The RAF Museum will host a conference entitled Hearts, Minds and Airspace: Air Power, Humanitarianism and Counterinsurgency on 10-11 September 2026
This conference will critically examine the entanglements of Air Power, counterinsurgency (COIN) and humanitarianism. It will have an interdisciplinary approach, including papers from history, international relations and defence studies among other disciplines.
Air Power has become a central – yet often underexamined – dimension of contemporary counterinsurgency and humanitarian practice. From airstrikes, drones and surveillance platforms to humanitarian airlifts, medical evacuations, and “hearts and minds” campaigns conducted from above, the sky has emerged as a key site where violence, care, governance and legitimacy intersect. The conference aims to explore how Air Power shapes counterinsurgency strategies and humanitarian practices across historical and contemporary contexts, and how these dynamics are experienced, justified, contested and resisted.
More details here – https://www.bcmh.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/RAF-Conference-Programme-v.-1.pdf