1. PLUS AN EXCLUSIVE HALF-DAY PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP
Tuesday 6th June 2017, Copthorne Tara Hotel, London, UK
Close Air Support Collective Training and the Changing Role of Simulation
12.15 - 5.30
Led by Mr Nick Sparks, Principal Consultant, Air Land Integration Ltd
www.closeair-support.com
Register online or fax your registration to +44 (0) 870 9090 712 or call +44 (0) 870 9090 711
SPECIAL RATES AVAILABLE FOR MILITARY AND GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES
REGISTER BY 28TH FEBRUARY FOR A £300 DISCOUNT • REGISTER BY 31ST MARCH FOR A £200 DISCOUNT • REGISTER BY 28TH APRIL FOR A £100 DISCOUNT
@SMiGroupDefence
#SMiCAS
BENEFITS OF ATTENDING:
• Deliberate the broad spectrum of capability areas for
successfully CAS delivery, including air land integration,
joint ISR and targeting, C2 and battle space management,
training, platforms and weapon systems
• Hear key national updates from the UK, US, French,
German, Italian, Netherlands and Czech Armed Forces
• Gain an insight into the technology enabling the next
generation of close air support, examining advanced
simulation, sensors, command and control and munitions
at the heart of close air targeting and delivery
• Examine live and synthetic close air support training with
a dedicated pre-conference workshop covering future
concepts and approaches to leveraging simulation
• Cover requirements for the strengthening of
interoperability within a coalition environment: Feedback
from NATO Air Commands ongoing efforts as well as
leading multi-national exercises, such as Ample Strike
2016/17
CHAIRMAN:
Air Commodore Paddy Teakle, Deputy Commander, NATO
AEW&C Force Command, NATO
EXPERTS SPEAKERS:
Colonel Dietmar Felber, Chief, Joint Fire Support and Indirect Fire
Branch, Army Concepts and Capabilities Development Centre,
German Army
Colonel Zdenek Bauer, Deputy Chief of Staff, Air Operations,
Czech Air Force
Lieutenant Colonel James Krischke, Chief, Forward Air Control
Capabilities Section, Air Command, NATO
Lieutenant Colonel Thierry Aguilar, Digitally Aided Close Air
Support Program Officer, Fighter Equipment, French Air Force
Lieutenant Colonel Shawn Basco, Senior Military Assistant to the
Deputy Chairman, NATO, United States Marine Corps
Lieutenant Colonel Andrea Olivieri, Precision Guided Munition
Subject Matter Expert, Combat Air Branch, Joint Air Power
Competence Centre, NATO
Lieutenant Colonel Marco Ruggeri, 132nd Squadron Commander,
51st Wing, Italian Air Force
Lieutenant Colonel Luca Restelli, Chief, Forward Air Controller
Section, Air Ground Operations School, Italian Air Force
Wing Commander John Leighton, Commanding Officer, Air
Platform Protection Test & Evaluation Squadron, Royal Air Force
Major Rick Keeson, SO2 Effects, Attack Helicopter Force
Headquarters, Joint Helicopter Command
Major Nader Samadi, Commander, German Air Ground
Operations School, French/German Air Ground Operations
School, German Air Force
Major Nicholas Dimitruk, Course Chief and Standardization
Officer, TACAIR Expeditionary Warfare Training Group Pacific,
United States Marine Corps
Squadron Leader Tim Brown, Officer Commanding, Advanced
Training Squadron, School of Aerospace Battle Management,
Royal Air Force
Captain Merijn Kerkhofs, Deputy Commander, Target Support
Cell, Royal Netherlands Air Force
Flight Lieutenant Daniel Jones, Weapons, Tornado Standards and
Evaluation Squadron, Royal Air Force
SMi presents its 3rd annual conference on...
CLOSE AIR
Support
7th - 8th
JUNE
2017
Copthorne Tara Hotel, London, UK
Enhancing Joint Fires in Support of Ground Operations

2. Register online at www.closeair-support.com
SPONSORSHIP AND EXHIBITION OPPORTUNITIES
SMi offer sponsorship, exhibition, advertising and branding packages, uniquely tailored to complement your company’s marketing strategy.
Prime networking opportunities exist to entertain, enhance and expand your client base within the context of an independent discussion specific
to your industry. Should you wish to join the increasing number of companies benefiting from sponsoring our conferences please call:
Andrew Gibbons, on +44 (0) 207 827 6156 or email agibbons@smi-online.co.uk
SUPPORTED BY
Close Air Support
Day One 7th June 2017 www.closeair-support.com
8.00 Registration & Coffee
8.30 Chairman’s Opening Remarks
Air Commodore Paddy Teakle, Deputy Commander NATO
AEWC Force Command, NATO
Air Land Integration
8.40 German Armed Forces Strengthening of Close Air Support and
Joint Fires
• German joint fires architecture and scheme of fires?
