The Mitchell Institute’s Aerospace Nation Podcast

The Mitchell Institute’s Aerospace Nation Podcast

The Mitchell Institute hosts some of the most senior leaders and thought influencers of the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Space Force, and Department of Defense for an intimate hour-long discussion on the pressing issues of the hour as well as long-term strategic visions. The live sessions are attended by a broad swath of individuals from the Department of Defense, Capitol Hill, defense industry, and academia who influence defense policy and budget, and they receive wide press coverage.

Episodes

July 10, 2025 60 mins

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 Karma...

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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 C...

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June 25, 2025 60 mins

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 ...

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Join us for a conversation with Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE). As a Member of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Bacon chairs the subcommittee on Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation, while also serving on the Tactical Air and Land Forces and the Strategic Forces subcommittees.

Rep. Bacon is a retired Air Force brigadier general who served 29 years in assignments including Director of ISR Strategy, Plans, Doctrine and Forc...

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We are pleased to welcome Dr. Kelly D. Hammett to the Schriever Spacepower Series. The ability to rapidly develop and field new capabilities is essential to maintaining our nation’s strategic advantage. As head of one of the Space Force’s three acquisition organizations, Dr. Hammett leads the critical mission of delivering groundbreaking operational space capabilities that protect assets on orbit, while also defending joint and all...

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Join Mitchell Institute’s Schriever Spacepower Series with Lt. Gen. Shawn N. Bratton for a conversation about the newly released Space Warfighting Framework. We will explore specific areas from the framework and how they will shape future Space Force priorities and enhance the understanding of what it takes to secure the space domain.

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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The Mitchell Institute is excited to welcome Chief of Space Operations General Chance Saltzman to the next Schriever Spacepower Series. Please join us for this insightful look at the latest Space Force priorities and initiatives. Our discussion will center on the criticality of space superiority and review the progress the Space Force is making to ensure it has the capabilities and combat-ready Guardians to achieve it.

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Panelists: • Lt Gen Dale White, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force

• Maj Gen Joseph D. Kunkel, Air Force Futures 

• Brig Gen Ryan Keeney, Air Force Futures

• Chris Flynn, Pratt & Whitney

• Renee Pasman, Lockheed Martin

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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...

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Lieutenant General David A. Harris, Deputy Chief of Staff for Air Force Futures, was the lunch keynote speaker at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies' inaugural Airpower Futures Forum. Lt. Gen. Harris and the Air Force Futures team are working to ensure that the US has the right mix of new technologies, capabilities, and personnel to address whatever the future may hold.

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Speakers:

Col Larry Fenner, 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing

Nick Bucci, General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems

Paul DeLia, L3Harris

Chris Moeller, BAE Systems

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Speakers: Lt Gen Michael Koscheski, Air Combat Command Maj Gen Jason Armagost, 8th Air Force Doug Young, Northrop Grumman Aeronautic Systems   Billy Ray Thompson, RTX

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General David W. Allvin, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, was the opening keynote speaker at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies' inaugural Airpower Futures Forum. Gen. Allvin brings a depth of both experience and thoughtful leadership to his position as the 23rd Chief of Staff of the Air Force.

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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...

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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...

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