Kamilla Gunzinger, Author at Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Keynote Remarks at the Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of Brigadier General Billy Mitchell’s Sinking of the Battleship Ostfriesland

ARLINGTON, VA | July 30, 2021 — The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies is pleased to announce a new entry in its Mitchell Forum short paper series, Keynote Remarks at the Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of Brigadier General Billy Mitchell’s Sinking of the Battleship Ostfriesland by Lt Gen (Ret.) David A. Deptula, Dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. While the sinking of the Ostfriesland is incredibly significant unto itself, it’s also crucial

Biggest threat to Air Force modernization is funding misrepresentation, says national security expert

Government Matters | July 19, 2021 | Lt Gen (Ret.) Dave Deptula | Gen. David Deptula (USAF, ret.), dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, said the false notion that the Department of the Air Force is receiving funds commensurate with the Army and Navy departments is standing in the way of needed modernization.

Why America Could Lose Its Next War

Defense News | July 9, 2021 | Mark Gunzinger | The result of 30 years of “building down to build up” is a military that lacks the capacity to fight a single peer aggressor plus defend the U.S. homeland and deter nuclear attacks. Since defense leaders seem reluctant to be forthright and sound the alarm, Congress must step in.

Maneuver Warfare in Space: The Strategic Imperative for Nuclear Thermal Propulsion

Defense News | July 8, 2021 | Chris Stone | Traditional chemical propellants used in current satellite designs are only designed to last for a limited life span, increasing the likelihood an adversary could “run them dry” by forcing more defensive maneuvers than their energy stores can sustain. Thanks to advances in technology, nuclear thermal propulsion would provide a solution to this challenge. Even though it sounds straight out of science fiction, advances in materials,

Misleading Budget Accounting in the Department Of Defense Needs Correction

Forbes | July 6, 2021 | Lt Gen (ret) Dave Deptula | The Air Force budget is burdened by $39 billion dollars in non-Air Force spending over which the Secretary of the Air Force has no control. These funds—which account for 18 percent of the total Air Force Department budget—go directly to other DOD agencies, passing through the Air Force untouched.

What’s All the Fuss Over the Air Force’s “Pass-Through” Funding?

The Hill | July 2, 2021 | Hon Matt Donovan | For decades, a significant portion of the Department of the Air Force’s budget has been appropriated as a “pass-through” — that is, the money is passed through the Air Force to be spent by other government agencies. The Air Force has no control over these funds to fulfill its “organize, train and equip” military responsibilities, even though the money is counted toward its total

Author: Kamilla Gunzinger