The conference took place on Wednesday 4 February at the Auditorium of Palazzo Aeronautica in Rome. “Global Dominance: Geopolitics and Aerospace in a Changing World”, a high-profile event dedicated to analysing the transformations of the international scene and the increasingly central role of the aerospace domain in global strategic competition.
The event, promoted by Centre for Military Aeronautical Studies (CeSMA) of the’Air Force Association, with the patronage of’Italian Air Force, brought together representatives from institutions, the Armed Forces, academia and the defence industry for an interdisciplinary reflection on the new challenges of contemporary geopolitics, with particular reference to developments in the aerospace sector. The conference saw a large attendance of guests and authorities and the presence of a large representation of high school and university-level students, a privileged audience in terms of training in STEM subjects. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
At the opening of the event, the Welcome greetings del Gen. S.A. (Ret.) Giovanni Fantuzzi, Director of CeSMA, who illustrated the theme of the conference and emphasised the centrality of the aerospace domain in interpreting the new geopolitical balances and in supporting strategic decisions, as well as the growing importance of the technological factor and its related resources in relations between state actors, followed by a video message of greeting from the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Gen.S.A. Antonio Conserva.
The’Opening statement it was entrusted to’Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo, Chairman of Leonardo, who emphasised how profound the upheaval in the global order we are witnessing is. This was followed by the introduction and coordination of the proceedings by Dr Michele Pavan, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Minter Group, and active promoter and co-organiser of the conference.
The first moment of in-depth discussion took shape with the Panel dedicated to aerospace power in new scenarios and changing geopolitical balances, with contributions from Colonel Filippo Monesi, of the General Office for Space of the Defence Staff, and of the Major General Giancarlo Ciappina, Head of the 6th Department of the General Staff and Commander of the Naval Air Forces, of the General D.A. Davide Re, Head of Operational Support Department, Joint Operations Command and of Dr Filippo Del Monte, an expert in doctrinal and conceptual innovation, Defence Staff, who highlighted the value of the space domain and joint force integration as enablers of future operational capabilities.
The comparison then continued with the Round table from the title “Geopolitics and Aerospace amidst multipolarism, hybrid warfare, and destabilisation”, moderated by Dr. Antonio Picasso, journalist and writer. The discussion was attended by Dr Gianclaudio Torlizzi, Advisor to the Minister of Defence, the General S.A. Giovanni Balestri, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Air Force, the’Ing. Riccardo Procacci, Chief Executive Officer of Avio Aero, the’Mr Gabriele Gambarara, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Elettronica S.p.A., the’Ing. Angelo Pansini, Chief of Staff to the CEO of MBDA Italia.
In his speech, the General Balestri highlighted how «The Air Force is aware of its capabilities and future challenges: modern, technologically advanced, and ready to adapt to a rapidly evolving strategic context. The future for the Armed Force, as directed by the Minister of Defence, is to be the leading service and force provider in a dimension that is not just an environment of services and opportunities today, but a domain to be monitored and defended.»
The round table was followed by the’Operation del General S.A. Silvano Frigerio, Commander of the Air Squadrons Command and 1st Air Region of the Air Force, who recalled the role of the Armed Force in the national and international strategic context, stating how «Aerospace power, understood as a continuum from the atmosphere to space, represents an essential tool for deterrence, crisis prevention, and the management of operations in highly complex contexts. Within this framework, the Air Force, under the Ministry of Defence, acts as a key player in strengthening national security posture and consolidating cooperation with international allies and partners.»
The morning session concluded with the Video message of greeting from the Undersecretary of State for Defence, Matteo Perego di Cremnago, whose focus has been the importance of «Securing dominance in space, as well as in other new domains – such as cyber, which is intrinsically hyper-pervasive, the cognitive dimension, and the underwater dimension – means protecting the very defence and security horizon necessary for safeguarding the nation's strategic and vital interests.
For Defence, space is essential: it guarantees continuous and secure connectivity and requires concrete actions to preserve its security. It is no coincidence that space is now recognised as an operational domain within NATO. This is the context for one of the most significant aerospace initiatives: the GCAP programme, developed together with the United Kingdom and Japan. A programme that represents a true system of systems and a major catalyst for research and development, and which conveys a clear lesson: today, competitiveness in space and aerospace necessarily involves strengthening cooperation with allied and friendly countries. With the hope that, in the future, other European partners may also join.»
This afternoon, the work focused on Focus session dedicated to unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), under the title “UAS: eye, sword and shield, what lessons from recent conflicts”, aimed at delving into the operational and strategic lessons learned from the most recent crisis theaters. The panel, moderated by Dr Michele Pavan, has seen the contribution of Prof. Mattia Caniglia, a lecturer at the University of Glasgow and an expert in hybrid warfare, of Colonel Michele Anelli, Commander of the 17th Special Operations Wing of the Air Force, of the T. Col. Alessandro Guastella, serving with the NATO Allied Special Operations Forces Command at SHAPE (Belgium), and of the Dr Teresa Coratella, Deputy Head of the ECFR Rome Office.
The conference confirmed the importance of structured dialogue between doctrine, strategy, technology and industry, reiterating the central role of the Air Force in the aerospace domain and in building national security in an increasingly complex and competitive international scenario.
