Air, Space Chiefs Push Unity in London After NATO Summit
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- Air and space military leaders from the US, UK, and more than 50 countries gather in London Wednesday and Thursday for the Global Air and Space Chiefs' Conference, with US Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach and US Space Force chief Gen. Chance Saltzman as scheduled keynote speakers.
- The conference agenda centers on three capability areas — space, nuclear, and integrated air and missile defense — and will address the UK's growing F-35 fleet, some of which will be nuclear-capable for alliance deterrence, plus the UK's role in NATO's Integrated Air and Missile Defence mission.
- UK Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smith said "this is the ultimate team game; we cannot do this alone," publicly framing the gathering as a unity push after President Trump criticized Spain and Denmark/Greenland at last week's NATO summit in Turkey.
- The UK unveiled a $298 billion defense investment plan last month funding autonomous drone wingman programs, UK Space Command, and a "Hybrid Navy" with autonomous vessels and uncrewed submarines — a package that followed the defense secretary's resignation protesting the country's initial spending level as insufficient.
- Secure World Foundation's Victoria Samson said European allies including the UK are starting to explore indigenous military capabilities amid concerns the US is "no longer seen as a reliable partner," though the UK remains "tightly interwoven" into US military structures.
- Saltzman visited Poland's geospatial intelligence agency last week and signed a statement of intent on space collaboration, saying the US "cannot perform the space missions by itself," while Wilsbach toured Aviano Air Base, RAF Mildenhall, and RAF Fairford ahead of the conference.
Why it matters: The UK is committing $298 billion to autonomous drones, UK Space Command, and uncrewed vessels — a concrete signal that even America's closest military ally is building indigenous capabilities, per Samson. If the UK's role shifts from contributing "land, people, and funding" toward niche hardware, it reshapes burden-sharing across NATO's 32 members at a moment when Trump is publicly demanding allies spend more.
