with the NATO Defense College as a Senior Associate Fellow, he is now also a Senior Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London and a Fellow at the Kennan Institute in Washington, D.C.

He is widely published. His books include Power in Modern Russia: Strategy and Mobilisation (2017), Russian Grand Strategy in the Era of Global Power Competition (2022) and The Sea in Russian Strategy (2023). His latest book, Blitzkrieg and the Russian Art of War was published in 2025.

Brigadier Mike Morton

Brigadier Mike Morton MSc CEng MIET

Head Force Development
Defence Cyber and Electromagnetic Force

Mike commissioned from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst into the R SIGNALS in 1997. He has commanded at Troop, Squadron and Regimental level and deployed into Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Sierra Leone. In 2015 he commanded the Headquarters Joint Force Command and Information Systems (Middle East) in support of several operations in the joint environment, including Op SHADER and Op KIPION.

In the training environment Mike served at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and later Commanded the Defence School of Communication and Information Systems. At staff he served in both Headquarters Field Army, and Army Headquarters, where he was latterly the Information Directorate Chief of Staff and the lead for Strategy and Plans for the Army Chief Information Officer. Following promotion to Brigadier in 2023 he served in Defence Digital as Head of Digital Strategy before moving to assume the role of Force Development in the Defence Cyber and EM Force in 2025.

He attended both Intermediate Command and Staff College, and Advanced Command and Staff College, was awarded an Information Capability Management MSc from Cranfield University, and earned Chartered status with the Institute of Engineering and Technology in 2020.

Aleix Nadal

Dr Aleix Nadal

Analyst
RAND Europe Space Hub

Dr Aleix Nadal is an analyst at RAND Europe on the Defence, Security and Justice team. His primary research interests include space power, deterrence and escalation dynamics, and the privatisation of security in new operational domains. He is a member of the RAND Europe Space Hub (RESH) team, a cross-RAND centre of excellence for space-related research. He holds a Ph.D. in defence studies from King’s College London, where he examined the evolving posture of the Royal Air Force (RAF) on outer space since the end of the 1991 Gulf War. He has previously taught for the RAF’s officers development programme on air and space power at the Joint Services Command and Staff College.

His publications include: ‘Concept to combat: The Royal Air Force and the case of small drones post-Ukraine,’ European Review of International Studies (with Arun Dawson, 2025); ‘Protect and defend: advancing a UK space architecture based on deterrence by denial,’ Freeman Air and Space Institute Paper (2024). He is affiliated with KCL’s Freeman Air and Space Institute and a NATO Defense College NextGen Future Fellow. 

Justin Reuter

Air Vice-Marshal (Ret’d) Justin “Reuts” Reuter
CBE MA

Defence, National Security and Business Consultant

Justin Reuter, always known as “Reuts” is a senior leader and strategist, working in the defence and security sector, having served with the Royal Air Force for over thirty years.  Originally a fast jet navigator and Qualified Weapons Instructor, he later specialised in acquisition (capability planning and management) before spending the last ten years of his military career in strategic and operational command and control roles.  He led the planning division in the UK Permanent Joint Headquarters, Commanded the UK Air Component in the Middle East and was the head of the UK MOD Military Strategic Effects branch; his final military post was as the Strategy Director for UK Strategic Command.

After his military service he became a consultant in the defence sector, primarily focusing on digitising and modernising complex command and control systems. The Chairman of an Airspace Company and a leadership mentor in the private sector, he became the owner of an Italian farm in 2025 and is now a professional olive oil and wine maker.

Appointed CBE in 2020, Reuts has an MA from Kings College London and is a published author.

Cdr Ridley

Commander George Ridley MBA

SO1 Air Maritime Integration
UK Joint Air Liaison Organisation

Cdr George Ridley joined the Royal Navy in 2005 and has spent two decades at the forefront of maritime aviation operations. After qualifying as a pilot on the Merlin HM Mk1 (and later Mk2), he served on multiple embarked flights, conducting ASW and maritime security operations from the Gulf to the North Atlantic, including the interdiction of Pirate Attack Groups and tracking advanced RFN submarine activity.

