Civil-Military SWIM Symposium
The event is reserved for military stakeholders and places are limited to keep the discussion focused and genuinely interactive.
We are very pleased to provide you with this full invitation and agenda for a unique CIVIL-MILITARY SWIM SYMPOSIUM, made possible thanks to the valued support of the Portuguese National Aeronautical Authority, in beautiful Cascais on Wednesday 30 September.
Europe's airspace is shared space. Every day, civil and military operations rely on the same sky, yet too often on separate, disconnected information systems. System Wide Information Management (SWIM), part of Common Project 1 Regulation (Reg.EU 2021/116), intends to improve that, replacing fragmented point-to-point connections with a common, service-oriented way of exchanging trusted data across the entire aviation community. In an increasingly congested and contested European airspace, it provides the trusted digital backbone needed to support safe, efficient, and resilient airspace operations, including military mobility.
But the real story isn't the architecture — it's what becomes possible when civil and military actors speak the same digital language. We warmly invite you to join us in Portugal for a one-day experience dedicated to exactly that: how SWIM is being implemented on both the civil and especially military side, and how it is unlocking genuine interoperability across Europe.
Through keynotes, real-world use cases and open dialogue, we bring together both worlds to learn from one another. This day is built around sharing information and exchanging experiences, exchanges that we would also like to facilitate more informally by offering you a unique visit and close with a networking dinner.
Agenda (local time)
09:30 - 10:00 Registration & Welcome coffee at Hotel Baía Cascais
10:00 - 10:30 Opening of the Symposium & Keynotes - Setting the strategic scene, from the European Defence Agency, the SESAR Deployment Manager, and our hosts, Portuguese National Aeronautical Authority.
10:30 - 12:50 Real Implementation Stories - Showcasing how SWIM has been deployed across the civil–military divide, the concrete interoperability gains achieved, and the lessons learned along the way. Each showcase is followed by an Interactive Q&A with plenty of room to dig into the detail, compare across nations, and learn directly from those who have done it.
Showcase by Portugal
Showcase by Italy
Showcase by EUROCONTROL Civil-Military unit
More showcases to be confirmed soon!
12:50 - 14:10 Networking Lunch
14:10 - 14:50 Open Discussion led by EDA and SDM, exploring shared challenges, opportunities and the road ahead for civil–military SWIM.
14:50 - 15:00 Closing Remarks & Introduction of the Afternoon & Evening Programme
15:00 - 15:30 Coffee break & time to freshen up
15:30 - 16:10 Shuttle to the Air Museum in Sintra
16:10 - 18:30 Guided visit of the Air Museum
18:30 - 21:30 Networking Dinner at the Air Museum offered by The Portuguese National Aeronautical Authority
21:30 - 22:00 Shuttle to Hotel Baía Cascais
SWIM matters!
It lets civil and military users build on the same trusted foundation of information. For the military, it enables secure civil–military interoperability without sacrificing control over data, delivers a common situational awareness, supports more flexible airspace use, and cuts integration cost and complexity. For civil users, it breaks down data silos by connecting ANSPs, airports, airlines, the Network Manager and military partners on a common interface framework, enabling better collaborative decision-making, greater efficiency and predictability, and real cost savings over today's point-to-point links. The shared prize for both is a more interoperable, efficient and resilient European sky.
Practical details
Date: Wednesday 30 September 2026
Timing: 09:30 - 21:30 (local time)
Venue: Hotel Baía Cascais - https://www.hotelbaia.com/en/
How to get to the venue from Lisbon Airport by public transport:
Participation: Live participation is highly recommended due to the nature of this interactive symposium, the networking moments, visit and dinner, however online participation will be made available. Just kindly indicate your preference upon registration.
Places are limited to keep the discussion focused and genuinely interactive.
Please confirm your attendance by latest 16 September via the registration button.
Evening dinner dress code:
Business professional
Organiser: Portuguese National Aeronautical Authority
Facilitators: European Defence Agency & SESAR Deployment Manager
We look forward to welcoming you in Cascais!