• Approaches and challenges to integration of multiple effects
• Future capability areas for development and digitalisation of
joint fires
Colonel Dietmar Felber, Chief, Joint Fire Support and Indirect Fire
Branch, Army Concepts and Capabilities Development Centre,
German Army
9.20 Air Land Integration and Digitalisation of Close Air Support within
the French Air Force
• Operational feedback
• DACAS French vision
• French Air Force solutions
Lieutenant Colonel Thierry Aguilar, Digitally Aided Close Air
Support Program Officer, Fighter Equipment, French Air Force
10.00 Session Reserved For Gold Sponsor
10.30 Morning Coffee
11.00 Current Approaches and Future Capabilities to Develop Close
Air Support within the Italian Air Force
• An overview of Stormo 51 force structure and capabilities of
AMX International
• Concepts of operation for air-land integration and effective
CAS delivery
• Feedback from recent close air support operations and
international exercises
- The need to develop on board sensors and small diameter
bombs to reduce collateral damage
• Future plans and policy for developing the CAS capability of
Stormo 51
- Improving capability to perform Field CDE and develop
effective TTPs to be able to attack moving targets
Lieutenant Colonel Marco Ruggeri, 132nd Squadron
Commander, 51st Wing, Italian Air Force
11.40 Developing Future NATO Forward Air Control Capabilities and
Doctrine
• Feedback from coalition operations and recent NATO
exercises
• What this means for future plans and policy
• Efforts to standardise and enhance interoperability, both in the
air and on the ground
Lieutenant Colonel James Krischke, Chief, Forward Air Control
Capabilities Section, Air Command, NATO
12.20 Networking Lunch
1.20 Panel Discussion: Enabling Close Air Support through Improved
Joint Fires and Air Land Integration
• The challenges of unifying the needs and operating
procedures of Air, Land, Maritime and Special Operations
Forces
• Approaches to effective integration of joint targeting and fires,
both in the air and on the ground
• Key technology enabling integration: How are future
capabilities being developed?
• Multi-national training as a means of more effectively
operating alongside allies during coalition operations
Air Commodore Paddy Teakle, Deputy Commander NATO
AEWC Force Command, NATO
Colonel Dietmar Felber, Chief, Joint Fire Support and Indirect Fire
Branch, Army Concepts and Capabilities Development Centre,
German Army
Lieutenant Colonel Thierry Aguilar, Digitally Aided Close Air
Support Program Officer, Fighter Equipment, French Air Force
Lieutenant Colonel James Krischke, Chief, Forward Air Control
Capabilities Section, Air Command, NATO
Lieutenant Colonel Marco Ruggeri, 132nd Squadron
Commander, 51st Wing, Italian Air Force
2.00 Session Reserved For Sponsor
Close Air Support Training and Simulation
2.30 The Italian Air Ground Operations Schools’ use of Advanced
Synthetics for JTAC CAS Training
• Building virtual environments that allow forward air controller
trainees to practice tactics, techniques and procedures
• Current simulators deployed: VBS-3, VBS-3 Fires FST
• Planning and virtually executing Close Air Support missions
• Plans and areas of development for future synthetic CAS
instruction
Lieutenant Colonel Luca Restelli, Chief, Forward Air Controller
Section, Air Ground Operations School, Italian Air Force
3.10 French/German Air-Land Theatre Simulation and Training for FAC
Personnel
• Key training objectives to prepare the war fighter?
• Combining synthetic and live exercises for blended learning:
Synthetics as a key preparer for live runs
• Cost saving benefits delivered through minimisation of live runs
• VBS2 and advantages of NATO interoperability for multi-
national training and operations
• Future plans for developing training realism and interoperability
at the Air Ground Operation School
Major Nader Samadi, Commander, German Air Ground
Operations School, French/German Air Ground Operations
School, German Air Force
3.50 Afternoon Tea
4.20 Provision of Training to Support Tactical Air Control Personnel and
Combat Air
• Expeditionary Warfare Training Group perception of the
operational environment
• Translating trends and observations into training procedure
• Course syllabus structure and core skills that are developed
• Methods and approaches to land and air personnel training,
combining live and synthetic for fused training
• Future plans and policy for development of training
Major Nicholas Dimitruk, Course Chief and Standardization
Officer, TACAIR Expeditionary Warfare Training Group Pacific,
United States Marine Corps
5.00 Tactical Air C2 and Battlespace Management Training in Support
of Close Air Operations
• An overview of the School of Aerospace Battle Management’s
role in delivery of training and support ?
• Disparate training - developing Tri-Service Air Battlespace
management skills?
