In this episode, Doug Birkey chats with Lt. Gen. David Deptula, USAF (Ret.); Maj. Gen. Larry Stutzriem, USAF (Ret.); Mark Gunzinger; and JV Venable about key considerations that President Trump’s defense team, especially the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Air Force, should be thinking about when it comes to airpower.

It’s clear that the Air Force needs to modernize faster so it can grow its combat capability and capacity. More cannot be done with less any longer. The Mitchell team also discusses the need to improve readiness. For many years, defense officials defended the mantra of divesting to invest in future capabilities. That approach, however, left the Air Force as the smallest, oldest, and least ready than at any other point in its history. This is a recipe for disaster. The Trump Administration and Congress must resource the Air Force sufficiently so it can reverse that decline and rebuild the service to meet its requirements laid out by the National Defense Strategy. Without adequate airpower, the nation risks losing future conflicts. We also explore core factors tied to Air Force identity and how service leaders can best articulate the value that airpower presents to the nation. There’s a lot to discuss, and this is an episode you won’t want to miss!

Guests

Lt Gen David A. Deptula, USAF (Ret.)Dean, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Maj Gen Larry Stutzriem, USAF (Ret.)Director of Research, Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Mark GunzingerDirector of Future Concepts and Capability Assessments, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

John VenableSenior Fellow for Airpower Studies, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Host

Doug BirkeyExecutive Director, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Credits

Transcript