The Aerospace Advantage

Episode 55 - Russia‘s Military Strategy in Europe

Episode 55 – Russia’s Military Strategy in Europe

Episode Summary:

In Episode 55 of the Aerospace Advantage Podcast, Russia’s Military Strategy in Europe, host John "Slick" Baum is joined by Justin Bronk and Samuel Cranny-Evans of the Royal United Services Institute and the Mitchell Institute's own Heather Penney to dive into Russian strategy. We've spent a lot of time on the Aerospace Advantage talking about China, but Russia poses an equally concerning threat to the US and our EUCOM allies--and the two threats have distinct differences. Whether it be military intervention in Ukraine, Syria, or Georgia, Russia's conventional military might is still strong, and Putin is becoming increasingly aggressive in wielding it to achieve his objectives. So, to understand the threat that Russia poses, there's no better perspective than from the strategic thinkers at RUSI who watch in their own backyard Russia move the chess pieces.

Credits:

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

Producer: Daniel C. Rice

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

Guest: Justin Bronk, Airpower Research Fellow, Military Sciences at Royal United Services Institute

Guest: Samuel Cranny-Evans, Research Analyst, Royal United Services Institute

Guest: Maj (Ret.) Heather “Lucky” Penney, Senior Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Links:

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#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #Russia

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Episode 54 - MQ-9 Reimagined: Tomorrow‘s Reaper Missions

Episode 54 – MQ-9 Reimagined: Tomorrow’s Reaper Missions

Episode Summary:

In episode 54 of the Aerospace Advantage podcast MQ-9 Reimagined: Tomorrow’s Reaper Missions, host John "Slick" Baum talks to 49th Wing Commander Col Ryan Keeney, Mitchell Institute’s own Maj Gen (Ret.) Larry Stutzriem, and Bryan Clark of the Hudson Institute to explore how the MQ-9 will meet new mission demands. Bottom line, the Reaper attained legendary status over Afghanistan and Iraq, but its career is far from over. In fact, current combatant command requests far outstrip available supply. Looking to the future, as defense leaders increasingly focus on peer threats like China and Russia, it’s important to explore how the MQ-9 will expand its mission applications. Simply put, there is tremendous demand for the sensor-shooter capabilities the aircraft brings to the fight. It’s time to reimagine how the MQ-9 will engage in this new realm.

Credits:

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

Producer: Daniel C. Rice

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

Guest: Col Ryan Keeney, Commander, 49^th Wing, USAF

Guest: Maj Gen (Ret.) Larry “Stutz” Stutzreim, Director of Research, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Guest: Bryan Clark, Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Defense Concepts and Technology, The Hudson Institute

Links:

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#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #MQ9 #Reaper #MQ9Reaper

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Episode 53 - F-22, F-15EX, F-35, NGAD, and Beyond: Fighter Force Recommendations for the Next Decade

Episode 53 – F-22, F-15EX, F-35, NGAD, and Beyond: Fighter Force Recommendations for the Next Decade

Episode Summary:

In episode 53 of the Aerospace advantage podcast F-22, F-15EX, F-35, NGAD, and Beyond: Fighter Force Recommendations for the Next Decade, Host John “Slick” Baum and members of the Mitchell Institute team explore a U.S. Air Force fighter force that is in crisis and look to future solutions. After three decades of canceled, curtailed, and delayed investment in modernization, the nation now finds itself in major need of these capabilities with far too few advanced fighter aircraft to meet demand. This isn’t just an Air Force problem—it affects every aspect of U.S. national security. No form of power projection in any domain is viable without control of the sky. Ships at sea, forces on the ground, space control centers, cyber facilities, logistics hubs, and more just won’t make it when hit with high-intensity attacks from the sky. And we haven’t had to think like this in decades, but we are now at that merge given where China and Russia and pushing. Learn more about these challenges and proposed vectors for the future.