• Facilitating understanding of the human factors and tactical
frictions at play in ensuring de-confliction of air assets
• Current training procedures and potential areas for
development?
• Feedback from courses and their ability to prepare candidates
for the operational environment
Squadron Leader Tim Brown, Officer Commanding, Advanced
Training Squadron, School of Aerospace Battle Management,
Royal Air Force
5.40 Chairman’s Closing Remarks and Close of Day One
Air Commodore Paddy Teakle, Deputy Commander NATO
AEWC Force Command, NATO

3. Alternatively fax your registration to +44 (0)870 9090 712 or call +44 (0)870 9090 711
MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES
Are you interested in promoting your defence services to a targeted industry sector? SMi offer tailored marketing packages
so that your association/publication can gain access to a global market and key decision makers in the defence market.
Contact: Shannon Cargan, SMi Marketing on +44 (0) 207 827 6138 or email: scargan@smi-online.co.uk
SUPPORTED BY
Close Air Support
www.closeair-support.com Day Two 8th June 2017
8.30 Registration Coffee
9.00 Chairman’s Opening Remarks
Air Commodore Paddy Teakle, Deputy Commander NATO
AEWC Force Command, NATO
9.10 Czech Armed Forces Advancement of Close Air Support
Capability
• Current approaches and assets for delivery of close air
support within the Czech Armed Forces
• Perspectives and lessons learnt from Exercise Ample Strike 2016
• Joint land and air capability areas for development of close
air support
Colonel Zdenek Bauer, Deputy Chief of Staff, Air Operations,
Czech Air Force
9.50 Trends and Future Policy for the Delivery of Air Power
• CAS in a permissive environment: 2003 Invasion of Iraq
• A forward air controllers perspective
• CAS in complex environment: Discussion
• The future: 5th and 4th Generation Aircraft
Lieutenant Colonel Shawn Basco, Senior Military Assistant to the
Deputy Chairman, NATO, United States Marine Corps
10.30 Morning Coffee
Close Air Support Platform and Effects
11.00 Extending and Optimising CAS Platform Protection to Meet
Adapting Threats
• An overview of the contemporary operational environment
and the threats proliferated
• What does contested airspace mean for CAS and air-
interdiction delivery
• TTP’s and survivability technology for CAS platforms to mitigate
ground and air based threats
• Ongoing programmes and future plans for development of
RAF CAS platform survivability
Wing Commander John Leighton, Commanding Officer, Air
Platform Protection Test Evaluation Squadron, Royal Air Force
11.40 Session Reserved For Sponsor
12.10 Combat Air Branch Close Air Support Future Trends
• An overview of the shifting operational environment and the
need to prepare for multiple eventualities
• Multi Service contribution to Close Air Support
• Emerging Capabilities and Future Technologies: impact on
shaping CAS and JTAC Operations
Lieutenant Colonel Andrea Olivieri, Precision Guided Munition
Subject Matter Expert, Combat Air Branch, Joint Air Power
Competence Centre, NATO
12.50 Networking Lunch
1.50 Attack Helicopter Force Optimization of Rotary Close Air Support
• The UK’s battlefield helicopter offensive action doctrine,
including RW CAS
• Overview of the UK apache forward air control programme
• Development of detailed air land integration techniques for
attack helicopters, within the attack helicopter force and the
greater JTAC and joint fires communities
Major Rick Keeson, SO2 Effects, Attack Helicopter Force
Headquarters, Joint Helicopter Command
2.30 The Challenges of Coalition Targeting: Setting up the RNLAF
Target Support Cell
• Targeting shortfalls
• Opportunities and threats
• The RNLAF Target Support Cell
- Operational Concept
- Products
- Way ahead
Captain Merijn Kerkhofs, Deputy Commander, Target
Support Cell, Royal Netherlands Air Force
3.10 Afternoon Tea
3.40 Extending and Optimising the Typhoons Capabilities to Include
Delivery of Close Air Support
• An overview of the RAF’s Project Centurion
• Ensuring a seamless transition between Typhoon and Tornado’s
capabilities
• Development of defensive aid systems and targeting pods
• Weapon systems integration MBDA Storm Shadow cruise missile
and MBDA Brimstone 2 close air support weapon
• Future mile stones for the platforms CAS capability
Flight Lieutenant Daniel Jones, Weapons, Tornado Standards and
Evaluation Squadron, Royal Air Force
4.20 Panel Discussion: Close Air Support Effects
• Challenges of delivering effects within the current
operational environment
• Trends and emerging technologies in the munitions space
• Cost vs benefit analysis of expensive smart munitions
Air Commodore Paddy Teakle, Deputy Commander NATO
AEWC Force Command, NATO
Colonel Dietmar Felber, Chief, Joint Fire Support and Indirect Fire
Branch, Army Concepts and Capabilities Development Centre,
German Army
Lieutenant Colonel James Krischke, Chief, Forward Air Control
Capabilities Section, Air Command, NATO
Lieutenant Colonel Andrea Olivieri, Precision Guided Munition
Subject Matter Expert, Combat Air Branch, Joint Air Power
Competence Centre, NATO
Major Rick Keeson, SO2 Effects, Attack Helicopter Force
Headquarters, Joint Helicopter Command
5.00 Chairman’s Closing Remarks and Close of Day Two
Air Commodore Paddy Teakle, Deputy Commander NATO
AEWC Force Command, NATO

4. Close Air Support Collective Training and the
Changing Role of Simulation
Led by
Mr Nick Sparks, Principal Consultant,
Air Land Integration Ltd
HALF-DAY PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP
Tuesday 6th June 2017
12.15 – 5.30
Copthorne Tara Hotel, London, UK
Workshop overview
As simulation transforms from enabling part task training
using VR headset and dome systems, what are the
opportunities for simulation in collective training? What
are the benefits of delivering air land integration training
in the context of collective learning? How might the use
of synthetic environments live, virtual, constructive (LVC)
training be leveraged to ensure that air land integration
practitioners are included in sub-unit, unit and formation
collective training? These are just some of the key questions
covered at this pre-conference focused workshop for the
CAS training community.
