The Aerospace Advantage

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

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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

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#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

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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:

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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:

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#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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Episode 92 — A World on Fire, Reducing Civilian Casualties, and a Washington Update: The Rendezvous

Episode 92 – A World on Fire, Reducing Civilian Casualties, and a Washington Update: The Rendezvous

Episode Summary:

In Episode 92 of the Aerospace Advantage podcast, A World on Fire, Reducing Civilian Casualties, and a Washington Update: The Rendezvous, host John Baum chats with Lt Gen Dave Deptula, USAF (Ret.), Maj Gen Larry Stutzriem, USAF (Ret.), and Todd Harmer to discuss the air and space topics that you’ve seen in the national security headlines. This week, we explore Washington’s latest moves regarding Ukraine, take-aways from the recent flare up in the Taiwan Strait, whether DoD’s plan to reduce civilian casualties will work, and whether “divesting to invest” is succeeding when it comes to modernizing the Air Force aircraft inventory.

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: Maj Gen (Ret.) Larry Stutzriem, Executive Director, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

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

Submit Your Questions:

mitchell@afa.org

Links:

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Website: https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/

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#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #usaf #rendezvous #ukraine #taiwan #china

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Episode 91 — Quantum Technology and Defense: Understanding the Imperative

Episode 91 – Quantum Technology and Defense: Understanding the Imperative

Episode Summary:

In Episode 91 of the Aerospace Advantage podcast, Quantum Technology and Defense: Understanding the Imperative, John Baum and Mitchell Institute’s Heather Penney are joined by Dr. Max Perez, an engineer at Cold Quanta, and Dr. Andrei Shkel, a professor of engineering at UCI, to demystify this important capability and understand how it applies to future defense applications. We hear it all the time in conversations regarding future defense technologies: quantum is going to be critically important. But what does that actually mean and where will we likely apply this technology? Where does the US stand relative to China in the race to operationalize quantum? What’s the cost of coming in second in this competition? The podcast delves into these key questions and more. This is an important conversation with top experts that you won't want to miss. It’s all about looking past the buzzwords and cutting to the key issues in play.

Credits:

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

Producer: Shane Thin

Producer: Dan Rice

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

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

Guest: Dr. Max Perez, Engineer, Cold Quanta

Guest: Dr. Andrei Shkel, Professor of Engineering, University of California, Irvine

Links:

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#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #quantum #technology #futuredefense #future

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Episode 90 — Crisis in the Pacific: What Just Happened between China and Taiwan?

Episode 90 – Crisis in the Pacific: What Just Happened Between China and Taiwan?

Episode Summary:

In episode 90 of the Aerospace Advantage podcast, Crisis in the Pacific: What Just Happened between China and Taiwan?, Mitchell Institute’s Executive Director Douglas Birkey is joined by Brian Hart, a fellow with the Center for Strategic and International Studies' China Power Project; Thomas Corbett, a Research Analyst at Bluepath Labs; and Dan Rice, Mitchell Institute’s Research Analyst, to discuss what we can learn from China's recent military activity around Taiwan and the broader international response. As anyone reading the headlines knows, this was a big deal with tremendous implications for the international community writ large. This episode hosts an expert conversation to dig into the details regarding what occurred, why it's important, and important takeaways to better understand future Chinese military aspirations.

Credits:

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

Producer: Shane Thin

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

Guest: Brian Hart, Fellow, Center for Strategic and International Studies' China Power Project

Guest: Thomas Corbett, Research Analyst, Bluepath Labs

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

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#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #China #Taiwan #Geopolitics

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