The Aerospace Advantage

Episode 102 – Want JADC2?: You’re Going to Need Capabilities In Orbit

Episode Summary:

In episode 102 of the Aerospace Advantage podcast, Want JADC2?: You’re Going to Need Capabilities In Orbit, John Baum chats with Tim Ryan and Doug Birkey of the Mitchell Institute team about the essential role that capabilities in space will play in realizing the Department of Defense’s vision for Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2). Technologies in orbit possess the unique ability to gather vast quantities of data and move information at the speed, size, and range required for an effective JADC2 architecture. That means if you want a viable set of JADC2 capabilities, you had better invest in space. This architecture must be also be resilient and defendable.  This requires pursuing both passive and active defense features to include the rapid acceleration of offensive and defensive space warfighting concepts and capabilities. This is an incredibly complex topic, but we break it down to the key elements on this episode.

Credits:

Host: Lt Col (Ret.) John “Slick” Baum, Senior Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Producer: Shane Thin

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

Guest: Tim Ryan, Senior Resident Fellow for Space Studies, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

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

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#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #JADC2 #Space

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Episode 101 – B-21 Update, China Assessment, Election Implications for Defense, & F-15s Sunsetting at Kadena: The Rendezvous

Episode Summary:

In Episode 101 of the Aerospace Advantage podcast,  B-21 Update, China Assessment, Election Implications for Defense, & F-15s Sunsetting at Kadena: The Rendezvous, John “Slick” Baum chats with Lt Gen Dave Deptula, USAF (Ret.), Anthony Lazarski, Todd Harmer, and Daniel Rice to discuss the air and space topics that you’ve seen in the national security headlines. This week, we assess the newly-released National Defense Strategy, status of the B-21 program as we anticipate the rollout, Heritage Foundation’s 2023 Index of Military Strength, China’s Communist Party Congress, F-15s sunsetting at Okinawa absent a direct replacement, and how the upcoming elections could impact defense issues. We also provide an update regarding the National Defense Authorization Act and where the Defense Appropriations legislation stands. We wrap with a review of Mitchell Institute’s Spacepower Security Forum. This is a ton of news and analysis to pack into an episode, but it all matters a lot.

Credits:

Host: Lt Col (Ret.) John “Slick” Baum, Senior Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Producer: Shane Thin

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

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

Guest: Col (Ret.) Todd "Sledge" Harmer, Senior Vice President, American Defense International

Guest: Col (Ret.) Anthony "Lazer" Lazarski, Principal at Cornerstone Government Affairs

Guest: Daniel Rice, China Expert, Brute Krulak Center for Innovation and Future Warfare, Marine Corps University

Submit Your Questions:

mitchell@afa.org

Links:

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#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #rendezvous #washington #nds #b21

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Episode 100 – Collaborative Combat Aircraft: Understanding Next Steps

Episode Summary:

In episode 100 of the Aerospace Advantage podcast, Collaborative Combat Aircraft: Understanding Next Steps, John Baum chats with Heather Penney of the Mitchell Institute about key factors the Air Force should consider as it works to transform its vision for these next generation UAVs into viable operational assets. The motivation for these new aircraft is clear: gaining capability and capacity necessary to win in a peer fight. Highlighting findings from a recent report she drafted on this topic, Heather discusses why the Air Force is interested in CCAs and not just more manned aircraft, how trust factors into the development and employment of the autonomy technology, and crucial areas of autonomy development that the Air Force must focus on if CCA are to deliver on their promise. This is an important conversation to help understand one of the most dynamic aspects of combat airpower under development today.

Credits:

Host: Lt Col (Ret.) John “Slick” Baum, Senior Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Producer: Shane Thin

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

Guest: Heather Penney, Senior Resident Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Links:

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#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #CCA #autonomy #unmanned

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Episode 99 – Gaining the Maneuver Advantage in Space: An Imperative for Victory

Episode Summary:

In episode 99 of the Aerospace Advantage podcast, Gaining the Maneuver Advantage in Space: An Imperative for Victory, John Baum chats with Maj Gen Larry Stutzriem, USAF (Ret.), and Chris Stone of the Mitchell Institute, along with Dr. Christina Back of General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems. They will explain why it is crucial to pursue next generation propulsion technologies to enhance space maneuvering. Today, America’s national security space enterprise is at an inflection point. Current U.S. Space Force designs are based on constellation architectures with limited maneuverability and few countermeasures. This means assets in orbit are increasingly vulnerable to attack as China and Russia both deploy new anti-satellite weapons and multi-layered counterspace architectures. However, this does not have to be our future. DOD has an opportunity to leverage decades of space nuclear thermal propulsion technology development to create a more agile and defendable space architecture to protect U.S. interests. Creating this new, maneuver-based force design will be a major step toward ensuring the U.S. Space Force has the attributes it needs to gain and maintain our nation’s space superiority in peace and in war.

