In episode 198 of the Aerospace Advantage, Want to Fight and Win? Air and Space Integration is Key, Heather “Lucky” Penney chats with Robert Lightfoot, president of Lockheed Martin Space; Greg Ulmer, president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, and Mitchell Institute’s Charles Galbreath.

Read defense news headlines and you’ll see a distinct trend: a drive to sunset airborne missions and move them to space—especially for functions like intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. In fact, the trend has been in play since the end of the Cold War. At Mitchell Institute, we are huge fans of space-based capabilities. What Guardians can deliver on orbit is incredible, often superior to what an airborne solution can secure. That said, it is critical to guard against an over concentration of capabilities in a single domain when our adversaries have clearly indicated that they’re willing to destroy or disable those assets—even when they are on orbit. As the saying goes—“don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” We now live in a world where mission effects will best be assured by pursuing a combined air-space approach. This will demand a new strategy to ensure smart multi-domain collaboration, a new assessment regarding how smart command and control is executed to ensure smart tasking, and adequate resourcing. Join us to hear from some of the top figures in this discussion who innovate the technologies that are key to delivering mission results today and tomorrow.

Credits:

Guests

Charles GalbreathSenior Fellow for Spacepower Studies, The Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence

Robert LightfootPresident, Lockheed Martin Space

Greg UlmerPresident, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics

Host

Heather PenneySenior Resident Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Credits

Transcript