The Mitchell Institute’s Aerospace Nation Podcast

Homeland Sanctuary Lost: Urgent Actions to Secure the Arctic Flank

Authored by Brig. Gen. Houston Cantwell, USAF (Ret.), Senior Resident Fellow for Airpower Studies

Russia and China have spent the past three decades developing and fielding advanced weapons capable of striking the U.S. homeland—this includes nuclear and non-nuclear missiles. Military and civilian targets are more vulnerable to aerial attack than ever before. This is a major driver behind Golden Dome.

A Russian aircraft launching a hypersonic missile could strike New York or Washington D.C. in less than 60 minutes. Advanced cruise missiles—which are available in high numbers and at a low cost—can transit thousands of miles, evade existing radars, fly unpredictable flight paths, and deliver disastrous effects. The current devastation of major Ukrainian cities serves as a warning of what the United States could face in a future conflict.

Nowhere is the country’s exposure to attack more acute than from its Arctic approaches—the most direct corridor through which both Russia and China could strike the United States.  America has dealt with similar threats before. The Cold War saw the United States install and operate extensive arrays of early warning systems to ensure advanced detection of Soviet bomber aircraft across the Arctic region. However, those systems have aged out. U.S. Arctic domain awareness capabilities and capacity are woefully insufficient to meet today’s threats. A modern, effective enterprise must detect, track, and analyze military movements and other activities in real-time by using a variety of air, surface, and space sensors that collect and share information from multiple domains. It is time for the nation to rebuild its northern tier defenses.

Gen. Kevin Schneider | Aerospace Nation

It’s no secret that China is America’s national security pacing threat. Join us to learn more about airpower and the Pacific theater with Gen. Kevin Schneider, Commander, Pacific Air Forces; and Air Component Commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. He and his team are responsible for Air Force activities spread over half the globe in a command that supports more than 46,000 Airmen serving principally in Japan, South Korea, Hawaii, Alaska and Guam. The challenges he and his team work every day are hugely consequential.

Disconnected by Design: Fifth- and Sixth-Generation Aircraft in Disaggregated Collaborative Air Operations

Authored by J. Michael Dahm, Senior Fellow for Aerospace and China Studies

China’s informationized warfighting strategies are specifically designed to counter America’s networked approach to warfare. This includes breaking long-range kill chains and denying penetrating strikes their highly networked reach-back connectivity. Given these vulnerabilities, it is crucial that the Air Force pursue disaggregated collaborative air operations (DCAO) as an operational concept that sidesteps these adversary strategies to dominate the battlespace information environment.

DCAO centers upon combat air forces that operate as locally networked formations, that can operate even when disconnected from broader networks. The concept relies upon a force of fifth- and sixth-generation aircraft, plus collaborative combat aircraft, that can penetrate adversary air defenses, independently sense, coordinate, and execute individual actions at the tactical edge of the battlespace. This builds upon the proven U.S. Air Force employment of effects-based operations (EBO) and parallel warfare.

Just as precision weapons and stealth aircraft enabled effects-based operations in numerous conflicts following the Cold War, fifth-generation and beyond aircraft provide battlespace information dominance capabilities to enable new warfighting concepts that can achieve decisive effects forward in highly contested areas.

Lt. Gen. Andrew Gebara

The Mitchell Institute is pleased to feature Lt. Gen. Andrew J. Gebara as its next Aerospace Nation guest. He is the Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration for the United States Air Force. While nuclear deterrence is always important, the current threat environment heightens the critical nature of this mission. Added to this is the reality that the U.S is in the midst of recapitalizing all three legs of its nuclear triad, plus NC3. In this position, Lt Gen Gebara is responsible for strategic deterrence policy, nuclear oversight, arms control and the Department of Defense foreign clearance program, as well as providing focus on the nuclear deterrence and countering weapons of mass destruction missions for the Air Force. Join us for what will be a most interesting conversation.

