Oct05 Bringing the Air Force into its Centennial with Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson The United States Air Force recently commemorated the 70th anniversary of its creation on September 18, 2017. As the Air Force looks towards the future, please join the Center for Strategic and International Studies for a discussion with Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson on the challenges the Air Force will face over the next 30 years.
Dec01 West Coast Aerospace Forum: Air and Space Power in a Multi-Domain World Hosted ByThe RAND Corporation Successful military operations in the modern age rely on the ability to effectively harness multi-domain capabilities, with information serving as the key lynchpin to put the right assets in place at the proper time to best achieve desired effects. This presents a new paradigm for the Department of Defense, one in which information stands as a co-equal to traditional elements of hardware—things like planes, ships, tanks, and satellites.
View Bad Idea: UAVs Aren’t Usable in Contested Environments By Andrew Metrick PublishedDecember 4, 2017 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.
View CBO’s Nuclear Weapons Cost Estimate Is Way Too High; Hint — Bombers By Todd Harrison PublishedNovember 21, 2017 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.
View Is Congress Creating a Military Space Corps? By Todd Harrison PublishedNovember 8, 2017 The House and Senate’s NDAA compromise has not expressly allowed for a Space Corps to be created, but it has made significant change in the organization of Air Force space assets and crew.
View The Evolution of Space as a Contested Domain By Todd Harrison, Zack Cooper, Kaitlyn Johnson, Thomas G. Roberts PublishedOctober 10, 2017 From the dawn of the first space age, Americans understood the many benefits that could come from the peaceful uses of space and the great harm that could result from hostile uses of space.
View Bringing the Air Force into its Centennial By Heather Wilson PublishedOctober 5, 2017 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.
View Escalation and Deterrence in the Second Space Age By Todd Harrison, Zack Cooper, Kaitlyn Johnson, Thomas G. Roberts PublishedOctober 3, 2017 The second space age is more diverse, disruptive, disordered, and dangerous than the first. This report discusses the threats to U.S. space systems, deterrence theory in the space domain, and findings from a space crisis exercise.
View Options for the Ground-Based Leg of the Nuclear Triad By Todd Harrison, Evan Linck PublishedSeptember 21, 2017 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.
View Space Is Booming, America’s Next Heavy-Lift Rocket Should Reflect That By Todd Harrison, Andrew Hunter, Kaitlyn Johnson, Thomas G. Roberts, Evan Linck PublishedMarch 22, 2017 As the U.S. government leaves the RD-180 rocket engine behind, it should position itself to support and reap the benefits of the growth in orbital markets.