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The Aerospace Advantage

The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

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The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies is proud to present The Aerospace Advantage, with Heather ”Lucky” Penney as the host. Every week, Lucky takes listeners into the world of aerospace power and help the audience understand what it takes to fly and fight in the sky, while also protecting America’s interests in space. Whether talking to top generals, standing on a flight line full of combat aircraft, looking at a rocket being prepared for launch, or hearing from those who have laid it ...
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Episode Summary: With threats surging around the world, the Air Force must figure out how to reset and do it fast. They can’t just buy more of what the service fielded in past decades. Fighting and winning tomorrow will require new operational concepts and technologies that’ll give airmen an edge. That’s where CCA come into the mix. They’re designe…
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Episode Summary: Fighting and winning in the twenty first century requires next gen electronic attack capabilities. Designing that technology and developing effective concepts of operation demands operational analysis. Heather Penney discusses this reality with Lt Gen David “Kooler” Krumm, USAF (Ret.) of BAE Systems. It comes down to empowering str…
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Episode Summary: Join us to learn more about the latest developments in Chinese airpower and spacepower developments. Heather Penney and Mike "JDAM" Dahm discuss a wide range of topics, including an update on China’s 6th generation fighters and recent PLA exercises in the Taiwan Strait. They discuss what is happening with more missing PLA generals …
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Episode Summary: Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) stand forth as one of the most important airpower developments of the twenty-first century. We learn more about CCA by talking to two of the people involved with developing and building them: Mike Atwood from General Atomics and Andrew “Scar” Van Timmeren of Anduril. CCA’s ability to harness the …
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Episode Summary: In this Rendezvous episode, we discuss top Air Force and Space Force developments in Washington, D.C., and beyond. Topics include the latest defense budget plus-up via reconciliation and what this means for air and space power. We also discuss INDOPACOM Commander Admiral Paparo’s testimony regarding airpower gaps in the Pacific and…
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Episode Summary: France is America’s oldest ally. We’ve been through a lot: the American Revolution over 250 years ago, two World Wars, and ongoing worldwide military operations. Our two nations have stood side by side when it mattered most. This connection endures. These days, it’s more important than ever, considering China’s rise, Russia’s aggre…
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Episode Summary: This week, The Aerospace Advantage takes a break for Easter, but that doesn't mean our listeners need to take a pause. In this week's episode we reach back to a previously recorded conversation where the Mitchell team reflects on the air war over Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War and speaks with combat pilot and POW Lt Col Gene…
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Episode Summary: As the Air Force develops the operational construct for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, Doug Birkey and Brig Gen Houston "Slider" Cantwell, USAF (Ret.) urge the service to tap into two decades of lessons learned flying highly sophisticated uncrewed aircraft like the MQ-1 Predator, MQ-9 Reaper, RQ-4 Global Hawk, and RQ-170. Harnessin…
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Episode Summary: In this Rendezvous episode, we discuss top Air Force and Space Force developments in Washington, D.C., and beyond. We review key themes from Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman's visit with the Mitchell Institute last week, as well as a broad range of spacepower topics, from Chinese “dogfighting” in space to the new l…
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Episode Summary: Heather “Lucky” Penney and Col. Mark "Chili" Howard explore one of the Air Force’s largest, most diverse units: the 55th Wing. Operating from multiple installations, members of the 55th Wing execute everything from the EC-130 and EA-37B Compass Call electronic attack mission to the RC/WC/TC-135 ISR mission and elements of the nucle…
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Episode Summary: Heather “Lucky” Penney and Senior Fellow Brig Gen Houston "Slider" Cantwell, USAF (Ret.) chat with some of the nation’s top remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) commanders about on-going combat contributions and the Air Force’s future development path for this incredible mission. They are joined by Brig Gen Christopher "Reggie" Hammond,…
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Episode Summary: Heather “Lucky” Penney and Col Patrick Williams explores one of the most important make-or-break factors in warfare: weather. Environmental conditions control when and how we employ military power…and what enemies can do to us. People tend to take weather assessments for granted, but that’s a mistake. Collecting environmental data,…
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Episode Summary: The Mitchell Institute team shares insights from the AFA Warfare Symposium, in Aurora, CO—it was the spot for air and space power professionals this week. Hear from Gen Kevin Chilton, USAF (ret), Lt Gen Dave Deptula, USAF (ret), Heather Penney, and Charles Galbreath as they discuss the crucial messages coming from Chief of Space Op…