Maj. Gen. Jason R. Armagost | Aerospace Nation

The Eighth Air Force is a storied unit with a warfighting history that dates back to the contested skies over Europe in World War II. Today, circumstances and technologies may be a bit different, but the Mighty Eighth’s mission is largely the same: to deter conventional and nuclear threats, and provide national leadership with the means to strike any target around the globe at any time.

Maj Gen Jason Armagost is a life-long combat pilot. He began his career in the F-16 and then transitioned to flying B-2s and eventually B-52s. In his current role, he leads the Air Force’s bomber and airborne nuclear command and control forces. He is also commander of the Joint-Global Strike Operations Center, which serves as the central command and control node for all operations within Air Force Global Strike Command, orchestrating warfighting and readiness activities for the Commander, Air Forces Strategic.

Bombers flying long-range strike missions are one of the most important capabilities in America’s arsenal. It’s a powerful motivator to deter adversaries in times of peace, and it nets powerful results when we’re at war. Only the Air Force possesses these aircraft, they don’t exist in other U.S. or allied service branches. Add refueling tankers, air superiority fighters, and powerful electronic warfare planes, and we’re talking about an incredible force mix that manifests the attributes of true global reach and power.

Lt. Gen. DeAnna Burt | Schriever Spacepower Series

Listen to the dynamic discussion with Lieutenant General DeAnna Burt, Chief Operations Officer of the United States Space Force, as we explore how the Space Force is driving innovation and integration to stay ahead in today’s contested space domain. From weaving cyber into space architectures and advancing Moving Target Indication (MTI), to sustaining weapon systems, supporting combatant commands, and deepening collaboration with allies and partners – this conversation will highlight how the Space Force is preparing for the future fight.

Brig. Gen. Jacob Middleton | Schriever Spacepower Series

Integrating space capabilities across Europe and Africa present unique and growing challenges in two complex regions. As Commander of U.S. Space Forces Europe and Africa, Brig. Gen. Jacob Middleton has the lead role in supporting both U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command with space capabilities ranging from intelligence to navigation and communications to space electronic warfare. Join the Mitchell Institute for this important conversation with a Space Force warfighter on the leading edge.

Maj. Gen. Timothy A. Sejba & CMSgt Karmann-Monique Pogue | Schriever Spacepower Series

The most important element of any military organization is its people. Within the Space Force, the responsible to train and prepare Guardians rests on Space Training and Readiness Command. To learn more about the STARCOM efforts to prepare Guardians for the warfighting domain of space, the Mitchell Institute is excited to host an in-depth discussion with the STARCOM leadership team, Maj Gen Tim Sejba and Chief Master Sergeant Karmann-Monique Pogue. Together, they are shaping the education, training, doctrine, and testing vital to ensuring Guardians have the skills and equipment to overcome any threat.

Brig. Gen. (S) Robert W. Davis | Schriever Spacepower Series

As the United States faces increasingly sophisticated threats, the importance of resilient, persistent space sensing has never been greater. Remote sensing, including detecting and tracking missile launches and monitoring weather and the EM spectrum comprises a $23 billion portfolio. Leading this critical mission is Brigadier General (S) Robert Davis, the Program Executive Officer of the Space Sensing Directorate at Space Systems Command. Join the Mitchell Institute for an important discussion on this critical portfolio.

Mr. Rob McHenry | Aerospace Nation

America’s warfighting advantage depends on an innovation edge. Defense Advanced Research Projects  Agency (DARPA) is a key leader in that realm. Created in response to the launch of Sputnik in 1957, DARPA works to ensure America never again faces a strategic technical surprise. Their programs focus on the fundamental research required to establish proof of concept. This work is especially important given the scale and scope of the technology we face in an era defined by peer competition. Join us as we chat with DARPA Deputy Director Rob McHenry to learn more about his team’s current focus areas and key trends they see in the current security environment.