Also in attendance were Gen. Christopher Yancy – Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa, Ramstein Air Base (Germany); retired Gen. Philip Breedlove of the U.S. Air Force; Brig. Gen. Tomasz Lenart, NATO Deputy Commander, Combined Air Operations Centre (Germany); as well as representatives from the Polish and international defense industry. Conference participants presented papers and took part in discussion panels focused on air defense. During the scientific session, chaired by Prof. Adam Kawalec (WAT), Lt. Col. Dr. Eng. Witold Bużantowicz (WAT), and Prof. Jean-Marc Le Caillec (IMT Atlantique, France), presentations were delivered by, among others: Dr. Eng. Tomasz Jakusz – senior expert at the Integrated Air Defense Division of the Armament Agency; Prof. Istvan Balajti – a radar expert representing Hungary; Lt. Col. Josef Casar from the University of Defence in Brno, Czech Republic; and Peter Grognard – Managing Director of the von Karman Institute in Belgium.
The conference was also an opportunity to honor individuals who have significantly contributed to the development of Polish air and missile defense. On behalf of the Minister of National Defence, Brig. Gen. Michał Marciniak – Plenipotentiary for the Construction of the Integrated Air and Missile Defense System – presented honorary White Eagle statuettes to Brig. Gen. Kazimierz Dyński, Dr. Eng. Tomasz Jakusz, and Artur Patelak, senior experts from the Integrated Air Defense Division of the Armament Agency. For his 50-year contribution to Polish radar technology in air defense, Prof. Dr. Hab. Eng. Adam Kawalec of the Faculty of Mechatronics, Armament and Aerospace at WAT was also awarded the White Eagle statuette.
The conference also featured the Missile Defender of the Year awards ceremony on May 8. The Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance (MDAA) honored soldiers and officers who had made outstanding contributions over the past year to the development and operations of air and missile defense. Among the Polish awardees were Brig. Gen. Kazimierz Dyński, Brig. Gen. Michał Marciniak, and Lt. Col. Daniel Pyza. Awardees also included representatives from the Netherlands, the United States, Ukraine, and NATO.
The award ceremony was accompanied by a musical performance from the Garrison Orchestra of Radom.