In Episode 8, we visit with Alexander Farrow and Victor "Salsa" Lopez about their Summer 2023 Air & Space Operations Review article, "AI Readiness in a US Air Force Squadron." Bringing their academic-military-tech partnership experiences to bear, they discuss the importance of crafting a data strategy, managing data infrastructure, cultivating organization-wide talent, and redesigning organizational processes, all at the squadron level. They also discuss the broader reach of generative AI on the service as a whole, and the compelling opportunities for efficiency and integration this technology provides.

In our 7th episode of Tailwinds, we visit with Drs Adam Lowther and Mahbube Siddiki about the subject of drones in Putin’s war in Ukraine—technology used by both sides over the history of the conflict—and implications for future combat operations and strategic deterrence capabilities. The conversation is a follow-up to their Winter 2022 Air & Space Operations Review article, “Combat Drones in Ukraine.”

In Tailwinds Episode 6, we visit with Dr. Anessa Kimball about their article in the Winter 2022 issue of Air & Space Operations Review, “Canada’s ‘Open Door’ on 9/11,” which examines NORAD’s legacy as a binational institution from the perspective of the events of 9/11 as they played out in Canada that day. Professor Kimball also weighs in on NATO and on NORAD modernization, particularly in light of China’s recent incursion of North American air space in the form of a supposed weather balloon.

Lt Col Dan Sanders, PhD, discusses his Air & Space Operations Review article from our Summer 2022 issue, "Space Force Culture: A Dialogue of Competing Traditions," in which he argues that four historical cultural traditions exist in the Space Force: engineers, operators, integrators, and warfighters. This history has implications for service culture; Space Force leaders wanting to shape service culture should understand these traditions at work today.

The latest episode of Tailwinds features 1st Lt Adam Wilmer and Lt Col Robert Bettinger, PhD, discussing their article, "Beyond the High Ground: A Taxonomy for Earth-Moon System Operations," featured in the Summer 2022 issue of Air & Space Operations Review.

In Episode 8 of the Æther podcast, we visit with Dr. Peter Layton, author of “Systemizing Supply Chain Warfare” in our Summer 2023 issue. Dr. Layton discusses twentieth-century airpower theories as they relate to contemporary supply chains, which he characterizes as restricted complexity systems. We talk about his proposal for supply chain warfare, including leveraging elements of a supply chain system against itself, additive manufacturing on the front line, wargaming, and the assistance of AI and machine learning.

In our 7th episode, we visit with Major Joshua Dryden about his Æther Spring 2023 article, “Iran, Israel, and the Struggle for the Skies over the Middle East.” Major Dryden discusses his research on the evolution of Israeli and Iranian airpower strategy and capability since the early 2000s, the Israeli concept of MABAM, or “campaign between wars,” and the efficacy of this strategy and of airpower writ large in the struggle for air dominance in the region.

In Episode 6 of the podcast, we visit with Dr. Kelly Atkinson about her article in our spring 2023 issue, "Mission Injury: The Force after Afghanistan." She discusses the notion of mission injury--related to but separate from moral injury--which engages feminist critical theory in considering servicemembers' mental and emotional well-being in the aftermath of the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Interview with General Ron Fogleman, USAF, retired on John Andreas Olson's edited volume, Airpower Pioneers: From Billy Mitchell to Dave Deptula.

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Join us as we visit with Major Tom Burks, USAF, about his Fall 2022 article, "Military Necessity: Policy-Capability Tensions." He argues conducting cyberspace operations outside of armed conflict but consistent with LOAC principles limits USCYBERCOM to a best-tool approach to national security. Reframing conflict as strategic competition restores military necessity’s flexibility.

On September 29, 2022, we visited with Dr. Anna Batta of Air War College and Dr. Ginta Palubinskas of West Virginia State University and author of "NATO at 70: Peace in a Changing Security Environment," in our Summer 2022 issue, about Russia's war against Ukraine, the mood in Hungary and Lithuania this summer, and implications for NATO, Europe, and the world.

The first Episode of Æther: The Podcast features Dr. Chris Cain, the first editor of Strategic Studies Quarterly, discussing the inaugural issue of Æther: A Journal of Strategic Airpower & Spacepower.

