The 2026 National Defense Strategy acknowledges a stark new reality: the American homeland is no longer a sanctuary but a primary front in any future conflict. As the Air Force's strategic thought leader, Air University is laser-focused on developing the war-winning concepts and personnel required to fight and win in this contested environment. Our core mission is to build the intellectual architecture for a resilient and defensible nation.
Recognizing that superior concepts require superior technology, we operate in close tandem with the advanced laboratories and technical expertise of the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT). While AFIT engineers the cutting-edge capabilities essential for homeland defense—from AI-driven threat detection and resilient networks to countermeasures for hypersonic and space-based attacks—Air University develops the joint doctrine, operational strategies, and C-JADC2 frameworks to integrate them.
Together, we are tackling the most critical vulnerabilities to our national security. Our combined research focuses on securing critical infrastructure, ensuring the resilience of our logistics and industrial base under attack, and defending against the full spectrum of threats, kinetic and non-kinetic. We are no longer simply preparing for distant battles; we are generating the ideas and technologies required for national survival and the projection of power from a secure homeland
To contact AU Research: au.au.research@us.af.mil
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Recent work by Air University students organized by sponsored topics.
Air University Press features student works that meet the rigorous standards of their journals and book publication program.
Rejecting the misguided notion that modern air forces can settle for mere "air denial," a veteran B-1 pilot argues that true, offensive air superiority remains the non-negotiable prerequisite to winning wars and safeguarding joint-force operations.
Because the Pentagon's critical command networks and decision-making systems rely on the same commercial cloud infrastructure as everyday web services, America's military power is perilously exposed to physical and cyber attacks on highly concentrated, vulnerable private-sector data
With almost every military drone on the modern battlefield relying on adversary-controlled factories for critical minerals, rare-earth magnets, and specialty semiconductors, a new CSIS analysis identifies five strategic vulnerabilities in the drone supply chain and outlines four crucial steps to
To maintain its strategic military advantage in a post-stealth era, the United States must enact five critical institutional reforms—including unified technology ownership and focused industrial supply chain policies—to rapidly transition breakthrough quantum sensing physics from fragile
The Air Force must escape the "perception trap" by shifting its focus from acquiring shiny new technology to deeply understanding and adapting to how fast-evolving capabilities can actually be perceived and utilized in the modern battlespace.
To deter two nuclear-armed adversaries simultaneously without triggering a destabilizing arms race, the United States must replace outdated single-adversary strategies with "Dynamic Parity"—matching the aggregate threat while shielding its nuclear modernization budget from annual
By centering national defense policy on "deterrence elasticity," the United States can leverage the rapid mobilization and unique survivability of its strategic bomber force to outpace emerging modern threats.
As the cost estimate for Operation Epic Fury in Iran climbs to $29 billion, a new Congressional Research Service report reveals that the U.S. has lost or damaged at least 42 aircraft—primarily uncrewed platforms like MQ-9 Reapers alongside critical tankers and fighter jets—raising urgent
To sustain global force projection and rapid mobility, Congress must weigh critical decisions regarding statutory fleet sizes, the retirement of legacy transport aircraft, and the funding balance between upgrading current fleets and developing the Next-Generation Airlift (NGAL) program.
As the Air Force transitions its aging aerial refueling fleet to meet modern combat demands, Congress faces critical decisions over mandatory fleet sizes, commercial integration, and funding the next generation of highly survivable, connected tankers.
Researchers have developed a reproducible, data-driven methodology using high-fidelity synthetic data to measure how common model assumption violations bias SAMMY-evaluated nuclear cross-section uncertainty estimates, paving the way for more accurate nuclear data calculations across engineering and
To outpace foreign adversaries in the global AI race, the Pentagon is executing a massive strategic shift toward rapidly adopting, adapting, and integrating American commercial cloud and GPU infrastructure into core national security operations.
This compelling article argues for using the Pentagon's own powerful wargaming methods to battle-test and fix its broken acquisition system before a real crisis makes the current system's failure catastrophic.
The United States must develop a formal, military-style doctrine for economic coercion to ensure tools like sanctions and export controls are deployed strategically to achieve long-term geopolitical objectives, rather than being used as disconnected, reactive tactics.
From autonomous swarms to advanced AI, this decision brief explores how future drone technology will become a game-changer for Special Operations Forces.
From CSIS Fellow Col. Katrina Schweiker, why technological dominance--not just battlefield strength--defines the true frontline of modern war.
AF Fellow Lt. Col. Austin Gruber argues in WotR that U.S. Air Force's readiness is critically undermined by budgetary shortfalls and financial mismanagement within its depot maintenance system, leading to a heavy reliance on cannibalizing aircraft for spare parts.
AF Fellow at CSIS MacAloney analyzes the debate over military innovation and how cost-saving hinges on the Pentagon’s struggle for IP access and the right to repair.
China’s military messaging is no longer just signaling—it’s shaping the Indo-Pacific battlespace through ambiguity, deterrence, and strategic narrative.