Credits:

Host: Lt Col (Ret.) John “Slick” Baum, Senior Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Producer: Shane Thin

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

Guest: Lt Gen (Ret.) Larry "Stutz" Stutzriem, Director of Research, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Guest: Chris Stone, Senior Resident Fellow for Space Studies, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Guest: Dr. Christina Back, General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems Group

Links:

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#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #space #propulsion #maneuvering #force #development

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Episode 98 – Building Aerospace Power: Implications for Tomorrow’s Industrial Base

Episode 98 – Building Aerospace Power: Implications for Tomorrow’s Industrial Base

Episode Summary:

In episode 98 of the Aerospace Advantage podcast, Building Aerospace Power: Implications for Tomorrow’s Industrial Base, John Baum chats with Kevin Michaels, Richard Aboulafia, and Michael Cisek of the Aerodynamic Advisory Group—a top analyst firm in this sector. America is an aerospace nation that spans innovation, production, sustainment, and consumer markets. Both commercial applications and the national security interests rely on the domains of air and space. This demands a robust industrial enterprise. However, the aerospace sector is facing significant turbulence. Surging demand for military recapitalization after a multi-decade drought, a commercial segment ravaged by COVID, new entrants in the UAV and space sector, and competition for talent from the tech world is making for a very challenging set of dynamics. This episode will assess the health of this sector and steps that can be taken to ensure the long-term viability of this capability and capacity. From a military vantage, it is essential the nation procure types like F-35, B-21, NGAD, KC-46, T-7, next gen CCAs, and a broad array of space capabilities. That demands the ability to innovate and produce. We can’t take that for granted.

Credits:

Host: Lt Col (Ret.) John “Slick” Baum, Senior Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Producer: Shane Thin

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

Guest: Kevin Michaels, Aerodynamic Advisory Group

Guest: Richard Aboulafia, Aerodynamic Advisory Group

Guest: Michael Cisek, Aerodynamic Advisory Group

Links:

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Website: https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themitchellinstituteforaero/?hl=en

#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #aerospace #sector #research #development

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Episode 97 – The Oldest, Smallest U.S. Air Force in History: What Happened?

Episode 97 – The Oldest, Smallest U.S. Air Force in History: What Happened?

Episode Summary:

In episode 97 of the Aerospace Advantage podcast, The Oldest, Smallest U.S. Air Force in its 75 Year History: What Happened?, John Baum chats with Mitchell team members Lt Gen Dave Deptula, USAF (Ret.), Lt Gen Joseph Guastella, USAF (Ret.), and Mark Gunzinger to understand why America’s Air Force is stretched to the brink. This is particularly problematic given the scale of threats that define the current national security environment. Without the right mix of modern airpower competencies, core U.S. security strategies simply will not work. Funding is at the heart of the issue. The Air Force’s budget has been less than the Navy and Army’s for the last 30 years in a row. These sorts of realities repeatedly prompted service officials to pursue “divest to invest” modernization strategies that introduced significant risk and failed to effectively balance modernization, force size, and readiness. Resetting the Air Force to meet the national security demands of today and tomorrow is possible, but it will take forceful leadership at the highest levels of the Department of Defense. Without modernizing our geriatric Air Force and building it to the capacity required by our national defense strategy, the U.S. is a great risk of losing its next major conflict.

Credits:

Host: Lt Col (Ret.) John “Slick” Baum, Senior Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Producer: Shane Thin

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

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

Guest: Lt Gen (Ret.) Joseph Guastella, Senior Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Guest: Mark Gunzinger, Director Future Concepts and Capability Assessments, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Links:

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#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #usaf #budget #airpower #modernization

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Episode 96 — ACC on Fighters, a New Air Mobility Manifesto, and the Latest on Ukraine: The Rendezvous

Episode 96 – ACC on Fighters, a New Air Mobility Manifesto, and the Latest on Ukraine: The Rendezvous

Episode Summary:

In Episode 96 of the Aerospace Advantage podcast, ACC on Fighters, a New Air Mobility Manifesto, and the Latest on Ukraine: The Rendezvous, Mitchell Institute’s executive director Doug Birkey chats with Lt Gen Dave Deptula, USAF (Ret.), Anthony Lazarski, and Todd Harmer to discuss the air and space topics that you’ve seen in the national security headlines. This week, we cover Air Force and Space Force leader remarks from the Air and Space Force Association’s Air, Space, and Cyber Conference—an event that saw over 16,000 gather to discuss the key national security topics. Of particular interest are comments made by Air Combat Command Commander Gen Mark Kelly about the state of the Air Force’s fighter force and Air Mobility Command Commander Gen Mike Minihan on the need to up the service’s mobility game to meet future demands, especially when facing China. We also talk about the technology trends observed at the conference, the latest regarding the conflict in Ukraine, and what’s set for the Washington agenda this coming month. Join us for an insightful conversation.