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Episode Summary: In this episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney chats with members of the Mitchell Institute team about the latest air and space power developments in Washington DC. We explore President Trump’s defense priorities, including recent top defense leadership changes. The team also provides a Ukraine update and assess where defense issues stand…
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Episode Summary: In this episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney discusses why the Air Force has a chronic pilot shortfall and solutions to solve it with Lt Gen Joseph Guastella, USAF (Ret) and Lt Gen Marc Sasseville, USAF (Ret). Bottom line: the Air Force’s pilot corps is now too small to sustain a healthy combat force that can prevail in a peer conflict …
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Episode Summary: In this episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney discusses the latest Chinese security developments with Mitchell Institute Senior Fellow Mike Dahm. Whether discussing the creation of a new service branch focused on space—the PLA’s Aerospace Force; continued development of their nuclear arsenal; or the “Christmas surprise” flight of multipl…
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Episode Summary: In this episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney discusses the rising strategic importance of the Arctic with Maj. Gen. Mark Piper, USAF, NORAD Deputy Director of Operations; BGen James Hawthorne, RCAF, NORAD Deputy Director Strategy, Policy and Plans; and Brig. Gen. Houston Cantwell, USAF (Ret.) of our Mitchell Institute team. With Russia …
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Episode Summary: In this episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney chats with members of the Mitchell Institute team about air and space power issues through the congressional lens. Not only is Washington DC seeing the arrival of President Trump, but the year is also seeing major changes on Capitol Hill. What will this mean for programs like the F-35, B-21, …
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Episode Summary: 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.…
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Episode Summary: In this episode, Doug Birkey chats with Gen. Kevin Chilton, USAF (Ret.); Lt. Gen. David Deptula, USAF (Ret.); Jennifer "Boots" Reeves; and Charles Galbreath about key considerations 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 space…
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Episode Summary: In this episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney chats with Maj Gen (Ret) Larry “Stutz” Stutzriem, Col (Ret) Barry “Papa” Murphy, Col (Ret) Robert “Otis” Winkler, and Col (Ret) JV Venable about the Air Force’s current readiness crisis. The severity of the global threat environment demands a fix. This isn't just an Air Force problem. Without…
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Episode Summary: In this episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney chats with Anduril’s Steve Milano—from their Strike and Air Dominance Sector—and our very own Maj Gen (Ret) Larry “Stutz” Stutzriem about what it means to deliver enhanced munitions capabilities at scale. Anyone who has watched security developments around the globe knows that we’ve got serio…
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Episode Summary: In this episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney chats with members of the Mitchell team about some of their most memorable experiences from their time in uniform. You normally hear us talking about policy and budget issues, but over the holiday season, we decided it was time to kick back and reflect upon the high adventures of past years. …
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Episode Summary: In this episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney and members of the Mitchell Institute team discuss allied spacepower with French Space Command Commander Major General Philippe Adam. We talk about it all the time: the U.S. will always operate with allies and partners. With space now standing as an ever-crucial domain and with our adversarie…
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Episode Summary: In this episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney explores space launch operations, infrastructure, and technologies with Brad Appel, the Chief Technology Officer of Ursa Major, and Mitchell Institute’s Charles Galbreath. Today, all U.S. military operations rely on space capabilities and effects delivered from the on-orbit architecture. Assu…
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Episode Summary: In this episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney chats with members of the Mitchell Institute team about President Elect Trump’s defense vision and what the DOGE might mean for national security. We also discuss the latest developments in Chinese air and space power, while considering Elon Musk’s comments questioning the need for manned com…
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Episode Summary: In this Aerospace Advantage episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney discusses one of the coolest aircraft to ever fly, the B-2, with Northop Grumman’s Doug Young, the leader in charge of modernizing the B-2, while also overseeing the B-21. Hands down, the B-2 is one of the most capable aircraft ever invented. It’s hard to believe that it f…
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Episode Summary: In this Aerospace Advantage episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney chats about how we gain the combination of advanced capabilities and necessary mass for tomorrow’s munition’s inventory with Jeff Peters and Dr. Kathy Bihari of BAE, plus Mitchell Institute’s JV Venable. There’s no question about it: America requires a large inventory of p…
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Episode Summary: In this Aerospace Advantage episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney continues the electronic attack conversation with Dave Harrold and Duane Beaulieu of BAE, plus Mitchell Institute’s Mike Dahm. Electronic Attack is an essential twenty-first century mission capability. The ability to disrupt enemy command, control, communications, radars, …