Credits:

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

Producer: Daniel C. Rice

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

Guest: Maj (Ret.) Heather “Lucky” Penney, Senior Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

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

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

Guest: Col (Ret.) Mark “Gonzo” Gunzinger, Director of Future Concepts and Capabilities Assessments, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Links:

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#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #FighterJet #F35 #F15EX #F22 #NGAD

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Episode 52 - Congress and Defense, Russian Satellite Shootdown and China‘s Nuclear Stance: The Rendezvous

Episode 52 – Congress and Defense, Russian Satellite Shootdown, and China’s Nuclear Stance: The Rendezvous

Episode Summary:

In episode 52 of the Aerospace advantage podcast Congress and Defense, Russian Satellite Shootdown, and China’s Nuclear Stance: The Rendezvous, host John “Slick” Baum welcomes the Mitchell team to discuss stories that have dominated the news cycle. After stalling out for months, it looks like the Senate’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act is headed for the floor. What should we be looking for in this bill?  Next, as if things weren’t bad enough with the Chinese launch of the fractional orbital bombardment system, we’ve got the Russians blowing up a satellite, filling several orbits with thousands of fragments of debris. Finally, General Hyten, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, discussed what many of us have long suspected: China’s nuclear build-up is about gaining a first-strike capability. These are incredibly important topics, so make sure you join us for this episode.

Credits:

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

Producer: Daniel C. Rice

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

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

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

Guest: Col (ret.) Mark “Gonzo” Gunzinger, Director of Future Concepts and Capabilities Assessments, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Guest: Chris Stone, Senior Fellow, The Mitchell Institute Space Power Advantage Research Center

Guest: Daniel Rice, Research Analyst, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Links:

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Website: https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/

#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #ASAT #China #Russia #Congress #NDAA

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Episode 51 - Astronaut Jared Isaacman: Inspiration4 and Innovation in Space

Episode 51 – Astronaut Jared Isaacman: Inspiration4 and Innovation in Space

Episode Summary:

In episode 51 of the Aerospace advantage podcast Astronaut Jared Isaacman: Inspiration4 and Innovation in Space, host John "Slick" Baum welcomes onto the podcast Shift4 CEO and Inspiration4 mission commander, astronaut Jared Isaacman. Private industry is making incredible strides in space, and Inspiration4 was a landmark moment, the first all-civilian mission to space. Missions like these are not just for show, they mark a growing trend of competition and innovation in the space industry that we haven't seen since the Cold War, but there are still some barriers holding us back. Today we are going to explore how the Inspiration4 mission and the private space industry are driving the radical changes that we need to stay relevant as we enter into a new phase of near-peer competition in the final frontier, space.

You can find the Aerospace Advantage patch giveaway here.

Credits:

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

Producer: Daniel C. Rice

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

Guest: Astronaut Jared Isaacman, CEO, Shift4 and Inspiration4 Commander

Links:

Patch Giveaway: https://youtu.be/p5CrbFKk5EE 

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Website: https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/

#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage

Thank you for your continued support!

Episode 50 - Building the Next Gen Space Enterprise

Episode 50 – Building the Next Gen Space Enterprise

Episode Summary:

In Episode 50 of the Aerospace Advantage podcast, Building the Next Gen Space Enterprise, host John “Slick” Baum speaks to a number of key leaders in the Space Force and industry to discuss how and why new actors are entering the space business.  Given all the recent activity in space—whether discussing the explosion of small satellites or new launch players like Space X, Virgin Galactic, or Blue Origin—it’s hard to remember that the space industry was once one the realm of a select few companies. To put it bluntly, the barriers to entry were incredible and the notion that start-ups or outside companies could enter this realm seemed impossible. But then something happened. Several years ago, the government signaled they wanted to broaden the market for players in the launch sector as well as those who built the satellites. It wasn’t long after that decision that we saw a tidal wave of activity. And it’s fundamentally reshaped what it means to go to space, what we do when we have assets up there, and how we envision the domain. Today we are going to take a few steps back in history and talk to a number of key players who have lived through this journey—from both the government and industry vantage. We are going to explore what drove the government to begin pursuing this course and what motivated companies to want to engage. It’s an incredible story. We are going to look back years from now and realize this was a key inflection point that fundamentally shaped how America and the world related to space.

