The Mitchell Institute’s Aerospace Nation Podcast

Join us as we rollout our newest research study, authored by the Mitchell Institute’s Col. Mark A. Gunzinger, USAF (Ret.), Director of Future Concepts and Capability Assessments. The event will feature guest speaker Maj. Gen. Joseph D. Kunkel, Director of Force Design, Integration, and Wargaming, Deputy Chief of Staff for Air Force Futures.

The U.S. Air Force is fielding a future counterair force that is sized and shaped to achieve...

United States Space Command stands on the front line of operations in, from, and to space. By providing joint and combined effects to deter, and if necessary, defeat aggression around the world and in space, USSPACECOM has rapidly grown to be one of the most critical organizations in our nation’s defense. The Mitchell Institute is pleased to welcome to the Schriever Spacepower Series LTG Tom James, Deputy Commander for United State...

Launch and the assured access to space are foundational to space superiority and leveraging the unique benefits of the space domain. Brig. Gen. Kristin Panzenhagen leads the Space Force team that is charged with providing assured access to space. This is an incredibly dynamic mission area—with new entrants, evolving requirements, and threat realities changing the scale and scope of space launch and range operations. Join us to hear...

Central to the fight for space superiority is the need to preserve access to critical space services such as communications and positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT). These foundational capabilities enable all military operations and are essential to our nation’s nuclear deterrence.

The Mitchell Institute is thrilled to welcome to the Schriever Spacepower Series Mr. Cordell DeLaPena, the Program Executive Officer responsible fo...

Former U.S. Strategic Command commanders, Gen Kevin P. Chilton, USAF (Ret.), Gen. Robert Kehler USAF (Ret.) and Adm. Charles A. Richard USN (Ret.) set the record straight on nuclear deterrence. Given Russia’s nuclear saber rattling, China’s nuclear break-out, and America’s nuclear triad reset, this conversation is more important than ever.

Today, a plethora of misinformation, falsehoods, and deliberate distortions concerning nuclea...

Panelists: • Col Timothy M. Helfrich, Senior Materiel Leader, Advanced Aircraft Division, Air Force Materiel Command • Mike Shortsleeve, Vice President, Strategy Business Development, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems • Diem Salmon, Vice President for Air Dominance & Strike, Anduril Industries • Mike Benitez, Senior Director of Strategic Product Development, Shield AI • Robert Winkler, Vice President, Corporate Development a...

The Department of the Air Force faces a crisis. Decades’ worth of insufficient budgets has slowed essential modernization, necessary capacity and key personnel investments. Air Force and Space Force leaders have warned of these risks for years. However, resource decisions were largely out of their control. As a result, the U.S. Air Force now operates the oldest and smallest aircraft inventory in its history. Combined with a lack of...

The Mitchell Institute’s Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence (MI-SPACE) convened its inaugural space workshop in October 2024. The workshop assembled 55 subject matter experts from across the national security space landscape to examine the Chief of Space Operations’ theory of Competitive Endurance against a set of potential challenges over the next 25 years of competition. The Space Endurance Workshop provided participants w...

Bottom line, the U.S. Air Force does not have enough pilots to sustain a credible combat force in peacetime, much less during a prolonged high-intensity conflict. History demonstrates that without depth of experienced aircrew, air forces collapse in major conflicts because they cannot continue operations as losses mount. While this crisis extends across the entire pilot force, the shortfall in fighter pilots is especially dire. Sol...

Hostile actions by Russia, Iran, and China clearly show that the United States is struggling when it comes to shaping the national security environment and deterring adversaries. The U.S. military no longer has the capability and capacity to defend the rules-based international order that has long been the cornerstone of its foreign policy. Absent a reset, this failure of deterrence could very well ...

Whether discussing Operational Imperatives, advancing new technologies like Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), launching Re-Optimization for Great Power Competition, or overseeing dramatic advancement in Space Force capabilities, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall’s tenure will continue to shape the Air Force and Space Force for decades into the future.

Hear from the Secretary as he reflects upon his accomplishments, while ...

There’s no question about it: the Indo-Pacific is one of the most impactful theaters around the globe today. Threats posed by adversaries like China and North Korea, challenges and opportunities involved with allies and partners, plus unique factors involved with projecting airpower across a region so large combine to make this area of responsibility incredibly unique.

Listen to learn more about airpower and the Indo-Pacific as we ...