From Sept. 7-9 the Joint Air Power Competence Centre (JAPCC) hosted their annual Conference convening the NATO Airpower community at Essen, Germany. The presentations and discussions were focused on the topic of Delivering NATO Air and Space Power at the speed of relevance.
“The annual JAPCC conference provides an outstanding opportunity to address the significant challenges of bringing policy and concepts into action at the speed of relevance in great power competition,” General Jeff Harrigian, Director of the JAPCC, who is also Commander Allied Air Command and Commander United States Air Forces in Europe. “This year’s enthusiastic participation will develop traction in pulling all domains together in a manner that allows us to compete. The focus must be to get the right data to the right people at the right time,” he added.
Joint Air and Space practitioners from across NATO, the European Union and other international partners come together regularly at the JAPCC Conference, which a unique forum for discussions and exchange of views. This year again, senior members of the Air and Space Power community conducted talks about current and future topics under Chatham House rules.
General Tod D. Wolters, Supreme Allied Commander Europe delivers his keynote address at the 2021 JAPCC Conference Sept. 9, 2021. © Sarah Schulte
“The theme of this year’s conference comes at an opportune time when our Heads of State and Government have agreed, at the Brussels Summit two months ago, to take forward NATO 2030, A Transatlantic Agenda for the Future, and in October of last year, Defence Ministers approved the establishment of a NATO Space Centre at Headquarters Allied Air Command in Ramstein,” said Mr. Camille Grand, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defence Investment.
“NATO provides a forum to discuss the development of international norms of responsible behaviour for the utilisation of space that considers the changing space landscape and security implications,” said General John W. “Jay” Raymond, Chief of Space Operations U.S. Space Force. “This is especially true given the rapid emergence of game-changing technology such as on-orbit manufacturing, as well as new ways of conducting on-orbit operations like rendezvous and proximity operations. Together, we need to take actions that enhance space domain stability and reduce the potential for miscalculation,” he added.
In five panels, participants discussed how Policy and Strategy enables rapid decisions at the appropriate level, how Emerging Technologies can be exploited for Dynamic Command and Control Synchronized Across all Domains, and how this task can be accomplished within the Electromagnetic Spectrum under the demanding conditions of Electronic Warfare and through securing Access to Space.
For more than 16 years, the Joint Air Power Competence Centre has been NATO’s catalyst for the improvement and transformation of Joint Air and Space Power, providing advice to senior leaders and solutions to challenges facing the NATO Alliance. The annual Joint Air and Space Power Conference has become an esteemed venue for senior leaders and experts to discuss and debate issues affecting Joint Air and Space capabilities and interoperability with an eye on strengthening both assurance and deterrence.