Credits:

Host: Douglas Birkey

Producer: Shane Thin

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

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

Guest: Col (Ret.) Todd "Sledge" Harmer, Senior Vice President, American Defense International

Guest: Col (Ret.) Anthony "Lazer" Lazarski, Principal at Cornerstone Government Affairs

Submit Your Questions:

mitchell@afa.org

Links:

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Website: https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/

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#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #rendezvous #thehill #ukraine #asc #conference

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Episode 95 – The Future of Autonomy and Combat Airpower: Closing the Deal

Episode 95 – The Future of Autonomy and Combat Airpower: Closing the Deal

Episode Summary:

In Episode 95 of the Aerospace Advantage podcast, The Future of Autonomy and Combat Airpower: Closing the Deal, host John Baum chats with Heather Penney and Caitlin Lee of the Mitchell Institute, Mike Benitez of Shield AI, and Brett Darcey of Heron Systems in the final episode of our three-part series exploring combat airpower and autonomy. The first episode discussed the necessity of pursuing increased autonomy in combat aircraft, the second episode defined the key aspects and nuances surrounding this technology, and now, in the final episode, we detail what success looks like going into the future from both a human and technological set of vantages. What should we expect in the near-term and what might this operational capability look like years into the future?

Credits:

Host: Lt Col (Ret.) John “Slick” Baum, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Producer: Shane Thin

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

Guest: Heather Penney, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Guest: Caitlin Lee, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Guest: Mike "Pako" Benitez, Shield AI

Guest: Brett Darcey, Heron Systems

Links:

Subscribe to our Youtube Channel: https://bit.ly/3GbA5Of

Website: https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/

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#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #autonomy #uav #autonomation #aircraft

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Episode 94 – The Future of Autonomy and Combat Airpower: Building the Tech

Episode 94 – The Future of Autonomy and Combat Airpower: Building the Tech

Episode Summary:

In Episode 94 of the Aerospace Advantage podcast, The Future of Autonomy and Combat Airpower: Building the Tech, host John Baum chats with Heather Penney of Mitchell Institute, Mike Benitez of Shield AI, Brett Darcy of Heron Systems, and John Dowdy, who works on aerospace issues at McKinsey, in the second of our three-part series regarding combat airpower and autonomy. During the first episode, we explored what’s driving the quest for increased autonomy in combat airpower. On this episode, we define key aspects and nuances surrounding this this technology, while also working to add clarity between realistic expectations and what will likely remain aspirational for the long term. It’s crucial to understand what’s a prudent expectation versus a sci-fi vision. Guests also explore the challenges that we’re going to need to overcome when it comes to acquiring, building, testing, and fielding autonomy-empowered combat aircraft.

Credits:

Host: Lt Col (Ret.) John “Slick” Baum, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Producer: Shane Thin

Producer: Daniel C. Rice

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

Guest: Heather Penney, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Guest: Mike "Pako" Benitez, Shield AI

Guest: Brett Darcey, Heron Systems

Guest: John Dowdy, McKinsey

Links:

Subscribe to our Youtube Channel: https://bit.ly/3GbA5Of

Website: https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MitchellStudies

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themitchellinstituteforaero/?hl=en

#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #autonomy #uav #autonomation #aircraft

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Episode 93 – The Future of Autonomy and Combat Airpower: Understanding the Imperative

Episode 93 – The Future of Autonomy and Combat Airpower: Understanding the Imperative

Episode Summary:

In Episode 93 of the Aerospace Advantage podcast, The Future of Autonomy and Combat Airpower: Understanding the Imperative, host John Baum chats with Mike Benitez of Shield AI, Andrew Van Timmeren of Blue Force Technologies, plus Heather Penney and Caitlin Lee from the Mitchell Institute team about one of the most exciting developments in combat airpower: autonomy. It’s been the subject of science fiction for decades—the ability for aircraft to operate with a level of independent decision making that allows them to execute missions on their own. These are technologies that effectively bring Star Wars’ R2D2 to life. We are going to break this down across three episodes. First, we’re going look at the imperative: why do we need to pursue increased autonomy? In the second episode, we’re going to look at better defining the technology and its applications. We’ll bring it all together in the third episode by considering autonomy’s application in an operational context. Throughout all of these conversations, it is important to recognize that autonomy in the lab is one thing but making it useful and resilient in the battlespace is another. Technology doesn’t exist for its own sake—it’s fundamentally about achieving mission results more effectively.

Credits:

Host: Lt Col (Ret.) John “Slick” Baum, Senior Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Producer: Shane Thin

Producer: Daniel Rice

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

Guest: Mike "Pako" Benitez, Shield A.I.

Guest: Andrew "Scar" Van Timmeren, Blue Force Technologies

Links:

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#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #autonomy #uav #autonomation #aircraft

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