The Hap Arnold Outreach Program Review - Abandoning Isolation and Healing From Trauma This episode of Wild Blue Yonder On the Air features a speaker from the Air War College General Henry Hap Arnold Outreach program, which celebrates its eleventh anniversary this year. Opening up the episode, Dr. Elizabeth Woodward offers an overview of the program and the life of Hap Arnold, the five-star general and first general of the Air Force after which the program is named. She also dives into the three goals of the program: to share the mission and vision of the Air War College, create a bridge between the college and the American people, and connect to those they are serving alongside. Dr. Elizabeth Woodworth welcomes Kelly McKay to today's episode. And for the first time in his life, McKay wants to embrace his trauma, share notes on grief, and teach others how they too can use their troubled pasts to create a more positive path into the future. After losing countless family, friends, and teammates to suicide or military related accidents, battling with cancer, and watching his wife nearly lose her ability to walk, Kelly had held his cards close to his chest, not letting even his closest confidantes know about the war that was raging on inside him. It wasn’t until recently though that all that changed. McKay explains to Woodward what it’s like leaving his life of isolation behind. Sharing 10 simple lessons with Woodward and the audience, McKay remarks that the most challenging aspect of trauma is embracing vulnerability. As a member of the military where emotions are more often than not suppressed, he started to reckon with that side of him that couldn’t keep things under control or defend himself. Now McKay’s at the point where he finds bravery in asking for help and has abandoned his life of isolation and ignorance for one far more fulfilling and centered around growth. Listen to today’s episode, and feel very free to take some notes.

The Hap Arnold Outreach Program Review—The Dark Side of Leadership and Understanding the Value of Presence This episode of Wild Blue Yonder On the Air features two speakers from the Air War College General Henry Hap Arnold Outreach program, which celebrates its eleventh anniversary this year. To open the episode, Dr. Elizabeth Woodward provides an overview of the program and the life of Hap Arnold, the five-star general and first general of the Air Force for whom it is named. She also explains the threefold goals of the program: to share the mission and vision of the Air War College, create a bridge between the college and the American people, and connect to those they are serving alongside. Next, our first speaker takes us to a galaxy far, far away, where the Jedi battle against the Dark Side of the Force. Just like the Star Wars universe, there’s a dark side to leadership too, and it’s easy to find oneself sliding into it, especially when making decisions that impact other people’s lives. The speaker shares how realizing his ambition of becoming a Squadron Commander came with some major emotional challenges, from a suicide on his second day on the job to having to end a colleague’s career, albeit for her own good. He describes how events like these took a toll on his mental and physical well-being, as well as his relationships with his wife and kids, before coming to his own Darth Vader moment of realization that things had to change. He then shares how he shifted his mentality to appreciate the positive parts of his job and reached out to friends and family for help improving his health and building a foundation of resilience. In this, he hopes to provide an example of how to prepare oneself for the challenges of leadership and overcome its dark side. Something our second speaker holds close to her heart is the saying that your presence is a present. Through her twenty years of military service, she has prided herself on ensuring that while she can’t always give her family the quantity of time she would want to, she can give them quality time. However, it took some major life events for her to realize that while she was there physically, mentally, she wasn’t present, too focused on all the other working parts of her busy life. Even after being advised by her doctor while pregnant with her fourth child to rest and relax for the sake of the baby’s health, she only took this to heart for the length of the pregnancy—once her son was born, she dove right back in. It took a serious health scare with her son, and some help from her friends and family, to realize that she had to learn to be truly present, not just physically but fully. Now, while she still loves being in the thick of things, she’s also learned to take time to find quiet spaces, to have business hours and respect them, and to accept that “no” is a sentence that requires no explanation. And she urges other leaders to do the same and remember that presence is a present, one that those you love deserve to receive.

