The Mitchell Institute’s Aerospace Nation Podcast

Aerospace Nation: Gen Kenneth S. Wilsbach

Jul 10, 2024

Gen Kenneth S. Wilsbach, Commander of Air Combat Command, discusses the importance of ACC missions like air superiority and combat readiness. The podcast highlights modernization efforts, air power enhancements, and the significance of air superiority in warfare. It also explores ACC's role in synchronizing with other commands and addresses topics like surprise inspections and aircraft upgrades.

58:52

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Episode guests

Gen Kenneth S. Wilsbach

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Quick takeaways

ACC is undergoing a decade of modernization to address force depletion and adapt to the information age.

Emphasizing readiness, ACC focuses on coaching airmen like sports teams and ensuring robust training opportunities.

Deep dives

Importance of Air Combat Command in National Defense

Air Combat Command is a crucial player in safeguarding the nation as it leads missions like air superiority, intelligence surveillance reconnaissance, and strike. With the rising complexity of threats faced by the US, especially from China's ambitions regarding Taiwan, the ACC strives to create dilemmas to deter conflict and maintain stability.

Intro

5min

Enhancing Air Force Readiness for Great Power Competition

16min

Importance of Air Superiority in Warfare

9min

Modernizing Munitions and Aircraft for Enhanced Air Power

21min

Exploring ACC's Synchronizing Role and Collaboration with Other Commands

2min

Discussion on Surprise Inspections and Dress Standards

3min

Discussion on Down Selects for F-22 Block 20s and Thermal Management for F-35

3min

The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies invites you to enjoy our Aerospace Nation with Gen Kenneth S. Wilsbach, Commander, Air Combat Command.

Whether discussing missions like air superiority, air battle management, electromagnetic spectrum operations, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, or combat search and rescue—the airmen of ACC execute missions that are foundational to modern warfare. Ask any combatant commander and they want more ACC airpower. However, years of budget pressures and non-stop operational deployments have yielded a force that is stretched thin. This decade marks a major wave of modernization to reset units throughout ACC, with many of these investments combining long standing tenets of air warfare with new realities of the information age. Pair those realities with a burgeoning threat environment and it is clear General Wilsbach and his team are looking at a distinct number of challenges and opportunities. What’s beyond certainty is that ACC will be an essential actor in any operation today and tomorrow.

Listen to our thought-provoking conversation with one of America’s top air commanders to learn where ACC is today and where it’s going in the future.

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The Mitchell Institute’s Aerospace Nation Podcast

Aerospace Nation: Gen Kenneth S. Wilsbach

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Importance of Air Combat Command in National Defense

Prioritizing Airmen's Readiness and Resilience

Enhancing Readiness through Training and Simulators

Focus on Agile Combat Employment for Effective Power Projection

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts