This panel examines how Advanced Air Mobility, UAS, and commercial space operations can be integrated into the existing NAS without degrading safety or operational performance. Leaders from the FAA (including the Command Center), NASA, DoW, and industry explore how new entrants depend on established FAA services and why successful integration is fundamentally a NAS-capacity and service-delivery challenge, not a standalone technology effort.

Advanced Air Mobility will only scale if it is designed to operate within today’s NAS constraints—not idealized future conditions. This panel focuses on the practical design, policy, and operational decisions required to integrate eVTOL and autonomous operations into existing airspace structures, FAA safety frameworks, and service delivery models.

Industry, Academia and FAA discuss the importance of training innovation within the aviation workforce. In the session panelists will discuss how collegiate training initiatives, pre-employment training programs and how public/private partnerships can strengthen the aviation workforce pipeline.

FAA, DoW, and industry leaders discuss how new technologies, simulation tools, and competency-based programs are redefining controller training for the modern NAS. 

o   1:45 – 2:30 PM - Breakout A: How modernization is structured, measured, and supported

o   2:30 – 3:15 PM - Breakout B: How trust and transparency are maintained during implementation

A closer look at how modernization initiatives like BNATCS are being governed, measured, and funded. Experts from FAA, Congress, and industry discuss accountability, program metrics, and the importance of communication and transparency throughout the modernization lifecycle.

o   1:45 – 2:30 PM - Breakout A: The Challenge of Recruiting and Retaining Talent

o   2:30 – 3:15 PM - Breakout B: Turning Talent into Capability: Modern Training for a Modern NAS

Following the morning’s workforce discussions, this session focuses on implementation—how simulation, new hiring pathways, and data-driven assessments are transforming controller and technical training to meet future NAS demands.

o   1:45 – 2:30 PM - Breakout A: Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification: It Can Be Done

o   2:30 – 3:15 PM - Breakout B: Cybersecurity in Practice: Protecting Operations in a Digital NAS

A deep dive into cybersecurity readiness, covering CMMC compliance, contractor obligations, and risk mitigation strategies. This session connects the dots between modernization programs and the need for a shared culture of cyber resilience across the aviation ecosystem.

o   1:45 – 2:30 PM - Breakout A: From Policy to Operations: Executing UAS Integration in the NAS

o   2:30 – 3:15 PM - Breakout B: Scaling Integration Safely: Infrastructure, Automation, and the Path to Routine BVLOS

An applied discussion on how integration policies are being operationalized across the NAS, including how government plans to manage drone technologies such as detection, mitigation and Counter-UAS.

As the National Airspace System evolves, the modernization of air traffic control is no longer defined by new buildings or consolidation plans, but by how services are delivered, sustained, and made resilient. This session reframes the conversation from facilities to services—examining how common automation, digital infrastructure, and workforce flexibility enable air traffic services to be provided reliably regardless of physical location. FAA, DoD, and industry leaders explore how modernization can occur within existing infrastructure while maintaining operational continuity amid funding uncertainty, system disruptions, and emerging threats.

This forward-looking discussion examines how AI, DevSec Ops, and continuous delivery are transforming system assurance, certification, and the pace of modernization in a digital NAS. How do we move faster without reducing safety margins?

o   9:30 – 10:15 AM – Breakout A: Operations above FL600 

o   11:00 – 11:45 AM – Breakout B: Space port oversight

Explore how increasing commercial and defense operations above FL600 are reshaping coordination between the FAA, DoW, and private operators. This session examines airspace management challenges, DOW collaboration, and the evolving role of spaceport oversight.

o   9:30 – 10:15 AM - Breakout A: Adapting to Change: Small Business Contracting in a Modernized NAS

o   11:00 – 11:45 AM - Breakout B: Doing Business Under BNATCS: Contracting Models and Compliance Basics

Small and mid-sized businesses play a vital role in NAS modernization. This session provides guidance on milestone-based payments, organizational conflict of interest (OCI) rules, and adapting to evolving small business contracting requirements under BNATCS.

o   9:30 – 10:15 AM – Breakout A:

o   11:00 – 11:45 AM – Breakout B:

This discussion explores how AI, analytics, and voluntary reporting programs are shaping the future of aviation safety. Experts highlight how predictive tools and integrated data sets can help identify risks and enhance decision-making in real time.

o   9:30 – 10:15 AM – Breakout A: What Comes Next: Advancing Integration and Operational Performance

o   11:00 – 11:45 AM – Breakout B: Integrating New Capabilities: Surveillance, Flow, and Information Services

An update-focused breakout on key modernization efforts such as Flow Management Data System (FMDS), NOTAM reform, and surveillance enhancements. Panelists discuss implementation progress, early outcomes, and next steps for full system integration.

FAA and industry leaders share how progress in modernization will be measured—tracking outcomes in safety, reliability, efficiency, and transparency while defining what success looks like for the future NAS.