The Aerospace Advantage

FY27 Defense Budget, Fighter Support in Congress, Space Update: The Rendezvous — Ep. 288

Episode Summary:

In this episode, our team assesses the FY 27 defense budget request from an air and space set of perspectives. We also explore fighter developments in Congress via legislation introduced by Senators Budd (R-NC) and Shaheen (D-NH), as well as a powerful letter submitted by the Adjutants General calling for more F-35s and F-15EXs. When it comes to space power, we explain the importance of the Future Operating Environment and Objective Force 2040, plus the significance of Space Force selecting Reservists to become part-time Guardians. Our team wraps up exploring the conflict with Iran and America's munitions deficit.

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#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #thehill #government #rendezvous

Innovate to Survive: Vietnam Air Combat Perspectives Part 2 — Ep. 287

Episode Summary:

The air war over Vietnam represents one of the most dynamic, evolutionary periods of airpower innovation. This impacted tactics, operational concepts, training, and technological developments. In part two of this conversation, we continue our interview with two legendary Vietnam veteran airmen: Col. Leonard “Lucky” Ekman, USAF (Ret.) and ace Col. Chuck DeBellevue, USAF (Ret.). We focus on how the air-to-air tactics and technology evolved as well as key details behind the Wild Weasel mission.

Credits:

Host: Heather "Lucky" Penney, Director of Research, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Producer: Shane Thin

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

Guest: Col. Leonard “Lucky” Ekman, USAF (Ret.)

Guest: Col. Charles DeBellevue, USAF (Ret.)

Guest: John "JV" Venable, Senior Fellow for Airpower Studies, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

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#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #vietnam #veteran #military #history

Innovate to Survive: Vietnam Air Combat Perspectives Part 1 — Ep. 286

Episode Summary:

The air war over Vietnam represents one of the most dynamic, evolutionary periods of airpower innovation. The U.S. entered the conflict optimized to execute strikes against the Soviet Union, defend the homeland as part of Air Defense Command, and a host of other roles. Few of these missions matched the operational demands of what unfolded over Vietnam. Airmen had to rapidly adapt and innovate. This impacted tactics, operational concepts, training, and technological developments. Some of the most important lessons from Vietnam didn’t take hold in the Air Force until the conflict’s conclusion, when a generation of combat-proven airmen pushed for enhanced training via concepts like an enhanced Fighter Weapons School, Red Flag, and the Adversary prorgam. They also pushed for an entirely new generation of aircraft that took form in types like the F-15, F-16, A-10, E-3, KC-10, B-1, F-117, and more.  This episode seeks to learn more about this era by speaking to two legendary Vietnam veteran airmen: Col. Leonard “Lucky” Ekman, USAF (Ret.) and ace Col. Chuck DeBellevue, USAF (Ret.).

Credits:

Host: Heather "Lucky" Penney, Director of Research, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Producer: Shane Thin

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

Guest: Col. Leonard “Lucky” Ekman, USAF (Ret.)

Guest: Col. Charles DeBellevue, USAF (Ret.)

Guest: John "JV" Venable, Senior Fellow for Airpower Studies, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Links:

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#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #space #launch #ula

A Century of Liquid Rockets: Conversation with ULA's Chief Rocket Scientist John Reed — Ep. 285

Episode Summary:

This week we're talking about space launch. 2026 marks the 100th anniversary of liquid-fueled rockets, when Dr. Robert Goddard successfully pioneered the first launch from his aunt's farm in Auburn, MA. Like the Wright Brothers before him, Goddard’s breakthrough opened the door to a new domain and the exploration, operations, and economic development that have evolved ever since. Mitchell Institute experts and John Reed, the Chief Rocket Scientist at United Launch Alliance, discuss this milestone event, launch advancements over the past 100 years, the future of this technology, and why it all matters.

Note regarding ISP:

Isp or “Specific Impulse”, as we talked about, is a measure of a rocket efficiency. It is calculated as the Thrust force divided by the product of the mass flowrate of propellants times the gravitational acceleration in a 1 g field - (F/(mdot * g0). If we think about force in Newtons second law, with F=ma, we can see that we have mass divided by flowrate (or mass/sec) and acceleration divided by acceleration. These units resolve to what we term seconds of impulse. As we discussed, the acceleration of the fuel is a function of the exhaust velocity of the combustion products. This efficiency is driven by the combustion chamber design and chemical process as well as the nozzle design. These elements were all developed for rockets by Robert Goddard in his laboratory and field demonstrations.

Credits:

Host: Heather "Lucky" Penney, Director of Research, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Producer: Shane Thin

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

Guest: Charles Galbreath, Director, Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence (MI-SPACE)

Guest: John Reed, Chief Rocket Scientist, United Launch Alliance

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#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #space #launch #ula

Epic Fury Insights, FY27 Defense Budget, and Spacepower Update: The Rendezvous — Ep. 284

Episode Summary:

In this episode, our team discusses Operation Epic Fury from an air and space set of perspectives. We also explore top defense issues in Washington, D.C., with a special focus on the FY27 defense budget. Plus, we explain the latest in spacepower—everything from missile warning & tracking developments to the Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP).