His career has spanned tactical, operational, and training roles: from leading Merlin flights at sea to shaping officer development at BRNC Dartmouth, and later providing operational-level aviation command and control within the Royal Navy’s Maritime Operations Centre. As Senior Pilot and Executive Officer of 814 Naval Air Squadron, he directed Merlin Mk2 global deployments and oversaw the aircraft’s contribution to the UK’s Maritime Counter‑Terrorism posture.
He recently completed a US Navy exchange tour within the Nuclear Aircraft Carrier Training Division in San Diego, gaining further insight into large‑scale integrated air operations.

In September 2025, Cdr Ridley became SO1 Air Maritime Integration within the Joint Air Liaison Organisation. He holds an MBA from Cranfield University.

Air Commodore (Ret’d)
Mark Roberts CBE

Chair
The Air & Space Power Association

Mark Roberts runs a small Space sector start-up, Gravitilab Aerospace Services.  Before this he was the Defence and Security Director for RHEATECH UK and Project Director for Spaceport 1. Previously an operational pilot in the Royal Air Force, he commanded both 12 Squadron and RAF Lossiemouth. Mark was also Director of the Air Staff with Space and Cyber Policy in his portfolio, and Head of Capability Deep Target Attack, with responsibility for Combat Air, Complex Weapons, Land Engagement and elements of the Carrier programme. Mark is the Chairman of The Air and Space Power Association.

Brigadier Simon M Rogers

Brigadier Simon M Rogers OBE

Director
Operational Advantage Centre (OAC) and an Assistant Commandant General Royal Marines

Brigadier Si Rogers was appointed as Director of the Royal Navy’s Operational Advantage Centre in March 2025. As Director OAC he leads a team to support those forward making the hardest decisions, as well as finding and maintaining an edge over potential adversaries.

Commissioned in 2000, his career has seen him operating at sea and on the land across the globe. Initially he commanded a maritime interdiction team from HMS Campbeltown and then HMS Cumberland in the Gulf and off East Africa, then became a fire support troop commander in 40 Commando RM on the Al Faw Peninsula Iraq in March 2003.

He joined the 3rd Battalion the Parachute Regiment for an operational tour to Belfast, and in 2005 he was posted to Lympstone where he had the honour of training recruits. During his second tour in Afghanistan, he received a Mention in Dispatches.

As Commanding Officer 40 Commando he helped develop and deliver the Future Commando Force transformation, for which he was appointed as an OBE.

His staff appointments include Operations Officer 30 Commando IX Group, Maritime Operations Centre in Northwood, and Chief of Staff of 3 Commando Brigade RM.

He led the Royal Navy’s Special Operations programme, responsible for the design and delivery of RN Global Special Operations and assumed the role of Chief of Staff for the Commander Strike Force Battle Staff. He also undertook an 8 month industry placement in a cutting edge AI startup.

His qualifications include a BSc(Hons) in Geography and Geology from the University of Manchester, a MA in Defence Studies from KCL, and he has graduated from the Joint Services Advanced Command and Staff Course and is a member of the Royal College of Defence Studies.

He is a keen cyclist and is the Chair of Royal Navy Cycling and a co-owner of a fishing boat. His cycling results are as infrequent as his catch. He is also a trustee of a conservation charity.

Dr Emma Salisbury

Dr Emma Salisbury

Senior Fellow, National Security Program
Foreign Policy Research Institute

 Emma is a non-resident Senior Fellow in the National Security Program at the Foreign Policy Research Institute and an Associate Fellow at the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre. She gained her PhD from Birkbeck College, University of London with research into the history of the American military-industrial complex. She writes and researches widely on defence procurement, strategy, and operations with a focus on the maritime domain, covering the UK, US, Europe, Russia, and China.

