Bora Balçay is the Analyst for the Aeorspace and Defence Sector at the Office of Invesment at Finance at the Presidency of the Republic. Prior to his role in government he worked in defence contracting. He holds a BS in International Politics and a MA in German and European Studies from Georgetown University, specialising European Security.

Tyler Bardo is a retired US Marine Corps Colonel and Fighter Pilot. With 2,200+ flight hours including 480 combat hours he has piloted the F-35B Lightning II, AV-8B Harrier, and KC-130J Hercules. After his retirement in 2024, he joined Lockheed Martin as the Marine Corps Business Development Principal. In October or 2025, he was promoted to Director of F-35 Business Development.

Thomas Braml has been Professor of Structural Concrete Engineering at the University of the Bundeswehr Munich since 2018. His research focuses on digital twins for bridges, automation in construction, and issues related to structural protection. In addition to his academic work, he is also active in practice in the field of structural engineering for buildings and civil engineering structures.

Aleksander Buczkowski advises governments, public institutions, and private sector clients on drone and counter-drone technologies — from strategy and testing to real-world deployment. His work spans commercial, dual-use, and security applications of unmanned systems, including defence and civilian security agencies, with a focus on lessons learned from drone use in current geopolitical conflicts.

Harald Buschek, Chief Program Officer at Diehl Defence and Member of the Corporate Division Board, has contributed to the company’s success in different leading positions for more than 30 years. He was one of the main drivers of the Ground Based Air Defence program of Diehl Defence.

Ulrike Franke is an expert on European and German defence policy, and the use of new technologies in warfare. She is a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) think tank, based in Paris. Her areas of focus include German and European security and defence, the future of warfare, and the impact of new technologies such as drones and artificial intelligence on geopolitics and warfare. 

Konrad Górski works with commercial, public, and government clients across the globe on drone strategy, market analysis, regulatory frameworks, and technology deployment. His experience includes helping critical entities understand the current drone threat landscape and identify relevant countermeasures for infrastructure protection.

Since 2017, Thomas Gruber has been active in the field of industrial 3D printing. At his company, Trivion 3D Druck & Engineering GmbH, highly complex titanium and polymer components are produced, including for the defence industry. This tool-free manufacturing technology supports innovation, particularly in drone development and large-scale production.

Thomas Haber has been Director Programs & Product at Quantum Systems GmbH since 2025. Prior to that, he worked at BWI GmbH from 2018 to 2023, most recently as Head of Customer Solution Unit Land & Air, and from 2013 to 2018 at Cancom SE, most recently as Manager Partner Management & Solution Design. At „DroneVation“, he will speak on the orchestration of unmanned systems in multi-domain operations.

Recognized by Forbes as one of the 50 most influential CEOs in the Middle East, Bob Harward brings decades of senior leadership experience spanning both military service and the defense industry. A retired U.S. Navy Vice Admiral and former SEAL, he served on the National Security Council under President George W. Bush. His final military assignment was as Deputy Commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). He was later asked by President Trump to serve as National Security Advisor.

Lieutenant General Bruno Hofbauer has held several senior leadership positions within the Federal Ministry of Defence. He headed the General Staff Division, became Director of the Directorate for Fundamental Planning in 2017, and was appointed Chief of Planning of the Austrian Armed Forces in 2021. Since 2023, he has served as Deputy Chief of the General Staff.

Jozef Hrabina is a geopolitical risk consultant and the founder of GeopoLytics, a consultancy firm dedicated to navigating the intricate dynamics of global and regional politics. With experience in academia and consultancy across Kyiv, Moscow, Canada and the European Union, Jozef brings extensive expertise from the post-Soviet space, strategic security studies, and geoeconomics. Since 2022, Jozef has had multiple opportunities to survey the entire Ukrainian frontline.

Arnold Kammel is Secretary-General at the Austrian Federal Ministry of Defence (BMLV), where he is responsible for key strategic and security policy matters.

