The Philippine Air Force holds an annual Air Power Symposium to advocate for air power and showcase capabilities. The 2012 Symposium will be held in June at the SMX Convention Center, with the theme of "Mobilizing Air Power for the Nation’s Multi-Dimensional Challenges." It aims to highlight the importance of air power development in addressing security challenges, advocate for modernization of the Philippine Air Force, and develop air power consciousness. The Symposium will include presentations on external defense, internal security, humanitarian assistance, and air power culture.

1. Mobilizing Air Power for the Nation’s Multi-Dimensional Challenges
Background
The Air Power Symposium (APS) has become the Philippine Air Force’s main vehicle for the propagation of air power
advocacy and consciousness since the early 1980s. The first APS was inaugurated in 1982 and has been occasionally held
until the early 2000s. These symposia were either conducted by the Philippine Air Force (PAF) on its own or in cooperation with
other stakeholders like the PAF Flying School Alumni Association Incorporated (PAFFSAAI) and general aviation represented
by the Philippine Air Lines (PAL). The topics were about the aviation development and national development to air operations
and it was scheduled independent of other PAF activities.
In the 1990s, the Symposium became a part of the yearly PAF Anniversary celebration. Beginning in 2004 however,
the PAF decided to conduct the APS on a regular basis and since then, the Air Power Symposium has been conducted annually
except during 2006 and 2007. These events showcased presentations by Philippine defense and other government officials as
well as foreign senior military officers and air power experts from the academe and aviation industry. The presentations were
developed in accordance with themes that reflect national strategic concerns and their relation to air power.
Air Power Symposium 2012
This year, the PAF will hold the APS 2012 on 22 June 2012 at the Philippines’ largest privately-run exhibition and
convention facility, the SMX Convention Center located in the Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City. This Five-in-One activity will
be capped by the academic forum featuring presentations and reactions of notable subject matter experts on air power and
national security. The theme of APS 2012 is “Mobilizing Air Power for the Nation’s Multi-Dimensional Challenges.” The topics will
cover External Defense, Internal Security, Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Response, and Air Power Culture.
Objectives
The cascading objectives of the Symposium are the following:
1. Highlight the importance of air power development as part of Philippine National strategy to ad dress current
and future security and development challenges.
2. Advocate the progressive modernization of the PAF, especially to a young stakeholder audience, for its value
to national development in the future.
3. Provide a glimpse of potential PAF and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) capabilities through a defense
exhibit by selected aerospace companies and security exhibitors.
4. Project the accomplishments of the PAF in its multi-faceted duties, roles and responsibilities to the people.
5. Develop air power consciousness among the invited youth leaders and inspire their dreams of making a dif-
ference in the future through the PAF.
6. Lay the foundations of a quarterly and progressive air power forum which will culminate with every annual
APS.
Theme
The theme of APS 2012 is “Mobilizing Air Power for the Nation’s Multi-Dimensional Challenges.” This theme embodies
the strategic and operational priority of refocusing Philippine Air Power to address the various challenges of a fluid, complex
and multi-dimensional security environment. These challenges, both within and beyond our borders, include politico-military,
environmental and socio-economic among others. The role of Philippine air power then is to develop the appropriate strategies
and mobilize the required resources as well as capabilities to address these challenges in conjunction with the other instru-
ments of national power. It also needs to examine past experiences and current practices in order to draw lessons that would
guide current and future air power strategy, operations and capability development.
Symposium Format
APS 2012 provides five (5) presentations with the format following a presentation-reaction-open forum. Each speaker will be
given 15-20 minutes for his or her presentations following the Technology Entertainment and Design (TED) talks format. Each reactor
will be given five (5) minutes for his or her reaction. A 20-minute Open Forum will follow at the end of the presentation and reactions.