The Aerospace Advantage

Episode Summary: In this episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney chats with members of the Mitchell Institute team about President Elect Trump’s defense vision and what the DOGE might mean for national security. We also discuss the latest developments in Chinese air and space power, while considering Elon Musk’s comments questioning the need for manned combat aviation. We wrap with a review of the Mitchell Institute’s Airpower Futures Forum. Credits: Host: Heather “Lucky” Penney, Senior Resident Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Producer: Shane Thin  Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey Guest: Lt Gen David A. Deptula, USAF (Ret.), Dean, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Guest: Jennifer "Boots" Reeves, Senior Resident Fellow for Space Studies, The Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence (MI-SPACE) Guest: J. Michael "JDAM" Dahm, Senior Resident Fellow for Aerospace and China Studies, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Guest: Anthony “Lazer” Lazarski, Principal, Cornerstone Government Affairs Links: Subscribe to our Youtube Channel: https://bit.ly/3GbA5Of Website: https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MitchellStudies Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mitchell.Institute.Aerospace LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nzBisb Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mitchellstudies/ #MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #rendezvous #election Thank you for your continued support!

Episode Summary: In this Aerospace Advantage episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney discusses one of the coolest aircraft to ever fly, the B-2, with Northop Grumman’s Doug Young, the leader in charge of modernizing the B-2, while also overseeing the B-21. Hands down, the B-2 is one of the most capable aircraft ever invented. It’s hard to believe that it first flew over thirty years ago—in 1989. The aircraft that is on the ramp today is a far cry from the one Northrop Grumman built three decades ago. They’ve teamed with the Air Force to continually modernize the aircraft to ensure it remains relevant and viable in the modern operational world. We explore this modernization process by discussing the various hardware and software improvements that allow the aircraft to remain a cutting-edge airpower asset. An open mission software approach is a key element of this initiative. Credits: Host: Heather “Lucky” Penney, Senior Resident Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Producer: Shane Thin  Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey Guest: Doug Young, Sector Vice President and General Manager, Strike, Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems Links: Subscribe to our Youtube Channel: https://bit.ly/3GbA5Of Website: https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MitchellStudies Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mitchell.Institute.Aerospace LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nzBisb Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mitchellstudies/ #MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #rendezvous #election Thank you for your continued support!

Joining the discussion are Jeff Peters, Deputy VP at BAE Systems, Dr. Kathy Bihari, Technical Director at BAE, and John JV Venable from the Mitchell Institute. They tackle the pressing need for a robust inventory of precision strike munitions for the U.S. military. The conversation delves into challenges in production, including budget constraints and the necessity of a diversified supply chain. They explore innovative strategies for enhancing military readiness and the evolution of weapon systems that ensure effectiveness in modern warfare.

Episode Summary: In this Aerospace Advantage episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney continues the electronic attack conversation with Dave Harrold and Duane Beaulieu of BAE, plus Mitchell Institute’s Mike Dahm. Electronic Attack is an essential twenty-first century mission capability. The ability to disrupt enemy command, control, communications, radars, and navigation systems allows U.S. forces to maintain a decision advantage, while denying one to the adversary. It all comes down to maintaining a leading electromagnetic-based battlespace capability. The Compass Call system, currently hosted on the EC-130H, executes this mission. It will soon migrate to the EA-37B.  We explore this transition by discussing where the mission has been and where it’s going from a technical perspective. We also explain what it means to secure an electronic attack advantage in the modern era and why this is imperative. Learn more about this crucial mission from the experts developing the essential technology. Credits: Host: Heather “Lucky” Penney, Senior Resident Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Producer: Shane Thin  Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey Guest: J. Michael "JDAM" Dahm, Senior Resident Fellow for Aerospace and China Studies, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Guest: Dave Harrold, Vice President & General Manager, Countermeasure & Electromagnetic Attack Solutions, BAE Systems Guest: Duane Beaulieu, Tech Director, BAE Systems Testimony transcript Links: Subscribe to our Youtube Channel: https://bit.ly/3GbA5Of Website: https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MitchellStudies Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mitchell.Institute.Aerospace LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nzBisb Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mitchellstudies/ #MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #rendezvous #election Thank you for your continued support!

Episode Summary: In this episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney chats with members of the Mitchell Institute team about the what the 2024 election results will mean for spacepower and airpower. Elections always matter, especially given the national security issues currently in play. The world is an incredibly dangerous place: Russia continues its war in Ukraine, China is pressing hard in the Pacific, Iran continues to destabilize the Middle East and shares nuclear ambitions with North Korea, plus terrorist organizations like Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis pose serious challenges. On top of this, the Air Force is undergoing a historic level of modernization—ranging from two legs of the triad to the B-21, F-35, CCA, KC-46, T-7, and more. Major questions loom for programs like NGAD and NGAS, and things not simple in the Space Force either, as leaders in that service seek to build a new set of capabilities given that the domain is now contested. Mission migration from the air to space also continues, especially or things like ISR. The vector set by Donald Trump and members of Congress in the coming years will shape options available to leaders for decades into the future. Credits: Host: Heather “Lucky” Penney, Senior Resident Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Producer: Shane Thin  Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey Guest: Lt Gen David A. Deptula, USAF (Ret.), Dean, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Guest: Charles Galbreath, Senior Fellow for Spacepower Studies, The Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence (MI-SPACE) Guest: Todd “Sledge” Harmer, Senior Vice President, American Defense International Guest: Jeff  "Rowli" Rowlison, VP, Space & Intel Programs, American Defense International Guest: Anthony “Lazer” Lazarski, Principal, Cornerstone Government Affairs Links: Subscribe to our Youtube Channel: https://bit.ly/3GbA5Of Website: https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MitchellStudies Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mitchell.Institute.Aerospace LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nzBisb Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mitchellstudies/ #MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #rendezvous #election Thank you for your continued support!

