 Our next panel, or rather our next presentation is a video called How Is the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force Approaching the Future of Security? It's our colleague Peter Singer, strategist and senior fellow in New America, professor of practice in the Future Security Initiative at ASU, interviewing General Uchikura Haruaki, the Chief of Staff of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. It's my pleasure and honor to introduce General Haruaki Uchikura, Chief of Staff of Japan's Air Self-Defense Force. His roles and accomplishments over three decades of service range from piloting F-15 fighter jets, to serving as Director General of the Defense Planning and Policy Department, to commander of Air Defense Command. But most important to me personally is that we were able to serve together when he was a military fellow in Washington DC. And I got to know Uchi both as a friend, but also witness how he is an amazing researcher and writer, very appropriate to our gathering today. And during that time, he conducted research and wrote a white paper on how interoperability is about more than just technology. It's about partnership, and I think that's a relevant lesson both for the conference, but also for the larger relationship between the U.S. and Japan. General, thank you so much for joining us. We'll start now with a question from what's going on in the world around us. General, what lessons are you taking from what we've observed in the conflict in Ukraine? I am General Uchikura, Chief of Staff of Japan's Air Self-Defense Force, for KOKU Data. I'd like to express my gratitude to Dr. Singer, who invited me to this historic future security forum. I have changed my relationship with him since I was a fellow at the Brookings Institution. It is my great honor to be here today on behalf of KOKU Data. The views that are going to be expressed today are those of mine and do not reflect the official policy or position of KOKU Data, ministry of defense, or the government of Japan. Let me briefly talk about the lessons learned from the situation in Ukraine from two perspectives. The first one is at the strategic level, and it is the importance of independence to discard aggression and the ability to respond in case of contingency. The biggest lesson that we have learned from Russia's aggression against Ukraine is that it is critical to maintain sufficient independence to restrain opponent actions. We now see that when a country with strong legal capability forms the intention to launch an aggression, it is inherently difficult to gauge its intent from the outside and conditions under which a threat may materialize always exist. Also, while no nation alone can defend its own security, there is a renewed recognition of the importance of the only strengthening of all defense capabilities, also enhancing interoperability, which includes the commonality of aircraft and weapons, and the connectivity of network that enable cooperation at a higher level with the ally would have the intent and the capability to respond to invasion in a coordinated manner. Considering both dataness and response perspectives, it is also necessary to reinforce cooperation and cooperation with allies like mine countries and others. The second viewpoint is from an operational level, and it is the necessity of defense capabilities that can adapt to new way of warfare. In the aggression against Ukraine, hybrid warfare has emerged with a combination of massive missile strikes by ballistic and close missiles, a symmetric attacks, developing the space, cyber and extra magnetic domains, and with a man asset and information warfare. With this in mind, we have reached a recognition that it is urgent for us to build advanced integrated air and missile defense where we can combine kinetic and non kinetic means appropriately. In the concept of IAMD, it is also vital to strengthen positive defense capabilities to mitigate damage and ensure functionality through dispersion, concealment and camouflage, damage restoration, and others as well as active defense capabilities such as air defense and ballistic missile defense. When I participated in NATO exercise Air Defender 23 in Germany in June, which focused on disperse employment, I exchanged views and share this equation with air chiefs from participating countries. General, as you look beyond other key trends that you observe shaping the future of security, and in particular, what scenario of the future might be the most challenging? I think there are two key trends. First, there is a global trend known as geopolitical competition, looking at the Indo-Pacific region where Japan is located, for example. There are a number of countries causing security concerns. Russia has launched an aggression against Ukraine and shaken the foundation of the international order despite its permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council. China continues to advance its unilateral changes to the status quo by force or such attempts. In the East China Sea and South China Sea, North Korea escalates its activities, launching ballistic missiles at an unprecedented high frequency and proceed with the development of nuclear weapons. Therefore, it is important for Japan in cooperation and collaboration with other and like-minded countries and others to continue to demonstrate the intention and capability to guitar unilateral changes to the status quo by force and such attempts through our strategic alignment and synergistic effects from our common efforts. Based upon this idea, the co-projective has invented bilateral multilateral training with exercise with Australia, India, Germany, France, and Italy in the past year, with the Japan-U.S. alliance as a cornerstone. The security of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific are in several ways. This phrase clearly expresses the recent trend. The second trend is to view security as a comprehensive national power which links the major function of a country such as democracy, such as diplomacy, intelligence, military affairs, and economy which is abbreviated as DIME to technological innovation. When it comes to diplomacy and intelligence, for instance, it is critical to be able to communicate timely and accurate information through social media while discerning the city of conflicting information. In terms of military, there are the greatest significance of leveraging the space, cyber, and electromagnetic domains as well as capabilities supported by state-of-art technologies such as the use of unmanned systems and drones in addition to traditional military power. From the viewpoint of geopolitical competition, the most challenging scenario is when an opponent utilizes kinetic means such as A2AD as well as cognitive warfare with the goal of intentionally accomplishing the cooperative and collaborative relationship between Japan and our ally and like-minded countries and others. Thus, attempting to take advantage of opportunity to carry out unilateral changes to the status quo by force and such attempts or opponents. Time, especially from a military