Credits:

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

Producer: Daniel C. Rice

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

Guest: Chuck Beames, Executive Chairman of York Space Systems and Chairman of the SmallSat Alliance

Chuck Beames’ Twitter handle: @chuckbeames

Guest: Brig Gen Steven Whitney, Military Deputy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration

Guest: Bradley Cheetham, CEO and President, Advanced Space

Links:

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#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage

Thank you for your continued support!

Episode 49 - China‘s Global Intent and Tactics: Adversary Insights

Episode 49 – China’s Global Intent and Tactics: Adversary Insights

Episode Summary:

In Episode 49 of the Aerospace Advantage podcast China’s Global Intent and Tactics: Adversary Insights, host John “Slick” Baum is joined by Dr. Brendan Mulvaney of the China Aerospace Studies Institute (CASI), the former Director of Research at CASI. Ken Allen, and Mitchell Institute research analyst Daniel Rice to discuss the big question on everyone’s mind, “What is China’s global intent, and what are they doing to achieve these goals?” You see it in the news all of the time, China is fielding a new capability, or chartering vectors into a new area of the globe, so we need to make sense of it all and frame the way that we think about China. Today, the team explains what are China’s fundamental goals, and sheds some light on Chinese actions in the South China Sea, around Taiwan, and the Chinese military buildup.

You can find episode 18 of the podcast with Col Keith "Ghost" Butler and the B-2 here.

You can find our last episode on the PLAAF here.

Credits:

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

Producer: Daniel C. Rice

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

Guest: Dr. Brendan Mulvaney, Director, The China Aerospace Studies Institute

Guest: Ken Allen, former Director of Research, The China Aerospace Studies Institute

Guest: Daniel Rice, Research Analyst, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Links:

Website: https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/

Subscribe to our Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/3HIZWyD

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#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage

Thank you for your continued support!

Episode 48 - Operation Enduring Freedom: A 20-Year Air Commander Retrospective Part 2

Episode 48 – Operation Enduring Freedom: A 20-Year Air Commander Retrospective Part 2

Episode Summary:

In episode 48 of the Aerospace Advantage podcast, Operation Enduring Freedom: A 20-Year Air Commander Retrospective Part 2, General Buzz Moseley, USAF (ret), General Chuck Wald, USAF (ret), Lt Gen Dave Deptula, USAF (ret), and Maj Gen Larry Stutzriem, USAF (ret) rejoin us to provide first-person air commander perspectives regarding the air campaign they led against the Taliban, which began on October 7th, 2001. This was an air war like none other. B-2s set new bombing mission endurance records—flying over 40 hours on a single sortie—while remotely piloted MQ-1 Predators ushered in an entirely new form of unmanned combat airpower. General Wald, USAF (ret.) and General Moseley, USAF (ret.) each served as the head of Central Command Air Forces Commander in back-to-back assignments, General Deptula, USAF (ret.) commanded the combined air operations center, and Major General Stutzriem, USAF (ret.) was the Director of Operations for Joint Task Force – Southwest Asia and Deputy Director of the Combined Air Operations Center. Today we explore the second half of this conversation, discussing what it was like to launch an air campaign less than a month after the 9/11 attacks in a location few could have ever imagined. Through their leadership, drive, and innovation—they surged planning efforts and launched one an air campaign that yielded decisive results.

