The Aerospace Advantage

Heather "Lucky" Penney, a key aerospace thinker, is joined by Robert Lightfoot, president of Lockheed Martin Space; Greg Ulmer, president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics; and Charles Galbreath from the Mitchell Institute. They discuss the strategic shift from airborne to space-based intelligence and reconnaissance, emphasizing the need for integrated air and space operations to maintain military effectiveness against modern threats. The conversation covers historical advancements, autonomous technologies, and the importance of resilient, multi-domain strategies in ensuring mission success.

Episode Summary: In episode 197 of the Aerospace Advantage, Mission Command: Leveraging the American Cognitive Advantage, Heather “Lucky” Penney chats with Lt Col Fritz “Plugger” Glojek, recent fellow at the Mitchell Institute, and Lt Col Nicholas “Badger” Underwood of Air University’s LeMay Center about how we can best empower Airmen to fly and fight. Conflict in the Western Pacific will challenge US Command and Control. Despite significant effort and progress with efforts like Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control and the Advanced Battle Management System, China will exploit the electromagnetic spectrum to contest, degrade, and deny communication. Mission Command—a philosophy of leadership that empowers Airmen to operate in uncertain, complex, and rapidly changing environments through trust, shared awareness, and an understanding of commander’s intent—offers resilience to the physical command and control structure. Without a numerical advantage or a technological advantage, Americans will need to exploit their cognitive advantage and continue to make decisions when temporarily disconnected from their leaders. We discuss the necessity of mission command in a complex, dispersed, multi-domain fight in the Western Pacific. Credits: Host: Heather “Lucky” Penney, Senior Resident Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Producer: Shane Thin Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey Guest: Lt Col Fritz “Plugger” Glojek, Air Force Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Guest: Lt Col Nicholas “Badger” Underwood, LeMay Center for Doctrine Development and Education, Air University 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 #leadership #AirForce Thank you for your continued support!

Heather "Lucky" Penney, an expert on Air Force programs, dives into the recent pause of the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) initiative. The discussion reveals how this decision affects air superiority and national security. With insights on integrating uncrewed aircraft and the importance of long-range strike capabilities, Penney and her fellow experts emphasize the urgent need for modernization in military strategy. They layout potential risks from adversaries like China and Russia, stressing that future air operations must adapt to ensure effective responses in evolving threats.

Heather "Lucky" Penney, an expert in defense news and national security, shares insights into key developments in defense. She discusses the crucial role of the E-7 aircraft in modern combat and the challenges facing the Sentinel missile program amid geopolitical pressures. The F-35 deliveries have resumed despite criticism, and there's an urgent need to maintain air superiority with upgraded fleets. The conversation also highlights integration efforts within the Space Force and the importance of international partnerships, particularly with SpaceX, for enhanced capabilities.

Episode Summary: In episode 194 of the Aerospace Advantage, Battlespace Connectivity: Key to 21st Century Warfighting, host Heather “Lucky” Penney and Mitchell Senior Fellow J.V. Venable explore the topic of tactical networking with Galt Aerospace CEO John Kohut. Bottom line: information sharing and data exchange are the key to combat success in future conflicts. Whether discussing concepts like Combined Joint All Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) or collaborative combat aircraft (CCA), there is a fundamental drive toward a far more connected force. The net effect will see individual assets in different geographic locations and domains collaborating to yield a net effect greater than their individual parts. But for that work, a variety of systems need to be able to talk. In this episode we discuss the underlying concepts of operation that demand connectivity, explain the evolution of the associated technology, and discuss where we need to go from both a technical and operational set of perspectives. We talk about things like long-range kill chains all the time—join us in the episode to learn from experts with the operational and technical expertise to figure out how these systems-of-systems actually work and why they matter. Credits: Host: Heather “Lucky” Penney, Senior Resident Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Producer: Shane Thin Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey Guest: John Kohut, CEO, Galt Aerospace Guest: J.V. Venable, Senior Resident Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies 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 #connectivity Thank you for your continued support!

Heather Penney, Gary Glojek, and Matthew Jensen discuss maximizing airpower sorties and the importance of high tempo operations for victory in a conflict. They emphasize the need for Collaborative Combat Aircraft to enhance airpower capacity, and how to generate mass airpower at a higher tempo with a higher level of risk. Insights are shared on overcoming challenges and optimizing airpower generation for future conflicts.

Episode Summary: In episode 192 of the Aerospace Advantage, Want to Win? You’ll Need Digital Engineering, Heather “Lucky” Penney explores this technology and its application with Air Force Research Lab AI lead Dr. Amanda Bullock and Mitchell Institute Visiting Senior Fellow Brian Morra. The speed and complexity of modern warfare is increasing at an unprecedented pace. To maintain our competitive edge, the Department of Defense must be able to rapidly develop, field, and sustain advanced capabilities. Digital engineering represents a paradigm shift in how we approach the entire lifecycle of defense systems. Engineers have been using computer-aided design and modeling programs since the 1990s, but today’s IT infrastructure and processing is completely changing not just how we engineer weapon systems, but how we manage that engineering. This has the potential to streamline, de-risk, and accelerate very nearly everything about the design process. That can payoff throughout the lifecycle of a system, from production and sustainment to training. But what exactly is digital engineering? How has it evolved from traditional engineering practices? What are the key technologies enabling this transformation? And what challenges must be overcome to fully realize its potential? This episode tackles these challenges with top experts. Credits: Host: Heather “Lucky” Penney, Senior Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Producer: Shane Thin Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey Guest: Dr. Amanda Bullock, AI Research Lead, Air Force Research Lab Guest: Brian J. Morra, Visiting Senior Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies 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 Thank you for your continued support!

Discover the latest defense news about China's spacepower initiatives and the Next Generation Air Dominance program. Dive into the ongoing defense bills in Congress and the challenges of stretched defense spending. Gain insights on enhancing defense capabilities, budgeting challenges, and building robust deterrence against potential adversaries through cross-domain capabilities.

Episode Summary: In episode 190 of the Aerospace Advantage, Orbital Warfare: Train Like You Fight, Heather “Lucky” Penney chats with Lt Col Jessica “Thumper” Getrost, Commander of the 57th Space Aggressor Squadron; Lt Col Matt “BC” Bejcek, former Commander of the 98th Space Range Squadron; and Mitchell Institute Senior Fellow Charles Galbreath about threats facing our satellites and the importance of preparing Guardians for warfighting. There’s no question about it: adversaries will seek to hold our space capabilities at risk in future conflicts. That’s why it’s crucial to provide Guardians experience when it comes to tactics, techniques, and procedures regarding how to manage these challenges. Replicating threats and exercising our capabilities in a safe, yet realistic, training environment is essential. Just like the Nellis Range seasons our pilots for air combat, the Space Range prepares our Guardians for Orbital Warfare. Hear from two Space Force commanders about how they develop Guardians for to face these new realities. Credits: Host: Heather “Lucky” Penney, Senior Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Producer: Shane Thin Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey Guest: Lt Col Jessica “Thumper” Getrost, Commander, 57th Space Aggressor Squadron Guest: Lt Col Matt “BC” Bejcek, former Commander, 98th Space Range Squadron; Student, Army War College 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 #Leadership Thank you for your continued support!

Fighter pilot Heather “Lucky” Penney, along with experts Mike Dahm and Mark Gunzinger, discuss the critical need for US Air Force commanders to defend frontline air bases as key weapon systems in modern operations. They highlight challenges in countering integrated attacks, restoring operational capabilities, and generating combat airpower under fire to support joint force operations. Failure is not an option in projecting power and fighting adversaries alongside allies.