AFA welcomed nearly 750 military spouses free of charge to its 2025 Air, Space & Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Md. Three panels during the event were dedicated to opening dialogue around family-wellness and quality-of-life issues faced by Airmen, Guardians, and their Families. In addition to organizing the panels, AFA’s United Forces & Families (F2) program expanded its opportunities for military spouses to engage with one another off-stage throughout the week.

On the third day of the conference, attendees heard about the military family’s challenges from the very top: Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. David W. Allvin and his wife Gina; and Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman and his wife Jennifer. The couples discussed how their personal challenges as a family have evolved over the years, through duty assignments, children growing up, promotions, and personal battles—issues that every military family understands well.

U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin and his wife Gina Allvin speak on the “United Forces & Families: Senior Leadership Perspectives” panel at AFA’s 2025 Air, Space & Cyber Conference. Photo by Jud McCrehin / AFA

Sharene Brown, wife of former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles “C.Q.” Brown, Jr., USAF (Ret.), speaks on the “United Forces & Families: Multigenerational Perspectives on Family Readiness” at AFA’s 2025 Air, Space & Cyber Conference. AFA photo.

The “United Forces & Families: Building Your Community” panel at AFA’s 2025 Air, Space & Cyber Conference. AFA photo.

The other F2 discussions were equally insightful, with one digging into how military spouses can build a community and another exploring multigenerational perspectives on family readiness, the latter of which featured Sharene Brown, wife of former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles “C.Q.” Brown, Jr., USAF (Ret.).

Offstage, F2 welcomed attending spouses to the first-ever “Milspouse Link Up Lounge.” The lounge was open for two-hour windows on the first two days of the event, and offered military spouses coffee, snacks, networking opportunities, and even massage chairs.

F2 also organized and hosted two studio interviews with vocal military spouses on site. These quick but powerful conversations provided a glimpse into modern military life through the spouse lens.