RUSI Integrated Air and Missile Defence Conference 2025

Though IAMD is an inherently joint effort, it has domain specific characteristics since the capabilities which are critical to each service and the assets at their disposal for defence are not identical nor are the threats which they face. The specific characteristics of the air and missile challenge in each traditional domain requires consideration. Equally, the mix of capabilities held across individual services also provides opportunities for services to draw on each other’s sensors and effectors in an integrated system to offset the limitations of any individual service’s organic air defences. This panel will examine the requirements for an effective air and missile defence in the traditional domains as well as the ways in which they intersect. 

Speakers:   
Air Commodore Blythe Crawford, Commandant Air and Space Warfare Centre
IAMD as Both an Enabler and a Component of Air Operations 

Representative from Develop Directorate Royal Navy (Name to be confirmed by Royal Navy)
IAMD in the Maritime Domain

Various factors, such as tight deadlines and the complexities involved in transferring information between systems, render integration a particularly challenging endeavour. This difficulty is amplified in the realm of Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD), where time constraints are a fundamental aspect. Furthermore, the challenges are not solely technical; they also encompass critical Command and Control (C2) frameworks that must effectively reconcile the needs for both coordination and decentralisation. This panel will explore the necessary organisational and technical requirements to facilitate successful integration within the air and missile defense domain.

Speakers:
Air Commodore Andrew Martin, Deputy Director Capability and Programmes, HQ Air Command  RAF
Command and Control of an Integrated Air Defence System 

Rear Admiral (ret) Archer Macy, Former Director, Joint Integrated Air and Missile Defence Organization
Organising an Air Defence Network to Counter the Large Scale Employment of Low Cost Threats

As seen in recent conflicts, the expenditure of effectors will strain most complex weapons pipelines and defence budgets. This will be especially true for air defence interceptors, which are among the most complex weapons produced by the defence sector. How can both defence and industry collaborate deliver the capacity to defend fielded forces from threats which are currently cheaper and more numerous than defensive systems?

Speakers:
Dr Brad Pietras, RUSI Associate Fellow
The Tradeoffs Inherent to Systems Design 

Dr Thomas Withington, RUSI Associate Fellow
EW and Soft Kill as a Means of Cost Reduction 

Dr Anthony Wraight, Director Missile Defence Centre, UK MoD
Technological Solutions to the Challenge of Scale

Speaker: Brigadier General Ran Kochav, Former Commander IDF Air Defence Command 

Speaker: US Navy Representative (tbc) 

Speaker: Oleksandra Azarkhina CEO & Co-founder of the We Build Ukraine Foundation