Speaker Bio

Stephen HANSON is a former Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) officer, who served for 32 years as an Air Traffic Control and Air Defence Controller. Stephen held multiple Air Traffic Control bilingual qualifications, to include both Tower and Radar positions. Additionally he held numerous Air Defence qualifications in NORAD, at National Air Defence Sites, Mobile Air Defence units, USAF AWACS, NATO AWACS, and US, Canadian and NATO Air Operations Centres. Specializing in joint airspace integration for civilian and military needs, Stephen has held positions in the Canadian Military Airworthiness Authority, as well as Chief of Operational Plans for the RCAF.

Presently, Stephen is a member of the NATO Headquarters International Staff, working on Aerospace Planning, Security, and Policy for the Armament and Aerospace Capabilities Directorate in the Defence Investment Division. His portfolio includes subjects as Higher-Level Airspace operations and New Entrants, regulatory understanding with regard to Civil and State Aviation Authorities, Space Support to Aviation, the NATO-EUROCONTROL Air Traffic Management Security Coordinating Group, the NATO Air Traffic Management/Communication Surveillance and Communication Advisory Group, supporting the Inclusion of Gender and Diversity into Defence Capability Development, and Cybersecurity, Cyber Defence, and Cyber Resilience in Aviation.

Stephen holds a Diplôme d’étude collégial in Science and Engineering from the Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean (CMR), a Bachelor in Arts in Military and Strategic Studies (CMR), a Masters in American Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma, is a graduate of both the USAF Air Command & Staff College and USAF Air War College, and just started an Advanced Masters in Air and Space Law at Universiteit Leiden.