As AI policy reshapes national security, the U.S. is launching a new era of space intelligence—where machine-driven insight meets the escalating complexity of global threats.
Col. Matthew Garvin, for Talbot Center for Security, Strategy and Technology, Brookings Institute
From CSET: The accelerating commercialization of satellites and launch technologies means space is now more congested, contested, and operationally limited than ever. This drives an imperative to leverage emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence to observe, orient, protect, and if
ChinaTalk: Exploring how Imperial Japan fended off Operation Causeway — in the form of its own large-scale Taiwan-Okinawa defensive plan, dubbed Operation Sho-2Go 捷2号作戦 (“Operation Victory No. 2”).
The world is rapidly changing. Experts weigh in on the State Department’s attempts to adapt.--In Inkstick Media
The X-Men have the right idea: training needs to include the whole team.--In Defense One
Addressing twenty-first-century threats to US national security requires capabilities and capital beyond those of the traditional defense industrial base is the core of this Hoover Institute report from Dan Berkenstock & Jon Chung (AFF)
Congress has an opportunity this fall to clarify the purpose of the Small Business Innovation Research effort, write Jon Chung and Dan Berkenstock in Breaking Defense.
Maj. Evan Hanson in Modern War Institute
Dr. Jared McKinney and Maj. Reiss Oltman (ACSC) in Nikkei Asia
Dr. Jared McKinney and Maj. Reiss Oltman in Nikkei Asia
Major David Phillips - Taking Bold Action for Strategic Stability in East Asia, NucleCast by ANWA Deterrence Center
Heather “Lucky” Penney, Lt Col Alex Wallis and Lt Col Grant “SWAT” Georgulis (AF Fellows) for The Mitchell Institute
Farnell, LTC Richard and Lt. Col. Kira Coffey. “AI’s New Frontier in War Planning: How AI Agents Can Revolutionize Military Decision-Making.” Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, October 11 2024.
Capt. Chelsey Sturtevant, "AI-HyperCal: In-Scene Hyperspectral Imagery Calibration Using Artificial Intelligence Known-Point Identification" in Military Review (September 2024)
Maj. F. Jon Nesselhuf (ACSC), 2nd Place Award, DePuy Writing Competition (Army War College), to be published in Military Review (2025).
Major Brent Peterson (AWC/AFF). Harvard Belfer Center (June 30, 2024).
Lt. Col. Sarah Gee and Luke A. Nicastro (AWC/AFF). Congressional Research Service (June 24, 2024).
Col. Christopher Koeltzow, Brent Peterson and Eric Williams (AWC/AFF). Center for Strategic & International Studies (June 11, 2024).
Sean Wiswesser (AWC). Chapter in A Call to Action: Lessons from Ukraine for the Future Force, ed. John A. Nagl and Katie Crombe (Army War College Press, June 2024).
Maj. David P. Phillips' winning essay in the 2024 Welch Deterrence Writing Award (USSTRATCOM)
Lt. Col. Kevin McKittrick (AWC). ChinaTalk (June 6, 2024).
Lt. Col. Benjamin "Buzz" Hagardt (GCPME), Military Review (May-June 2024)
Lt. Col. Sarah Gee and Jennifer DiMascio (AWC/AFF). Congressional Research Service (May 14, 2024).
Lt. Col. Caleb S. Lisenbee II (AWC). Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs (May 8, 2024)
Major Daniel A. McGinnis-Welsh (ACSC). Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs (May 8, 2024)
Major Caleb Egli (ACSC). Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs (May 8, 2024)
Major Brian Goodman (AWC/AFF). Aether (Spring 2024)
Col. Andrew Clemmensen (AWC/AFF). Washington Institute for Near East Policy (May 6, 2024)
Major Michael G. Dunn (ACSC). Military Review (May-June 2024)
Col. Kristen Thompson (AWC/AFF). Council on Foreign Relations (April 23, 2024)
Lt. Col. Ray Vann (AWC/AFF). Global Security Review (April 2024).
Col. Kristen D. Thompson (AWC/AFF). Council on Foreign Relations (January 2024)
Major Michael O'Connor (AWC/AFF). Breaking Defense (December 1, 2023)
Major Chance Smith (AWC/AFF). C4ISR (November 20, 2023)
Major Michael O'Connor (AWC/AFF). Center for Security and Emerging Technology (September 18, 2023).
Major Brian Goodman (AWC/AFF). The Hill (August 22, 2023)
Award-winning master’s theses selected for publication by the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies.
Wright Flyers are occasional papers sponsored by the Air Command and Staff College (ACSC).
Dedicated to developing, assessing, and promoting Air Force warfighters’ capacity for effective action through functionally aligned, relevant, and responsive education, training, research, and advisement.
The Air War College’s (AWC) selection of the best professional studies papers from its graduates.
Selected and published from papers written by field grade officers participating in the Air Force Fellows program.
Forum for topics related to the Indo-Pacific region.
A forum for discussion of topics focused on space in general and the Space Force in particular.