How to design a credible air deterrent for Ukraine after a ceasefire
If a ceasefire in Ukraine happens, the European Union should lead the creation of an Allied Air Command for Ukraine (AAC-U), write Dave Deptula and Jahara Matisek.
America needs to modernize its Air Force now — or be prepared to lose
The Air Force is an "antique force," write David Deptula and Mark Gunzinger in this op-ed, and must rebuild.
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Turning R&D into reality to meet the challenges of the modern battlefield
Knowing when to build on commercial systems and when to develop something new can be the difference between parity and information dominance.
On Its Birthday, The Air Force Needs To Fight For What It Deserves
On Sept. 17th, the Air Force celebrated its birthday with pomp, circumstance and cake. Behind the celebration, however, there are dangerous trends seen within the service, including a number of key platforms that are aging out and major expenses about to hit. David Deptula, the dean of the Mitchell Institute, says the service needs to […]
Combatant Commanders Want Reaper To Stay
The Air Force wants to cut its workhorse drone, the MQ-9 Reaper. The combatant commanders that use the MQ-9 don’t want to see that happen.
A Smart Approach To Retaining Most Of The A-10s
The Air Force leaders who sought to retire the A-10 in 2014 did not want to cut the aircraft, but they had no other choice due to the Budget Control Act of 2011. While that era has passed, the same dynamics are still at play— a service that is under-resourced, overtasked, compelled to retire aircraft to free up resources to modernize the remaining inventory of mostly geriatric aircraft.
War With Iran Could Be Sharp & Short With Fifth Gen Aircraft: Deptula
PRELUDE: Early morning, 0240 Baghdad time on January 17, 2020 (1840 EST 16 Jan 2020), marked the 29th anniversary of the start of Operation Desert Storm. It was a turning point in the conduct of warfare and set the conditions for modern warfare. The recent hostilities between Iran and the United States reinforce the importance […]
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Next-generation C2 won’t be next-gen without the network transport
The network transport architecture for NGC2 could be a hybrid approach that combines high assurance communications with 5G, WiFi, and multi-orbit satellites.
Hands Off, Budgeteers! DoD Must Fund Our Small Bomber Fleet
If an aircraft like the B-1 was taxed so hard due to high demand, the appropriate lesson is that the nation needs more bombers, not less.
Mitchell Weighs In: More F-35s or New, Old F-15s?
Fifth gen or fourth gen? F-35A or F-15X. Stealth, sensors and fusion or lots of missiles? Lockheed or Boeing? See what the Mitchell Institute says.
SecAF Wilson Takes Charge, Calls For 24% Boost In Squadrons
Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson laid down what will probably be the signature marker of her term as head of the Air Force, calling today at the Air Force Association conference for 74 new operational squadrons, including five more bomber squadrons, seven more special operations squadrons, 14 more tanker squadrons, seven more fighter squadrons, and 22 more Command and Control Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance squadrons. But, she noted of the larger Air Force she says the nation needs: "It's not just larger; the way we fight will be different." Dave Deptula, head of AFA's Mitchell Institute, analyzes Wilson's commitment. Read on! The Editor.
Up the Buy ASAP: Fixing American Airpower
Double the buy rate on F-35A starting in 2020 and plan on a minimum of 200 B-21 bombers built in rapid fashion. That will begin to get to the Air Force that America needs to meets the challenges of the future.
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GPS: Still the gold standard in global navigation
The GPS network continues to prove its unmatched reliability, and it’s only getting stronger.
Space Force: Go Slow, Learn From Army Air Corps
The stakes are high for President Trump’s nascent Space Force because a poorly integrated service is a price America cannot afford to pay. This means a careful, thoughtful, conditions-based approach must be followed to assess if and when an autonomous military space organization will provide the best path forward. All four services will contribute to […]
America’s Air Superiority Crisis
The Air Force already has a big hole in its capabilities for the future: it needs what it is calling Penetrating Counter Air, a very fast, long-range, sensor-loaded and furiously lethal aircraft. But that effort is designed to fill a need in 2030. Dave Deptula, head of the Air Force Association’s Mitchell Institute and […]
Create Executive Agent For Drones: AFA’s Mitchell Institute
Drones are designed and bought by the four services, as well as DARPA and, we suspect, an intelligence agency or two. There’s duplication of effort and requirements overlap and that means wasted money and time. Many moons ago in 1993, when drones were just becoming a thing in the US military, some visionaries created the […]
Congress, Military Are Running Out of Time
“There is no enemy on the planet than can do more damage to the United States Air Force than us not getting a budget,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein told a defense conference on February 23. “Lack of 2017 appropriations and no supplemental increase in funding…will increase risk to the nation and ultimately […]