perspective, presents a scenario where if the war-fighting quiet begins in the space and cyber domains and the C5ISRT functions due to unstable communications, significant loss of GPS positioning, accuracy, etc. and existing assets are unable to respond in a timely and appropriate manner. Numerous missiles would be able to fly in and out causing enormous human and material damage to the political and economic center of state. This would be the worst scenario caused by the negative effect from technological innovation. It used to be hypersensical, but now it turns out to be an operational reality exemplified by addition against Ukraine, which is now widely viewed as an operational situation to be prepared for. General, as you look at these trends, you have a responsibility not only to respond to them, but also shape the force of tomorrow and 2040 from today. What capabilities might it have that it does not have now? Well, considering co-created efforts, I'd like to share three big changes that we are anticipating. The first change is the improvement of space operational capabilities. Japan's National Defense Strategy states that the Japan Air Safety Defense Force will be renamed to Japan Air and Space Safety Defense Force. Only three years have passed since the establishment of our first space unit, and it is still at its initial phase. I think it will possess stronger space capabilities by 2040. The second one is an enhancement of transitional air power to defend its air domain. Taking our fighter unit as an example, it is estimated that by 2040, we will operate approximately 150 F-35, including F-35V with storm capability. 70 upgraded F-15s, as well as next-generation fighter aircraft, G-CAP, that we have currently developed in the UK and Italy. With these aircraft, we have increased capability and flexibility, including the ability to operate some of missions. The third change is the progress in unmanned and unmanned systems. In accordance with the defense-builder program, HOKUJETA will continue to promote unmanned asset defense capabilities. It is predicted that by 2040, in addition to the RQ-4B already in place, we will be able to operate some unmanned aerial vehicles linked with fighter aircraft. We will also promote the automation of barrier sensors and command control systems, enabling HOKUJETA to be more efficient and capable of performing more missions with fewer personnel. First, regarding space operations, I predict that the HOKUJETA will possess its capability to carry out wide range of missions apart from space domain events, both on the ground and in space. Secondly, it is also expected when it comes to integrated air and missile defense, we will be able to respond effectively to hypersonic weapons and missiles that rise on irregular trajectories at low altitude. Thirdly, we anticipated that the HOKUJETA will possesses standard of defense capabilities, including capability to independently operate dynamic targeting, which the US military already possesses. In order to prevent further attacks from an opponent by utilizing the standard defense capability, it is also expected that we will have counter-strike capabilities to mount effective counter-strike against the opponent. In each of those trends and capabilities, we see a variety of new technologies. General, what technologies do you see as being key to the future? Key technologies for the future will be AI, simulation using VR and AR, and database access technology. First, AI technology was expected to be used in the military field that only to assist in command and decision making and to improve information processing capabilities, but also to be equipped with unmanned aerial vehicles and used in the cyber domain. Furthermore, the range of AI represented by chat GDP is increasingly recognized as having a significant impact on social life. In addition, in order to win the battle where the combat situation will become even more rapid and complex in the future, it is necessary to make quicker and more accurate decisions than those of our opponent. AI plays a major role in improving the digital-making process itself as well as makes it possible to build a non-ponder-loop system that allows humans to oversee the digital-making process. Second, simulation technology using VR and AR is becoming increasingly important as a complexity of combat situations makes it more difficult to create the same situation in actual training and exercise. AI fidelity simulators that only enable mission decorsals, but also contribute to SDGs by reducing the number of flights using at-fail aircrafts. Third, I believe that the technology to share sensitive information stored in databases with other military services and allies in VR time is critical in modeling as a range of utilization of passive sensors expands at an accelerating pace. Interoperability metrics are beginning to see from network connectivity to database accessibility. General, I know as both a leader but also as a writer that you care deeply about the role of people in the organization. So what new and different skills do you anticipate that military officers will need in this future? I think there are two skills that military officers will need in the future. First is the skill related to spirituality in digital-making. In order to control a battle where combat situations are becoming more rapid in the complex, it is necessary to ensure spelling or digital-making by having commanders or staff officers make appropriate decisions more quickly and more accurately than the opponent. Therefore, I think that the commanders who will make decisions in such an environment will need to acquire even more skills than they currently have to observe and orient information quickly and connect to their decisions and actions. If we look ahead to the day in the near future when frontline commanders will be using wearable devices such as smart glasses to take command, I believe that the skills required will become an extra campaign linked to IT details. Second is the skill related to mission man. In a situation where combat conditions are becoming more rapid and complex, it is possible that command and control may be cut off due to the jamming of communications. When a commander can grasp information sufficiently, detailed commands in which detailed instructions are given to subordinate commanders for their actions is suitable. On the other hand, when the war situation is uncertain and rapidly changing due to disruption of communications, it is appropriate to take mission man dedicating digital-making and operational execution to subordinate commanders in a co-ed up situation. Therefore, I believe that officers will be required more than ever before to have the skills and the mental toughness to deeply understand their own duties, missions, and to be able to command in a timely and appropriate manner, even without instruction and order from their spurious. General, you have been very generous with your time and also speaking with us across multiple time zones. We very much appreciate you joining us and sharing your thoughts. Thank you.