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April 17, 2019
A Rapid Global Effects Capability

This paper is about how a Rapid Global Effects Capability will provide the Air Force with operational agility. This ability will enable the Air Force to achieve the core missions of Multi-Domain Command and Control, Adaptive Domain Control, Global Integrated Intelligence, Surveillance, and
April 11, 2019
The Military Commander and the Law [ONLINE ONLY]

Today’s Air Force commanders face a wide range of issues, many of which involve complex statutes, laws, regulations, and rules. Our commanders must deal with challenging legal matters ranging from military justice to environmental law to operations law. The Military Commander and the Law is
April 1, 2019
Launching the Workhorse: Vertical or Super-Short Takeoff Capabilities for the Next Theater Airlift Aircraft

This study is an assessment of whether the US Air Force should anticipate modernizing its core theater airlift fleet with aircraft designed for super-short takeoffs or landings under rough-field conditions (SSTOL-RF) or aircraft designs focused on vertical takeoffs or landings (VTOL) with secondary
April 1, 2019
Bolts from Orion: Destroying Mobile Surface-to-Air Missile Systems with Lethal Autonomous Aircraft

Modern mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM) capabilities are far more lethal and sophisticated than the Iraqi integrated air defense system the US demolished in 2003, and are being used by potential adversaries as one component of anti-access/area denial (A2/D) strategy. This research explored the
April 1, 2019
Tough Tommy’s Space Force: General Thomas S. Power and the Air Force Space Program

This study examines the career of Gen Thomas Sarsfield Power, third Commander-in-Chief of Strategic Air Command, and especially his forgotten contributions to the early Air Force space program. The author describes the modern search for an Alfred Thayer Mahan for space, or a space war-fighting icon
March 18, 2019
Autonomous Horizons: The Way Forward

Dr. Greg Zacharias, Chief Scientist of the United States Air Force 2015–18, explores next steps in autonomous systems (AS) development, fielding, and training. Rapid advances in AS development and artificial intelligence (AI) research will change how we think about machines, whether they are
March 8, 2019
Defending Air Bases in an Age of Insurgency, Vol. II

Authors offer their experiences from the field regarding air base security and discuss modern air support for base defense, counterintelligence enablers, commander responsibilities for air base defense, lessons from the Afghanistan theater of operations, projected technological advances in base
March 1, 2019
The Combat Cloud: Enabling Multidomain Command and Control across the Range of Military Operations

While the inherent advantages of the combat cloud are many, the challenges that surround its successful development and incorporation into modern warfare are equally numerous, including interoperability and security issues and ensuring decentralized execution at the tactical and operational levels.
March 1, 2019
Creating a New Military Service: Historical Precedents

This paper examines the organizational responses to the emergence of air and space as warfighting domains and, using these experiences as points of comparison, applies the same logic to consider the question: Should the Department of Defense create an independent US Cyber Force? The author
March 1, 2019
From Power Projection to Power Protection: Revitalizing Conventional Deterrence in NATO

Russia’s actions in Ukraine and Crimea ushered in a return to great power competition. The Eastern European NATO members, especially the Baltics, are at risk of territorial annexation by Russia. This thesis examines deterrence within the broader framework of strategic coercion and analyzes