Credits:

Host: Douglas Birkey, Executive Director, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Producer: Shane Thin

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

Guest: Lt. Gen. David Deptula, USAF (Ret.), Dean, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Guest: Jennifer "Boost" Reeve, Senior Resident Fellow for Space Studies, MI-SPACE

Guest: John "JV" Venable, Senior Fellow for Airpower Studies, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Guest: Todd "Sledge" Harmer, Senior Vice President, American Defense International

Guest: Anthony "Lazer" Lazarski, Principal, Cornerstone Government Affairs

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#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #rendezvous #politics #Hill

Understanding the Threat Environment in Space: Chief Lerch — Ep. 283

Episode Summary:

For decades, adversaries like China have pressed hard to erase the spacepower advantage of the United States. This includes weapons to attack our space systems and technologies on orbit to hold U.S. forces in all domains at risk. Bottom line, space is more contested today than ever before. Our Mitchell Institute team explores these realities with Chief Master Sergeant Ron Lerch, the Space Force Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Deputy of Chief of Space Operations for Intelligence. This is a crucial conversation you won't want to miss. 

Credits:

Host: Heather "Lucky" Penney, Director of Research, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Producer: Shane Thin

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

Guest: Charles Galbreath, Director and Senior Resident Fellow for Spacepower Studies, The Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence (MI-SPACE)

Guest: Kyle "Puma" Pumroy, Senior Resident Fellow for Space Studies, MI-SPACE

Guest: CMSgt. Ron Lerch, Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Intelligence, USSF

Links:

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#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #space #intelligence #militaryleadership

Command and Control Air Battle Management: The Air Layer Still Matters — Ep. 282

Episode Summary:

As the United States military works to ensure its forces can effectively employ military power in an increasingly dangerous threat environment, it is imperative that its command-and-control air battle management (C2ABM) enterprise is postured for success. The ability to ensure forces are positioned at the right time and place to best secure the desired effects, while avoiding undue risk, is crucial and will make the difference between winning and losing in future conflicts. Current C2ABM capabilities are too old, are increasingly fragile, lack sufficient capacity, and are too vulnerable. Heather “Lucky” Penney and Doug Birkey explore this topic with air battle managers Lt. Col. Alex “Big Bobby” Wallis and Lt. Col. Grant “SWAT” Georgulis . The time for change is now. U.S. forces must always retain a tactical decision advantage.

Credits:

Host: Heather "Lucky" Penney, Director of Research, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Producer: Shane Thin

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

Guest: Doug Birkey, Executive Director, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Guest: Lt. Col. Alex "Big Bobby" Wallis, Air Force Strategic Policy Fellow Alumni

Guest: Lt. Col. Grant "SWAT" Georgulis, Air Force Senior Developmental Education Fellow Alumni

Visit: c2coord.com

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#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #air #battlemanagement

Frontline Spacepower: Command Perspectives from U.S. Space Forces-Central — Ep. 281

Episode Summary:

Since the end of the Cold War, Central Command (CENTCOM) has been front and center for U.S. combat operations, with space playing an ever-increasing essential role in daily operations. That’s why the Space Force stood up its first component command,  U.S. Space Forces-Central (SPACECENT), in this combatant command. We discuss the history, current operations, and future of SPACECENT with its first commander, Col Chris “Tool” Putman.” Learn about how spacepower provided key contributions to defending Isreal from Iranian air and missile strikes, empowered Operation Midnight Hammer, and more. All these experiences have major implications for tactics, planning, operational employment, and integration of spacepower.

Credits:

Host: Heather "Lucky" Penney, Director of Research, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Producer: Shane Thin

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

Guest: Col. Chris "Tool" Putman, USSF (Ret.), Former Commander, U.S. Space Forces - Central (SPACECENT)

Guest: Jennifer "Boots" Reeves, Senior Resident Fellow for Spacepower Studies, The Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence

Guest: Charles Galbreath, Director and Senior Resident Fellow for Spacepower Studies, The Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence

Links:

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#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #space #militaryleadership

Operation Epic Fury: Key Insights and Analysis — Ep. 280

Episode Summary:

Join Mitchell Institute fellows for an in-depth conversation to better understand the strategic, operational, and tactical factors surrounding Operation Epic Fury. Heather Penney leads an unrivaled set of experts for an important dialogue that will help make sense of the conflict—from Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Deptula explaining how to design an air campaign and Charles Galbreath exploring spacepower’s contribution to the fight, to Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Houston Cantwell looking into the challenges involved with prosecuting high value targets and JV Venable discussing the realities of fighting an air war in the Middle East. This is an opportunity to better understand the ongoing operations that you won’t want to miss.

Credits:

Host: Heather "Lucky" Penney, Director of Research, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Producer: Shane Thin

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

Guest: Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, USAF (Ret.), Dean, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Guest: Brig. Gen. Houston Cantwell, USAF (Ret.), Senior Resident Fellow for Airpower Studies, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Guest: Douglas Birkey, Executive Director, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Guest: Charles Galbreath, Director and Senior Resident Fellow for Spacepower Studies, The Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence

Guest: John "JV" Venable, Senior Resident Fellow for Airpower Studies, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Links:

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#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #iran #middleeast #war

Top Spacepower Insights: AFA’s Warfare Symposium — Ep. 279

Episode Summary:

Join Mitchell Institute’s Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence (MI-SPACE) for their key takeaways from this week's Warfare Symposium, in Aurora, Colorado. Get the key takeaways about Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink’s focus on acquisition, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman's take on growing and modernizing the service, and much, much more. Charles, Jen, and Kyle also dig into insights from the panels and more from behind-the-scenes and what you didn’t hear on stage.

Credits:

Host: Charles Galbreath, Director and Senior Resident Fellow for Spacepower Studies, The Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence

Producer: Shane Thin

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

Guest: Jennifer "Boots" Reeves, Senior Resident Fellow for Spacepower Studies, The Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence

Guest: Kyle "Puma" Pumroy, Senior Resident Fellow for Spacepower Studies, The Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence

Links:

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#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #space #warfaresymposium