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

April 29, 2025 58 mins

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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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...

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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 ...

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December 19, 2024 58 mins

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 ...

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December 6, 2024 59 mins

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 ...

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December 5, 2024 58 mins

Global Strike Command uniquely embodies the notion of combat power anytime, anywhere. In command of two legs of the nuclear triad, as well as conventional long-range strike capabilities, Global Strike Command provides decisive combat effects that are foundational to the U.S. for deterrence strategy.

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After 5 years as a service, the U.S. Space Force continues to evolve not only its operations, but also its personnel management strategies. First-of-a-kind legislation has all eyes on the Space Force as it merges part-time and Active-duty military members. As the smallest and newest service, the Space Force is on the cutting edge of multiple personnel initiatives. Ms. Katharine Kelley, the Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Human...

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The Space Development Agency (SDA) is at the forefront of revolutionizing how the Department of Defense acquires, develops, and deploys next-generation space capabilities. SDA is a key element of a space architecture that is more agile and resilient than any before.

Dr. Derek Tournear, the Director of the Space Development Agency, provides updates on SDA’s progress and future plans.

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As our youngest military branch, the U.S. Space Force is still rapidly evolving to meet the challenges of an increasingly contested space domain. At the heart of this evolution is the newly established U.S. Space Forces – Space (S4S), which serves as the Space Force service component to U.S. Space Command, the newest combatant command. 

Listen to our conversation with Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Schiess, the inaugural commander of S4S, as ...

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The Indo-Pacific region encompasses over half the world’s population, accounting for 60% of global GDP. China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, and Taiwan are all key players in the region—and the world. But destabilizing behavior by China and North Korea threaten a free and open Indo-Pacific. U.S. Space Forces Indo-Pacific was established two years ago to ensure commanders in the region have access to the space capabilities t...

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