This episode of Wild Blue Yonder On the Air features two speakers from the Air War College General Henry Hap Arnold Outreach program, which celebrates its eleventh anniversary this year. To open the episode, Dr. Elizabeth Woodward provides an overview of the program and the life of Hap Arnold, the five-star general and first general of the Air Force for whom it is named. She also explains the threefold goals of the program: to share the mission and vision of the Air War College, create a bridge between the college and the American people, and connect to those they are serving alongside. Next, our first speaker, LTC John Harvey, tells the story of the October day in 2019 when his life as a high-achieving battalion commander changed forever. It was that day he and his wife got the call that they had been selected by a birth mother to raise her brand-new baby girl as their own and had four hours to drive ninety miles to the hospital to pick her up. The chaos of that moment led to the most challenging but rewarding time of his life, and bringing up his daughter alongside his two sons has provided many lessons on how to be a better leader. These include the importance of calculated risk-taking instead of sticking to the status quo and of leaving the organization better than you found it to benefit those who follow. He also highlights how adopting a child born in challenging circumstances transformed his view of the world and made him more empathetic, a skill he now brings to his leadership approach. The story of the second speaker, Colonel Marty “Metro” Smith, begins in January 2007, when he was a new aircraft commander in the C130H Hercules. He and his crew were getting close to the end of their flying window when they were asked to fly to Baghdad, a call they weren’t happy about. However, when it turned out to be a mission to retrieve the remains of an Army Specialist killed in an explosion, they agreed to make the flight. The speaker recalls that, on the flight back, they discovered the Specialist’s name, Brandon Stout, which coincidentally came up again eight months later during a broadcast by the President. The speaker realized he knew that name and felt compelled to learn more about Brandon and keep him in his memories, which he has done by wearing a bracelet in honor of Brandon every day for the last fourteen years. He says there are three lessons he learned from this experience he wants to share: to know the possibilities that come with going the extra mile, to connect with the people in our lives, and to actively remember the wisdom from those who are no longer with us.

Maj. Frank Martinez, Drs. Selika Ducksworth-Lawton and James Sandy discuss the Marvel Universe and Diversity and Inclusion Recruiting.

Wild Blue Yonder on the Air - Ep. 22 - Dr. Lauren Mackenzie discusses the role of failure in teaching and learning.

North Korean defector Lee Hyun-seung sits for an interview with Captain Shaquille James and Lt Col Sze Miller.

Dr. Jared McKinney interviews Michael Miklaucic, senior fellow at the Institute for National Strategic Studies at National Defense University and editor of PRISM, the Journal of Complex Operations.

Captain Shaquille James and Lt Col Sze Miller interview the Mitchell Institute's Dan Rice on the topics of China and great-power competition.

Ambassador Dan Shields shares his insights on Brunei, Southeast Asia, and the Indo-Pacific writ large. Interviewers Dr. Jared McKinney and Lt Col Sze Miller moderate.

Dr. Bruce A. Elleman, professor of international history at the US Naval War College, presents his views on Taiwan and other Indo-Pacific related topics.

Indo-Pacific Visions - Episode 11

Christopher Kolakowski, director, Wisconsin Veterans Museum, & reviewer/contributor, Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs, interviews military historian Dr. John C. McManus on the topic of the continued relevance of the Pacific War on contemporary Indo-Pacific affairs.

Christopher Kolakowski, director, Wisconsin Veterans Museum, & reviewer/contributor, Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs, interviews defense analyst Jose Antonio Custodio on the topic of the Philippines in the contemporary Indo-Pacific milieu. ,

Jonathan Berkshire Miller sits for an interview with the vodcast's Andrew Erskine, addressing the topic of Canada in the Indo-Pacific.

Dr. George Soroka interviews Troy Bouffard, director of the Center for Arctic Security and Resilience at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Topics include the recent Arctic issue of the Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs and a wide range of matters facing the region.

Dr. Fumiko Sasaki, adjunct assistant professor, Columbia University, discusses space capabilities in the Indo-Pacific theater with the vodcast’s Neil Law. Topics include China’s space program, great-power competition, and the implications of such for the United States and its allies & partners.

Dr. Achala Gunasekara-Rockwell interviews Hollie McKay, war correspondent, writer, war crimes investigator, and author of “Only Cry for the Living: Memos from Inside the ISIS Battlefield.” (Jocko Publishing/Di Angelo Publications 2021). McKay was an investigative and international affairs/war correspondent for Fox News Digital for more than 14 years, where she focused on war, terrorism, and crimes against humanity.