Top Defence and Aerospace Leaders to Gather for High-Level Conferences at Singapore Airshow 2012

SINGAPORE, 6 Feb 2012 – Two high-level conferences, the Asia-Pacific Security Conference (APSEC) and the Singapore Aerospace Technology & Engineering Conference (SATEC), will return in February 2012 in conjunction with the biennial Singapore Airshow. APSEC and SATEC will provide delegates a valuable opportunity to share insights and discuss the challenges facing regional security as well as developments in aerospace technologies across the military and commercial sectors.

The sixth edition of APSEC, held on 12-13 February 2012 at Raffles City Convention Centre, will gather high-level defence officials, military leaders, academics and analysts to examine strategic issues shaping peace and security worldwide. Focusing on the theme ‘The Changing Geopolitical Landscape of the Asia-Pacific’, discussions at APSEC will explore the prosperity brought about by economic growth in Asia-Pacific nations, particularly China and India, and the political and security implications of this growth in the region as well as worldwide. The two central topics at APSEC are “Future Political, Economic and Diplomatic Challenges”, and “Military Modernisation – Opportunities and Challenges”.

APSEC is co-organised by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) and Experia Events, organiser of the Singapore Airshow. Mr Lawrence Wong, Minister of State for Defence and Education, will be the Guest of Honour at APSEC 2012 and deliver the keynote address. Other distinguished speakers include Associate Professor Jing Dong Yuan, Acting Director, Centre for International Security Studies, University of Sydney, Australia; Brigadier General (Retd.) Gurmeet Kanwal, Director, Centre for Land Warfare Studies, New Delhi; and Dr Michael J Green, Senior Adviser and Japan Chair, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, USA.

SATEC 2012, now in its fifth edition, will bring together key players in the aerospace industry, including top military personnel and high-level delegates from the world’s leading aviation groups, to exchange knowledge and expertise on the latest advancements and research findings on aerospace technology. SATEC plenary highlights include “Real Time Health Monitoring for the Airbus A380 – New technologies for future aircraft health monitoring” presented by Airbus, “The Future of Aviation Maintenance – Condition Based Maintenance” presented by Eurocopter, and “Technology Enhancements & Innovations for Virtual Maintenance Training” presented by Boeing and DiSTI.

Dr Tan Kim Siew, Permanent Secretary (Defence Development), Ministry of Defence, Singapore will be the Guest of Honour at the event. Other distinguished speakers include Mr Joe Sciabica, Executive Director of the United States Air Force Research Laboratory, and Mr Charles Chong, President of the Association of Aerospace Industries (Singapore). SATEC, held on 13 February 2012 at the Suntec International Convention and Exhibition Centre, is jointly organised by the Air Logistics Department of the Republic of Singapore Air Force and the Singapore Institute of Aerospace Engineers.

Mr Jimmy Lau, Managing Director of Experia Events said: “This year’s editions of APSEC and SATEC promise to deliver timely, dynamic discussions on the key topics of security and aerospace technologies. Conferences such as APSEC and SATEC play a major part in the success of every Singapore Airshow by providing aviation industry leaders, thought leaders, and defence and military officials worldwide with an essential platform for networking opportunities and an exchange of ideas.”