With China engaged in a nuclear break-out, Russia upgrading its nuclear capabilities, plus Iran and North Korea aggressively pursuing their nuclear ambitions—a credible, capable, and safe U.S. nuclear deterrent is more important than ever. The imperatives are clear: to deter adversaries, reassure allies, and provide national leaders with key options whether in peacetime or war. That is why it is so important the U.S. pursue modernization for all three legs of its nuclear triad, including command and control. While present capabilities remain viable, their advanced age and the evolution of the threat environment demand new solutions. This is especially true for the Air Force’s intercontinental ballistic missile and bomber legs of the triad. Lt Gen Gebara is a key defense leader in this effort.

Brig Gen Michael “Jekyll” Winkler, USAF (Ret.), the Deputy Director for Air and Cyberspace Operations of the Pacific Air Forces, and Mitchell's J. Michael Dahm explore how the Department of Defense and Congress can and must prepare the Air Force to fight from their forward air bases to generate combat effects while under attack.

Link to the report

The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies invites you to enjoy our Aerospace Nation with Gen Kenneth S. Wilsbach, Commander, Air Combat Command.

Whether discussing missions like air superiority, air battle management, electromagnetic spectrum operations, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, or combat search and rescue—the airmen of ACC execute missions that are foundational to modern warfare. Ask any combatant commander and they want more ACC airpower. However, years of budget pressures and non-stop operational deployments have yielded a force that is stretched thin. This decade marks a major wave of modernization to reset units throughout ACC, with many of these investments combining long standing tenets of air warfare with new realities of the information age. Pair those realities with a burgeoning threat environment and it is clear General Wilsbach and his team are looking at a distinct number of challenges and opportunities. What’s beyond certainty is that ACC will be an essential actor in any operation today and tomorrow.

Listen to our thought-provoking conversation with one of America’s top air commanders to learn where ACC is today and where it’s going in the future.

The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies invites you to enjoy our Schriever Spacepower Series with Lt Gen David N. Miller, Jr., Commander, Space Operations Command, United States Space Force.

As part of Great Power Competition, the United States today confronts numerous threats to our space capabilities and infrastructure. China has demonstrated the ability to strike ground sites, command and control networks, and satellites in orbit. Ensuring the Space Force is postured for this operational reality is the responsibility of the Space Operations Command (SpOC) under the command of Lt Gen David “Rock” Miller, Jr.

Listen to our event audio for an insightful discussion with Lt Gen Miller about SpOC priorities and current efforts to meet and overcome emerging challenges to our space superiority.

It’s no secret: whether considering the relative scale of Russia’s military power or confining rules of engagement, Ukraine’s fight to reclaim territory is challenging. Lt Gen David A. Deptula, USAF (Ret.), Dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, and co-author Dr. Christopher Bowie released a new solution-oriented report on the conflict that includes a comprehensive, integrated approach for Ukraine to achieve air superiority. As part of this discussion, Gen Philip M. Breedlove, USAF (Ret.), the 17th Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO Allied Command Operations; Gen Tod Wolters, USAF (Ret.), the 19th Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO Allied Command Operations; and Gen Jeffrey Harrigian, USAF (Ret.), former Commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and U.S. Air Forces Africa, also offered their perspectives..

The report is informed by a recent trip Lt Gen Deptula took to Ukraine to help advise members of their military leadership team. Topics discussed center around strategy and concepts of operation, especially through an airpower lens. A largely ground-centric approach to the conflict has yielded a brutal attrition fight—one that numerically favors Russia. Airpower could provide Ukraine with the edge it needs to gain an advantage over the Russians, break through their front lines, and change the course of the war. Given what is at stake in this fight—especially with China watching—it is crucial to consider alternate courses of action.

With their combined decades of experience and given their unique perspectives on Ukraine, the conversation between Lt Gen Deptula, Gen Breedlove, Gen Harrigian, and Dr. Bowie was incredibly thought-provoking, insightful, and direct. Bottom line, it is time to start focusing on what it looks like to win, and not just avoid losing day-by-day.

The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies invites you to enjoy our Schriever Spacepower Series with Gen Stephen N. Whiting, Commander, United States Space Command, United States Space Force.

Space capabilities, services, and effects are now an indispensable part of daily life and foundational to the structure and operation of the U.S. military. United States Space Command is the Combatant Command charged with ensuring that the American people, and American warfighters in particular, never experience a day without space. That responsibility is more important and more challenging than ever. Increasing threats, growing congestion, and expanding opportunities in the domain add complexity and criticality to Space Command's mission.

Listen to this in-depth discussion with Gen Whiting to learn more about the mission of the newest Combatant Command, its interactions with the Space Force and other services, and how it is leading the way in space.

The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies invites you to enjoy the rollout for our latest report: Digital Engineering: Accelerating the Defense Acquisition and Development Cycle in an Era of Strategic Competition, authored by Heather Penney, Senior Resident Fellow, with Brian Morra, Non-Resident Visiting Fellow. In this event, Ms. Penney discussed her findings with Dave Tremper, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Acquisition Integration and Interoperability; Drake Harris, Director, ADP Integrated Systems Strategy and Business Development, Lockheed Martin; and Jeffrey Reed, Director Of Engineering – Digital Transformation, Northrop Grumman Corporation.

The Department of the Air Force (DAF) faces severe capability and capacity shortfalls. Despite the urgent need to rapidly recapitalize the force, modernization lags strategic demands. Digital engineering promises to boost these efforts. Advancements in systems engineering, design, modeling, simulation, and even production can provide benefits across the entire lifecycle of a weapon system. This includes manufacturing, operation, and sustainment.

Said more simply, implementing digital engineering practices has the potential to accelerate the development and fielding of capability. New-start defense acquisition programs can fully exploit these advantages, which will save time and resources. Digital engineering can also benefit legacy weapon systems in more focused areas like sustainment and modernization.

This report explores this crucial topic, helping provide foundational insights and explaining how and when digital engineering will yield best outcomes, while also detailing where returns will be limited.

The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies invites you to listen to Schriever Spacepower Series with Lt Gen Philip Garrant, Commander, Space Systems Command, United States Space Force.

He discussed SSC’s reinvigorated culture and focus on delivering war-winning space capabilities. We also explored the implementation of the new DOD and USSF Commercial Space Strategies and the imperatives of speed and innovation facing the Space Force.