Key Discussion Points
• Does the current delivery of part task training of
individual JTACs using VR headset and dome systems
limit training or risk negative training?
• How can these systems be integrated into collective
training?
• What should technology deliver to enable JTAC training
and ALI training of commanders as the availability of
CAS aircraft declines?
• How should technology develop to enable ALI training
not just at large fixed facilities but on deployed
collective training?
Agenda
12.15 Registration and Coffee
1.00 Individual JTAC Training Systems
2.00 Integrating Systems for Collective Training
3.00 Afternoon Tea
3.30 Future Technology to be Leveraged
4.30 Question and answer session
5.30 Closing Remarks
About the workshop leader:
Nick Sparks has been a JTAC-Instructor for almost 2
decades as part of the UK Air Land Integration (ALI)
community. With Operational experience as a JTAC and
OC TACP at Battlegroup, Brigade and Divisional level in
both Iraq and Afghanistan. He is still a reservist in the British
Army and leads the only dedicated TACP Battery.
As a Joint Fires and ALI consultant, Nick has seen
technology change dramatically in the ALI field and has
been involved in the introduction of a variety of simulation
systems with a number of different organisations. He has
consulted for both Government and Defence Contractors
in the UK and elsewhere, and is widely known throughout
the JTAC community.

5. Forward Schedule
for Defence 2016-2017
MARCH
Defence Logistics Eastern Europe
7th - 8th March 2017
Prague, Czech Republic
Future Soldier Technology
13th - 14th March 2017
London, UK
Future Armoured Vehicles
Situational Awareness
29th - 30th March 2017
London, UK
APRIL
Air Mission Planning
5th - 6th April 2017
London, UK
Military Space Situational Awareness
26th - 27th April 2017
London, UK
MAY
Future Armoured Vehicles
Central and Eastern Europe
15th - 16th May 2017
Prague, Czech Republic
MilSatCom Asia Pacific
15th - 16th May 2017
Singapore
Future Helicopter Technology Europe
18th - 19th May 2017
Rome, Italy
Unmanned Maritime Systems
24th - 25th May 2017
London, UK
JUNE
Close Air Support
7th - 8th June 2017
London, UK
Fast Jet Pilot Training Central
and Eastern Europe
5th - 6th June 2017
Prague, Czech Republic
Port Security Technology
19th - 20th June 2017
London, UK
MilSatCom USA
28th - 29th June 2017
Arlington, USA
Future Armoured Vehicles
Weapons Systems
28th - 29th June 2017
London, UK
SPONSORSHIP AND EXHIBITION OPPORTUNITIES
SMi offer sponsorship, exhibition, advertising
and branding packages, uniquely tailored to
complement your company’s marketing strategy.
Prime networking opportunities exist to entertain,
enhance and expand your client base within the
context of an independent discussion specific
to your industry. Should you wish to join the
increasing number of companies benefiting
from sponsoring our conferences please call:
Andrew Gibbons, on +44 (0) 207 827 6156 or
email agibbons@smi-online.co.uk

6. Close Air Support 2017
Conference: 7th to 8th June 2017, Copthorne Tara Hotel, London, UK Workshop: 6th June 2017, London, UK
4 WAYS TO REGISTER
FAX your booking form to +44 (0) 870 9090 712
PHONE on +44 (0) 870 9090 711
www.closeair-support.com
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