A LOOK AHEAD: Air and Space Conference Outside Washington, DC

Air Power/Missile Defense

Top U.S. Air Force and Pentagon leaders will be speaking this week at the Air Force Association’s 2012 Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition.

(U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jim Araos)

Speakers at the three-day event scheduled to begin Monday (Sept. 17) at National Harbor in Maryland include Air Force Secretary Michael Donley, the new Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey.

Topics will range from academics and think tank scholars speaking about China, Russia, Africa, Latin America and the Arab Spring to panel discussions with military and industry leaders about energy, air commandos, the role of intercontinental ballistic missiles in the 21^st Century and projecting power and influence in the Pacific.

Expect the recent violent demonstrations across the Muslim world, the threat of drastic defense cuts, the rise of China and the place of Latin America, Africa and the Pacific region in U.S. defense and foreign policy to be discusion topics over the three-day event.

It all starts at 9 a.m. Monday at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center at National Harbor.