Episode Summary: In this Aerospace Advantage episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney chats about electronic attack with Col JR Smith, commander of the 55th Electronic Combat Group.  Maintaining an electromagnetic-based battlespace advantage is essential for twenty first century mission success. That’s why the EC-130H and the new EA-37B are so important. They execute a mission the Air Force calls Compass Call: disrupting enemy command, control, communications, radars, and navigation systems. This allows U.S. forces to maintain a decision advantage, while denying this to the adversary. Nor is Compass Call just about the aircraft and mission systems. Highly trained airmen are key. Compass Call assets also partner with EA-18Gs and F-16CJs as part of a team to facilitate the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD). This episode will explore this mission—how it has developed, current considerations, and where it is going from an operator perspective. Credits: Host: Heather “Lucky” Penney, Senior Resident Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Producer: Shane Thin  Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey Guest: Col Jeremy R "Smitty" Smith, Commander, 55th Electronic Combat Group Links: Subscribe to our Youtube Channel: https://bit.ly/3GbA5Of Website: https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MitchellStudies Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mitchell.Institute.Aerospace LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nzBisb Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mitchellstudies/ #MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #EW #combat #leadership Thank you for your continued support!

Episode Summary: In this episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney chats about a key component of the nuclear triad with Chris Adams, sector vice president and general manager for Strategic Space Systems at Northrop Grumman, and Jen "Boots" Reeves, Senior Fellow for Space Studies at Mitchell Institute. The nuclear triad forms the bedrock of America’s national security. The idea is simple: to hold enemy nations at risk to such a degree that they will never cross certain lines. For this to work, our nuclear enterprise needs to be highly resilient, dependable, and zero fail. We normally focus on the weapons portion of the enterprise: ICBMs, SLBMs, and air launched weapons from bombers and certain fighters. And while those technologies are obviously critical, the ability to use them demands an incredibly safe and secure command and control system—what we call nuclear command, control, and communications—or NC3 for short. People often take that part of the enterprise for granted because it’s largely invisible. Chris and Jen talk about the NC3 enterprise—outlining why it’s so important and explaining why it must be modernized. Credits: Host: Heather “Lucky” Penney, Senior Resident Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Producer: Shane Thin  Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey Guest: Christopher Adams, Sector Vice President and General Manager, Strategic Space Systems division (SSSD), Space Systems sector, Northrop Grumman Guest: Jennifer "Boots" Reeves, Senior Resident Fellow for Space Studies, The Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence Links: Subscribe to our Youtube Channel: https://bit.ly/3GbA5Of Website: https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MitchellStudies Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mitchell.Institute.Aerospace LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nzBisb Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mitchellstudies/ #MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #space #deterrence Thank you for your continued support!

Episode Summary: In this episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney chats about the evolution of air battle management with two highly experienced airmen, Lt Col Alex Wallis of the 728th Battle Management Control Squadron at Robins AFB and Lt Col Grant “SWAT” Georgulis, who just wrapped up a stint as the commander of the 965th Airborne Air Control Squadron at Tinker AFB. Air battle management is an essential mission: the combination of highly trained personnel and technology that makes sense of the combat environment. They do more than just help teams on the ground and airmen in the sky find targets – battle managers orchestrate and maneuver a diverse array of capabilities to maximize logistics, mission effects, and survivability in pursuit of air superiority and air operations within dynamic and contested theaters. We often recognize the battle management community through their aircraft and ground systems—the E-3 AWACS, the CRC, BCC, and the recently retired E-8 JSTARS. However, changes are underway in this mission given the on-ramp of the E-7, TOC-Enabled CRC with "three dealer" and space-based ground moving target indicator system. The operating domain is also evolving given the focus on China and the realities of operating in a domain as large as the Pacific.  We’ve also got to think about how the rise of artificial intelligence, collaborative combat aircraft, and multi-domain teaming will impact the mission. So, what tenets of the air battle management mission will hold constant? What elements will change? We explore these questions with two highly experienced operators. Credits: Host: Heather “Lucky” Penney, Senior Resident Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Producer: Shane Thin  Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey Guest: Lt Col Grant "SWAT" Georgulis, Air Force Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Guest: Lt Col Alex "Big Bobby" Wallis, 728th Battle Management Control Squadron, Robins AFB Links: Subscribe to our Youtube Channel: https://bit.ly/3GbA5Of Website: https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MitchellStudies Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mitchell.Institute.Aerospace LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nzBisb Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mitchellstudies/ #MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #aerospace #BattleManagement Thank you for your continued support!

J. Michael Dahm, a Senior Resident Fellow specializing in China’s military, joins Heather Penney for a deep dive into China's military evolution. They discuss the cultural and political factors skewing Western perceptions of China’s defense capabilities. Dahm highlights the shift from defense to offense in China's military strategy, fueled by economic growth. The hosts also tackle misconceptions about China’s military threats and emphasize the importance of understanding the nuanced implications of Chinese maneuvers for global stability.

Lt Gen David A. Deptula, a retired USAF Lieutenant General and Dean of The Mitchell Institute, joins a team of experts to dissect crucial defense topics. They discuss the significant need for modernization in the Air Force and Navy due to threats from China. A spotlight shines on the Space Force's requirements for added resources and innovations like resilient GPS. The conversation also covers military budgeting challenges and the implications of recent ICBM tests, emphasizing the urgency of advancing aerospace capabilities.