Lukas Kerschdorfer is Co-Founder and CEO of GuardAero. Born in Tyrol, he leads the company’s operations in Styria and Bavaria. He holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering as well as Production Science & Management from Graz University of Technology. Lukas Kerschdorfer served as a mountain infantryman in the Austrian Armed Forces and is a passionate hunter.

Colonel Thomas Kettinger leads a section within the Air Materiel Division of the Austrian Ministry of Defence and is responsible for the national UAV program. In this role, he oversees market and technology analysis, international cooperation efforts, and the definition and evaluation of operational requirements. His responsibilities further include project management, the development of airworthiness criteria, and lifecycle management of unmanned aerial systems within the Austrian Armed Forces.

A former officer in the German Bundeswehr, he studied aerospace engineering and has 20 years’ professional experience in the aviation and defence industries. He has been with General Atomics for 12 years and is responsible for the sales of unmanned aerial vehicle systems. 

Josef Kranawetvogl is a graduate of the 17th General Staff/Admiral Staff Course of the German Armed Forces. Most recently, he served at the Federal Ministry of Defence with responsibility for space security and oversaw civil-military cooperation between the Bundeswehr Space Command and the German Space Agency at DLR. Since 2024, he has been serving as Senior Vice President at Stark.

Stephan Kraschansky is a former officer and counter-drone specialist with the Austrian Armed Forces. After leaving the military, he became Managing Director and owner of the Austrian branch of Aaronia, an internationally active specialist in drone detection systems. Today, he is regarded as one of Europe’s leading experts in counter-UAS technologies.

Kevin Lamshöft is C-UAS Solution Architect at Thales Germany and Cyber Security Researcher at the Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg. He holds a PhD in Cyber Security for Cyber-Physical Systems and joined Thales in 2024 as an OT Security Consultant. His work has since evolved toward the intersection of Cyber Security, AI, and Unmanned Vehicle Systems in counter-drone architectures.

Tobias Lehmann is a Product Manager with extensive experience in product strategy, digital business cases, and lifecycle ownership of mission‑critical systems. His work focuses on AI‑enabled Command and Control (C2) products in Air Defense domain, including licensing and commercialization models that strengthen client and OEM relationships. He began his career as an officer in the German Army, since 2024, he has been with Rheinmetall Air Defence.

Yuliya Maltseva is a Co-Founder of Women in Defense Tech, where she fosters partnerships and knowledge exchange and innovation of the defense tech ecosystem. She engages governments, Armed Forces, the industry and adjacent players in Germany and Ukraine in customized frameworks aimed at strengthening industrial collaboration across borders. Yuliya has a background in political science and is a part of a German defense scale-up.

Bernhard Müller is Industry Lead Aerospace & Defence at PwC Austria, specializing in „Defence & Security“ and public commercial law. As a reserve officer, he has more than 30 years of practical experience in the field of defence. From 2023 to 2025, he served as Chairman of the Procurement Review Commission at the Austrian Federal Ministry of Defence, which oversees key acquisition projects under the „Aufbauplan 2032+“.

Gili Perl is Director International Sales at Eurobotics GmbH, Europe’s new mission-ready uncrewed systems house. She also serves as Director Business Development at Munich-based INTEC Group, a product-neutral systems integrator. She previously held senior positions at ESG Elektroniksystem- und Logistik-GmbH and Israel Aerospace Industries, and served in policy roles at the Austrian Ministry of Defence.

Lieutenant Colonel Robert Toni Pfaffenbauer serves as policy officer for space and defence industry at the Defence Policy and Strategy Division of the Austrian Ministry of Defence. He focuses on the institutional transformation driven by developments and requirements in the sectors space and defence industry.

Mark Pfeiffer is Head of Business Development for Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic at Shield AI. The US-based defence and aerospace company is considered one of the most innovative providers of AI-enabled defence technologies, developing autonomous aircraft and effectors, AI-based „combat pilots“, and software solutions for military operations.

Markus Piendl is a security technology expert from Munich who is recognised both in Germany and abroad. His areas of expertise are perimeter security and drone defence. Markus Piendl has a proven track record of operational and project experience and publishes articles on both topics in publications such as „Git Sicherheit“.

With the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Max Pollak began delivering primarily medical supplies to frontline areas. Over time, he shifted his focus to the evacuation of wounded individuals and to providing tactical medical training for members of the armed forces.

Major General Gerfried Promberger serves as Commander of the Austrian Air Force and Air Chief of the Austrian Armed Forces. He is a graduate of the 16th General Staff Course, completed the US Air War College with distinction, and was inducted into the „International Honor Roll“ by the former Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, General David W. Allvin.

Colonel Markus Reisner is a historian and legal scholar and serves as Head of the Institute for Basic Officer Training at the Theresian Military Academy. His academic work focuses, among other topics, on the employment of drones in modern warfare.

Christian Rucker is Manager of New Business Development for UAS and is responsible for strategic business development in the fields of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and Loitering Munition Systems (LMS) at Rheinmetall. Prior to joining Rheinmetall, he held roles in business development at General Atomics AeroTec Systems and General Atomics Europe, amongst others.

Thomas Rothacher has held various positions at armasuisse and has served as Director of Science and Technology—the technology centre of the DDPS—since 2013. In 2020, he was appointed Deputy National Armaments Director by the Federal Council. Since June 2024, he has also been responsible for the newly established Taskforce Drones (TFD), which serves as a permanent testbed until at least 2027.

Colonel Jürgen Schlechter recently assumed command of Austria’s Armaments and Defence Technology Agency. He previously led the Austrian Armed Forces’ CBRN defence unit and brings extensive experience in military hazard response, as well as in national and international cooperation on advanced CBRN technologies.

Sven Steingräber is responsible for strategic orientation in sales, national and international market development, the establishment and expansion of long-term relationships with the armed forces, authorities, critical infrastructure operators and industry. Among other things, he focuses on the development of a scalable, international market-entry strategy and a robust commercial position to integrate cutting-edge „Made in Germany“ technology into modern security architectures.

As Partner Manager Special Security Solutions, Christoph Süß is responsible for expanding strategic partnerships and driving business development in Eastern and Southern Europe, with a particular focus on Austria and Switzerland. Prior to this role, Süß served in the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) from 2011 to 2024 as a logistics officer, holding various leadership and management positions.

Klaudia Tanner has served as Austria’s Federal Minister of Defence since 7 January 2020. Her tenure has been marked by an unprecedented modernization phase of the Austrian Armed Forces. Under the framework of the so-called „Development Plan 2032+“, Austria’s military is being rebuilt to restore full defence capabilities – including the expansion of drone and counter-drone capacities.

Bernhard Treibenreif, born in 1965 in Vöcklabruck, Upper Austria, joined the Federal Gendarmerie in 1986, following his school-leaving exams in 1984 and reserve officer training with the Austrian Armed Forces. In April 2004, he became commander of the Cobra Special Operations Unit. On 1 June 2013, he was appointed Director of the Special Forces Directorate / Cobra Special Operations Unit.

Thomas Vahrner joined EKO Cobra in 1998 and was instrumental in establishing the unit’s drone and counter-drone capabilities. He currently heads the department for “Drone Operations and Counter-Drone Measures” and serves as Chairman of the Innovation Forum within the European special forces network ATLAS.

Lieutenant General Harald Vodosek serves as the National Armaments Director of the Austrian Armed Forces and heads Directorate 5 – Armaments. In this role, he oversees the strategic planning and execution of major procurement programmes, including the comprehensive introduction of unmanned systems and counter-unmanned capabilities across Austria’s armed forces.

Richard Weitz is senior fellow and director of the Center for Political-Military Analysis at Hudson Institute. His current research includes regional security developments relating to Europe, Eurasia, and East Asia as well as US foreign and defense policies. Before joining Hudson in 2005, Dr. Weitz worked for several other academic and professional research institutions and the US Department of Defense.

Brigadier Rudolf Zauner is Head of the Science, Research and Development Department at the Austrian Ministry of Defence. His focus is on the strategic development of defence research, particularly in the areas of digitalisation and innovation.