Arlington, VA | February 27, 2025 — The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies is pleased to announce a new entry in its Policy Paper series, Air Force and Space Force Vectors for the Incoming Trump Defense Team by Lt Gen David A. Deptula, USAF (Ret.), Dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies; and Col Mark A. Gunzinger, USAF (Ret.), Director of Future Concepts and Capability Assessments, the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.
Airpower and spacepower are the driving forces behind every national security option at the president’s command. Yet, President Trump has inherited a Department of the Air Force (DAF) with both the Air Force and the Space Force in critical condition. President Trump’s administration must prioritize fixing the Department of the Air Force, as the consequences of keeping the status quo will be disastrous for the nation’s defense.
The priorities of DOD leadership and Congress during the Trump administration must be to rebuild and restore the Air Force to global preeminence. The same resolve will be required to fully resource the Space Force to achieve space superiority—to grow and catch up with the myriad requirements and expectations on America’s newest military service to ensure overall U.S. military success. The leadership of the Space Force and the Air Force are doing everything they possibly can to maximize the warfighting capability and capacity of their respective services within the budgets they have been issued. However, they have come to the point where they simply can no longer meet the demands of the National Defense Strategy without an infusion of additional resources.
The cost of the effort to reverse the Air Force’s decline and adequately fund the Space Force will require an increase of at least $45 billion annually, combined. The fixes must start now, or the United States risks losing the next major war.
The Mitchell Institute Policy Papers is a series presenting new thinking and policy proposals to respond to the emerging security and aerospace power challenges of the 21st century. These papers are written for lawmakers and their staffs, policy professionals, business and industry, academics, journalists, and the informed public.
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