This event has already taken place.
DATE: December 2, 2022
RAND Project Air Force, Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, MITRE, the Aerospace Corporation, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies hosted the 2022 West Coast Aerospace Forum to discuss lessons learned from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and how those experiences apply to security challenges in the Pacific theater and beyond. The day started with Gen Kenneth S. Wilsbach, Commander of Pacific Air Forces, and Gen Jeffrey L. Harrigian, USAF (Ret.), former Commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe, discussing these challenges from a senior air commander perspective. Subsequent panels featured a broad range of experts exploring this issue from the vantages of space, multi-domain operations, and factors applying to the China vs. Taiwan challenge. The concluding panel discussed lessons for the defense industrial base.
Forum Program
First Panel
Commanders’ Perspective: The War in Ukraine and Implications for the Pacific AOR
Moderator:
Lt Gen David A. Deptula, USAF (Ret.), Dean, Mitchell Institute For Aerospace Studies
• Gen Kenneth Wilsbach, Commander, Pacific Air Forces, USAF
• Gen Jeffrey Harrigian, USAF (Ret.), Former Commander, USAFE
Second Panel
Lessons for the Space Domain
Moderator:
Dr. Jamie Morin, Vice President, Defense Systems Operations, The Aerospace Corporation
• Lt Gen Michael Guetlein, Commander, Space Systems Command
Third Panel
Lessons for Multi-Domain Operations
Moderator:
Mr. Marin Halper, Vice President, Cross Cutting Priorities,The MITRE Corporation
• Dr. Stacie Pettyjohn, Senior Fellow and Director, CNAS Defense Program
• Mr. Greg Grant, Senior Principal, MITRE Corporation
• Mr. Ylber Bajraktari, Senior Advisor, Special Competitives Studies Project – Invited
Fourth Panel
What are China, Taiwan, and US-partners in the Pacific Learning from the War?
Moderator:
Dr. Seth G. Jones, Senior Vice President and Director, International Security Program,
Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
• Dr. Nadia Schadlow, Former Deputy National Security Advisor; Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute
• Mr. Christopher Johnstone, Former Director for East Asia, National Security Council; former intelligence official at the CIA: Japan Chair and Senior Adviser, CSIS
• Dr. Evan Medeiros, Former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Asia, National Security Council; Penner Family Chair in Asian Studies and the Cling Family Senior Fellow in US-China Relations, Georgetown University
Fifth Panel
“Arsenal of Democracy”: Lessons for the Industrial Base
Moderator:
Dr. James (Jim) Chow, Vice President and Director, RAND Project Air Force
• Mr. Elbridge A. Colby, Former DASD; CEO for Marathon Institute
• Dr. Cynthia Cook, CSIS, Lead for Defense Industrial Initiatives Group
• Dr. Obaid Younoussi, RAND Director, Defense and Political Sciences Department