The overarching message from the Aviator Symposium 2026 was clear: People are our greatest asset, and the greatest asset our people can have is an airminded warfighter mindset.

On Wednesday, 18 March 2026 almost 1,000 aviators and public servants working in Air Force units attended the Aviator Symposium 2026 either in person at the National Convention Centre in Canberra or online. The Aviator Symposium was delivered as part of the Air and Space Power Conference 2026.

It provided opportunities for Aviators at all levels to reflect on the themes from the Air and Space Power Conference 2026; engage directly with fellow Aviators, the Senior Leadership Team and the Senior Enlisted Leaders Team; and contribute ideas on the future of air power.

The theme for this year’s symposium was ‘How does the airminded warfighter build fighting depth?’ The symposium kicked off with a fireside chat with Air Marshal Stephen Chappell, Chief of Air Force, and Warrant Officer – Air Force Ralph Clifton, Warrant Officer of the Air Force, moderated by Corporal Caitlin Russ, who is the current 2025 Aviator of the Year.

Chief of Air Force borrowed a quote from the American fighter pilot and strategic scholar, John Boyd, to sum up how the Royal Australian Air Force should go about developing airmindedness.

“The maverick fighter pilot said military success is determined by people first, ideas second and things third. It’s a pretty good way of thinking how we need to go about airmindedness,” said Air Marshal Chappell.

“Our aviators are the heart and soul of this effort [to build fighting depth].”

As Chief of Air Force explained in his opening remarks at the Air and Space Power Conference 2026, Building Fighting Depth is about thinking, behaving, and operating differently. It is doing the ordinary things extraordinarily well, every day, and finding those one and two percenters in everything the air domain team does to further unlock potential and optimise capability and capacity.

Warrant Officer of the Air Force said the term ‘airminded warfighter’ will mean something different to each and every aviator.

“For me, it’s contextualising what it means to be a warfighter in your sphere of excellence,” said Warrant Officer – Air Force Clifton.

“What is your role in a contested environment? Which might be different to the role you’re doing now, and start training for it. Start looking around your environment and ask, how can I make the people around me the best possible war fighters? It’s about how you can best provide capability to the fight.”

While warfighter mindset will mean something slightly different to each aviator, the core principals are a realistic understanding of the strategic environment; a commitment to individual excellence, operating differently and taking action; and team work – bringing together the entire Air Domain team.

In the second session of the day, Air Vice-Marshal Glen Braz, Air Commander Australia, explained that a willingness to take action is hallmark of a warfighter mindset.  

“You will know you have developed a warfighter mindset when your teams are stronger individually and collectively on the other side of a challenge,” said Air Vice-Marshal Braz.

“And you will know when you see the little signs and indications that, hey, there’s a bias for action, something needs doing and they’re doing it. I’m just going to have a go. That generator needs refuelling, that drone needs recharging, that weapon needs staffing – I’m going to step in and do that.”

The next presenter, Wing Commander Tim Hurford, spoke of mental toughness. He shared a story of personal adversity.

“We are not training for our best day out. We are training for our worst day and then the next day and the day after. We need our aviators to be physically and mentally tough,” said Wing Commander Hurford.

“We do it through training, we do it through exercises and we do it through deployments.”

The Aviator Symposium 2026 also included panel discussions about professional growth, cohesive teams and building fighting depth in today’s Air Force, as well as closing remarks from Warrant Officer – Air Force Clifton.

Before Chief of Air Force finished speaking with aviators, he made clear what is required of them as leaders.

“Command with humanity, be active, be curious, use your storytelling to tap into what’s innate in all of us and that history and heritage that we are proudly part of, and also that debrief – be humble leading the debrief by being the first to fess up.”

“You are all incredible and you are doing incredible things every day.”