AVM Strasdin

Air Vice-Marshal Simon Strasdin CBE MA

Director Integrated Warfare Centre, Cyber and Specialist Operations Command (CSOC)

Air Vice-Marshal Simon Strasdin joined the RAF in March 1992 as a Navigator. He has flown over 3700 hours and completed multiple flying tours, operating the Tornado GR1 / GR4 and the F15-E Strike Eagle. As a Qualified Weapons Instructor he has completed 13 operational tours of duty throughout the Middle East and Afghanistan. Staff assignments have included: Equipment Capability (Air to Surface Weapons procurement strategy and delivery); MOD Joint Capability; Defence Reform (2011 – Lord Levine Review); Assistant to Chief of Defence Staff’s Liaison Officer to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Pentagon); Military Aviation Authority Oversight and Assurance; Programme Director for the Lossiemouth Development Programme (circa £0.5Bn infrastructure investment to deliver P-8 Poseidon and Typhoon growth); and Warfare Development (enabling the adaptation of the Current Force to succeed on contemporary and future operations).

Simon completed the Advanced Command and Staff Course in 2010, gaining an MA in Defence Studies, and Higher Command and Staff Course in 2022. In 2018 he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his work in Aviation Safety and in 2022 he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) following a period of deployed operations in the Middle East. Simon has completed command appointments at the squadron, Expeditionary Air Wing, Expeditionary Air Group and Force levels.

Simon fulfilled the Director Strategy role within Strategic Command for 6-months as an Acting 2*, leading Project SOLARIUM (Command wide transformation programme); Strategic Plans, including Defence Review input; international liaison; and the Defence Targeting Enterprise. The significant achievement during his tenure was the establishment of the Integration Design Authority, bringing together the Defence Academy, Concepts, Capability and Warfare Development under a newly developed operating model.

In November 24 Simon took Command of the Integrated Warfare Centre, as part of CSOC. The Directorate includes four 1* areas focused on Warfare Development of the current force, drawing together Analysis and Insights, Doctrine, Innovation, Experimentation and Wargaming, Collective Training, Integration and Force Development.

Simon is married to Andrea and they have two children; hobbies include amateur small-holder, enthusiastic DIYer, hiking, cycling, gardening and looking after pet dogs, sheep and horses.

Mark Todd

Mark Todd

Innovation & Technology Director
Defence, Digital Intelligence

Mark is the Innovation and Technology Director for the Defence Business Unit of BAE Systems Digital Intelligence.  In this role, he is responsible for the organisation’s investments in research, technology and product development.

With more than 39 years of military and business experience, Mark was appointed to this position after serving in a number of roles covering business development, engineering, strategy and product management.

Prior to joining BAE Systems in 2014, Mark held a number of leadership positions in the British Army across engineering, strategy and operations.  He has undertaken roles across Army, Joint and NATO organisations; operating across the spectrum of military tasks.

Mark earned his bachelor’s degree in 1995 from Cranfield University, and is a livelong learner having completed a variety of professional and leadership courses.

In the community, he is a member of the IET and registered as a Chartered Engineer, and continues to support the Armed Forces through various industry and veteran organisations.

Mark Urban

Mark Urban

Broadcaster and Author

Mark Urban is a British journalist, historian, and broadcaster. He is a writer and commentator for The Sunday Times, specialising in defence and foreign affairs. Until May 2024 he was Diplomatic Editor and occasional presenter for BBC Two’s Newsnight. He is also the author of 14 books, mainly on military history and recent conflict themes.

Lieutenant General (ret) Chris “Wedge” Weggeman USAF

Lieutenant General (ret) Chris “Wedge” Weggeman

Managing Director, Cyber and Strategic Risk, Deloitte’s Government and Public Services Practice

Lt. Gen. (ret) Chris “Wedge” Weggeman brings over 38 years of multinational leadership experience to include leading at the highest levels in cyber, air and space operations. As a US Air Force lieutenant general, he has managed and directed major cyber and space enterprises, led operational and strategic transformation, shaped policy, and delivered large-scale, cross-domain capabilities for the U.S. Department of Defense and NATO partners. His career encompasses senior command of U.S. Air Force Cyber mission forces, delivery of new operational concepts and experimentation in the cyber, air and space domains, and extensive engagement with inter-agency, allied, and multinational partners. As a recognized speaker and advisor, he has shaped major cyber and space domain forums and strategic policy boards. In the private sector, he delivers sought-after counsel on cyber/space strategy, transformation, and operational readiness to public sector and international clients.