What are the U.S. Air Force’s true programmatic priorities in 2018 and 2019? The Aerospace Security Project took a look at the budget to find out what the Air Force is really investing in.
Topic: Air Dominance and Long-Range Strike
Air Dominance and Long-Range Strike looks at the future of air and missile forces in a more contested operating environment. It analyzes the role of stealth, unmanned systems, and autonomous systems and how these capabilities can be integrated with legacy aircraft to enable new operational concepts. It also explores options for standoff attack, the missile salvo competition, and the air and ground-based legs of the nuclear triad.
Deterrence in the Last Sanctuary
There’s never been a war in the space domain, but some believe it won’t be that way forever. For 60 years, space has been the exception: the one domain that has remained free from the scars of war. By better understanding the dynamics of the second space age, we may be able to keep it that way.
Bad Idea: Space-Based Missile Interceptors
The idea of space-based missile interceptors is not new nor prohibited, but it is a bad idea. This piece looks beyond the policy arguments and explores the inefficiencies and vulnerabilities of space-based missiles.
How to Counter a North Korean Missile
In this episode of The CSIS Podcast, Todd Harrison and Tom Karako discuss the future of U.S. missile defense after North Korea tested its longest-range missile yet, the Hwasong-15.
Bad Idea: UAVs Aren’t Usable in Contested Environments
The conventional wisdom is that existing unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are not capable of operating in contested environments. However, new thinking can enable the use of existing UAS to support operations in such environments.
CBO’s Nuclear Weapons Cost Estimate Is Way Too High; Hint — Bombers
The recent estimate on how much the next generation of nuclear weapons will cost by the relentlessly nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office differed from an earlier report by an impressive $800 million.
Bringing the Air Force into its Centennial
Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson spoke at CSIS on October 5, 2017, outlining the service’s priorities for its major acquisition efforts over the next three decades.
Options for the Ground-Based Leg of the Nuclear Triad
The purpose of this report is to provide an independent assessment of the options available; including the impetus for the program, a review of the Air Force’s analysis of alternatives for the GBSD, alternatives to modernization, and key questions for policymakers to consider as the MDAP moves forward.
How It Works: Detecting a North Korean Missile Strike on Guam
In early August, North Korea threatened to launch four ballistic missiles towards Guam, targeting waters less than 30 kilometers off the island’s coast. How and when would U.S. missile defense forces respond if an attack like this were to take place? Narrated by Todd Harrison and Tom Karako. Written and produced by Thomas G. Roberts and […]
Seven Ways to Make the LRS-B Program a Success
Many things can (and often do) go wrong in defense acquisitions, but here are seven things the military, contractor team, and Congress can do to help keep the LRS-B program on track.