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Episode Summary: In this episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney chats with members of the Mitchell Institute team about the what the 2024 election results will mean for spacepower and airpower. Elections always matter, especially given the national security issues currently in play. The world is an incredibly dangerous place: Russia continues its war in U…
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Episode Summary: In this Aerospace Advantage episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney chats about electronic attack with Col JR Smith, commander of the 55th Electronic Combat Group. Maintaining an electromagnetic-based battlespace advantage is essential for twenty first century mission success. That’s why the EC-130H and the new EA-37B are so important. The…
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Episode Summary: In this episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney chats about a key component of the nuclear triad with Chris Adams, sector vice president and general manager for Strategic Space Systems at Northrop Grumman, and Jen "Boots" Reeves, Senior Fellow for Space Studies at Mitchell Institute. The nuclear triad forms the bedrock of America’s nationa…
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Episode Summary: In this episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney chats about the evolution of air battle management with two highly experienced airmen, Lt Col Alex Wallis of the 728th Battle Management Control Squadron at Robins AFB and Lt Col Grant “SWAT” Georgulis, who just wrapped up a stint as the commander of the 965th Airborne Air Control Squadron at…
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Episode Summary: In this episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney chats with China expert Mike Dahm about an important aspect of China’s military modernization: how we perceive such developments. Given the restricted nature of China’s security complex, plus different cultural and political factors between our nations, those in the West must often rely on co…
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Episode Summary: In this episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney chats with members of the Mitchell Institute team about the latest defense news from the Beltway and the broader national security community. The Air and Space Forces Association just wrapped up their Air, Space, and Cyber Conference and Mitchell Institute was incredibly engaged. It’s a major…
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Episode Summary: In this episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney of the Mitchell Institute team chats with Colonel Jason Herring, commander of the 621st Contingency Response Wing about sustaining airpower at the edge. Whether responding to a humanitarian disaster or facilitating distributed air operations via the ACE construct, success comes down to the ai…
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In this episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney of the Mitchell Institute team chats with Dr Michael Gregg, Director, Aerospace Systems Directorate at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), and Chris Flynn Vice President of Military Development Programs at Pratt & Whitney. For decades, the America has enjoyed a near-unrivaled position when it comes to d…
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In episode 201 of the Aerospace Advantage, Shoot to Kill: The Day America Launched an ASAT, members of the Mitchell Institute team chat with Maj Gen Doug Pearson, USAF (Ret.), the pilot who took “the shot” and directed the F-15 Anti-Satellite Combined Test Force, and Col Jack Anthony, USAF (Ret.), the Operations Officer at Cheyenne Mountain about t…
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Episode Summary: In episode 200 of the Aerospace Advantage, Spacepower Roles and Missions Debate, Washington Update, and EA-37B Hits the Ramp: The Rendezvous, Heather “Lucky” Penney chats with members of the Mitchell Institute team about the latest defense news from the Beltway and the broader national security community. It’s September and D.C. is…
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Episode Summary: In episode 199 of the Aerospace Advantage, Winning Tomorrow’s Fight: Airpower Must Maximize Electronic Attack, Heather “Lucky” Penney chats with long-time F-35 pilot and 188th Wing commander Col Jay Spohn, Josh Niedzwiecki of BAE, and 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing commander Col Larry Fenner Jr. about this key aspect of warfighting. F…
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Episode Summary: In this episode, 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…
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Episode Summary: In episode 197 of the Aerospace Advantage, Mission Command: Leveraging the American Cognitive Advantage, Heather “Lucky” Penney chats with Lt Col Fritz “Plugger” Glojek, recent fellow at the Mitchell Institute, and Lt Col Nicholas “Badger” Underwood of Air University’s LeMay Center about how we can best empower Airmen to fly and fi…
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Episode Summary: In episode 196 of the Aerospace Advantage, What’s Up With NGAD? Understanding The Stakes, Heather “Lucky” Penney chats with members of the Mitchell Institute team about the Air Force’s recent pause for its future air superiority program. What does this mean? Why does it matter? What possible courses of action might the Air Force mi…
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Episode Summary: In episode 195 of the Aerospace Advantage, E-7 on Contract, Space Force Reorg, F-35 Deliveries Resume: The Rendezvous, Heather “Lucky” Penney chats with members of the Mitchell Institute team about the latest defense news from the Beltway and the broader national security community. Recent weeks have been a whirlwind. F-35 deliveri…
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Episode Summary: In episode 194 of the Aerospace Advantage, