PARIS -- For the first time, the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations led a fully integrated, joint-service counterintelligence team at the world’s largest air and space exhibition.
Together with U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command and U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet, AFOSI Special Agents and counterintelligence professionals worked to protect American personnel, defense technology and strategic platforms at the 2025 Paris Air Show.
“We knew the risks, like technology theft, insider threats, even physical sabotage and we knew it demanded a unified response,” said Special Agent Aaron Yardley, U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations Special Agent in Charge, Paris.
Held at Le Bourget Airport, the Paris Air Show drew more than 305,000 visitors, with 2,400 exhibitors from 48 nations, 155 aircraft and 173 aerial displays spanning roughly 130 football fields of exhibition space.
The U.S. presence was significant, too, with 450 American companies participating, including 324 within the official U.S. Pavilion.
“If those companies are vulnerable, so is the equipment and technology our service members depend on,” said Special Agent Helen Landwehr, who supported the mission. “Rebuilding and maintaining our military advantage starts with secure technology.”
The event also attracted more than 40 senior U.S. leaders from the Department of Defense, the State Department, the Department of Transportation, NASA, Congress and state governments.
For U.S. counterintelligence teams, the mission was to protect American personnel, platforms and cleared defense industry representatives within designated areas, and do so in one of the most crowded, high-profile environments in the world, Yardley said.
"Throughout Europe, we face persistent concerns related to terrorist activity and adversary intelligence actions," said Special Agent Travis Dorsey, AFOSI's Office of Special Projects OL-G at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
"Events like this give our adversaries opportunities to get close to U.S. and allied personnel and hardware,” Dorsey added. “That's why standing shoulder to shoulder with our French partners is essential for keeping people and equipment safe."
With U.S. assets like the F-35, MQ-9, Army helicopters, and missile systems on display, including the F-15 Eagle, C-17 Globemaster III, CH-47 Chinook and UH-60 Black Hawk, the joint counterintelligence team had no shortage of work.
“The F-35 was definitely the star of the show, but we were proud to support aircrew representing other critical U.S. platforms as well,” Landwehr said. “Protecting our people and technology across every platform is essential.”
However, that protection extended beyond equipment displays to daily interactions with aircrew, contractors and service members across the U.S. footprint at the event.
“It was definitely a head-on-a-swivel situation,” said Special Agent Clifford Cope from U.S. Army Counterintelligence. “Every morning, we were out there briefing service members, providing counterintelligence education and letting them know what to watch for, staying aware and reminding them they could contact us anytime.”
Throughout the event, counterintelligence teams canvassed exhibition halls, delivered daily threat briefings to service members and engaged directly with cleared defense contractors.
“During the first half of the week, our focus was counterintelligence support for several hundred U.S. defense contractors,” Landwehr said. “The second half, when public attendance increased, we shifted focus to general safety, like protecting aircrew and identifying anyone exhibiting suspicious behavior.”
That layered, proactive approach, according to long-time AFOSI staff member Kevin Johnson, reflects years of preparation and partnership with French counterparts.
“We laid the groundwork beforehand,” Johnson said. “We held meetings with our counterparts to agree on how we would operate. There were clear protocols, defined margins for maneuver.”
Johnson, a retired Navy intelligence specialist now in his 18th year with AFOSI at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, added that those agreements didn’t happen overnight.
“The cooperation is sincere, built on trust and it extends beyond France,” he said. “We’ve listened to our partners, worked with them and followed their guidelines to operate successfully in their country.”
That trust allowed the U.S. team to operate more aggressively than in previous years, he said, while maintaining a strict focus on their mission.
“We kept our focus strictly on U.S. military personnel, U.S. equipment, cleared defense contractors and areas directly tied to U.S. participation,” Johnson said. “We didn’t venture into unrelated parts of the show. That focus reassured our French counterparts.”
Building those relationships, Landwehr said, often comes down to more than operational planning, it requires clear communication and cultural awareness.
“It was rewarding to use my French to collaborate directly with our counterparts,” she said. “Minimizing language barriers played a key role in ensuring effective cooperation.”
That close coordination was also critical to the team’s ability to operate effectively alongside French security forces throughout the event. However, Landwehr added that success in this environment often comes down to what doesn’t happen.
"Our success is measured by how quietly things run," Dorsey said. "In this case, zero incidents and everyone going home safely means mission success."
As the event concluded, U.S. counterintelligence teams reviewed all lessons learned.
“The Paris Air Show demonstrated exactly what ‘Peace Through Strength’ looks like,” Yardley said. “A capable, joint-force presence, integrated with allies and partners, is how we deter threats and stay ahead of evolving challenges.”