Credits:

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

Producer: Daniel C. Rice

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

Guest: Gen (ret.) T. Michael “Buzz” Moseley, USAF

Guest: Gen (ret.) Charles F. “Chuck” Wald, USAF

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

Guest: Maj Gen (ret.) Larry “Stutz” Stutzriem, Director of Research, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Links:

Website: https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/

Subscribe to our Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/3HIZWyD

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#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage

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Episode 47 – Fractional Orbital Strike, Advanced Tactical Trainer, UAV Strikes, and Next Gen AWACS: The Rendezvous

Episode 47 – Fractional Orbital Strike, Advanced Tactical Trainer, UAV Strikes, and Next Gen AWACS: The Rendezvous

Episode Summary:

In episode 47 of the Aerospace Advantage podcast, Fractional Orbital Strike, Advanced Tactical Trainer, UAV Strikes, and Next Gen AWACS: The Rendezvous, Mitchell Institute team members talk about some of the top aerospace headlines you’ve seen in recent news. Whether discussing why the Chinese are pursuing a new strike technology, ACC’s desire to rethink how it trains pilots, whether “over the horizon strikes” with UAVs will continue to present value, and the latest considerations when it comes to replacing the E-3 AWACS—there are a lot of issues in play. Join us to hear the background context and key points of consideration on these important topics.

Credits:

Host:  Lt Col John “Slick” Baum, USAF, ret.

Producer: Daniel C. Rice

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

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

Guest: Col (ret.) Mark “Gonzo” Gunzinger, Director of Future Concepts and Capabilities Assessments, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Guest: Maj (ret.) Heather “Lucky” Penney, Senior Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Guest: Chris Stone, Senior Fellow, The Mitchell Institute Space Power Advantage Research Center

Links:

Website: https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/

Subscribe to our Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/3HIZWyD

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheMitchellInstituteforAerospaceStudies

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#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage

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Episode 46 - Operation Enduring Freedom: A 20-year Air Commander Retrospective Part 1

Episode 46 – Operation Enduring Freedom: A 20-Year Air Commander Retrospective Part 1

Episode Summary:

In episode 46 of the Aerospace Advantage podcast, Operation Enduring Freedom: A 20-Year Air Commander Retrospective Part 1, General Buzz Moseley, USAF (ret), General Chuck Wald, USAF (ret), Lt Gen Dave Deptula, USAF (ret), and Maj Gen Larry Stutzriem, USAF (ret), explore what it was like to plan and execute an air campaign like none other. Their efforts began hours after the 9/11 attacks, with combat operations commencing on October 7^th, 2001. Sortie durations stretched aircraft and crews to their limits given the lack of proximate regional bases. In a matter of months, U.S. airpower, in conjunction with indigenous Afghan ground forces and a handful of U.S. special units, removed the Taliban from power and destroyed terrorist training camps. In fact, Afghanistan was already in allied control by the time the broader US Army and Marine Corps deployments arrived. So, if you want to know about the decisive phase of Operation Enduring Freedom, it’s a story about airpower. General Wald, USAF (ret.) and General Moseley, USAF (ret.) each served as the head of Central Command Air Forces Commander in back-to-back assignments, General Deptula commanded the combined air operations center, and Major General Stutzriem, USAF (ret.) was the Director of Operations for Joint Task Force - Southwest Asia and Deputy Director of the Combined Air Operations Center. At their core, they were all air commanders in an absolutely pivotal moment in our nation’s history. Today we explore this history and talk about experiences and memories none of them will ever forget. This is the first time they have discussed this history as a group in twenty years, so this is a set of episodes you will not want to miss.

Credits:

Host:  Lt Col John “Slick” Baum, USAF, ret.

Producer: Daniel C. Rice

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

Guest: Gen (ret.) T. Michael “Buzz” Moseley, USAF

Guest: Gen (ret.) Charles F. “Chuck” Wald, USAF

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

Guest: Maj Gen (ret.) Larry “Stutz” Stutzriem, Director of Research, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

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

Links:

Website: https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/

Subscribe to our Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/3HIZWyD

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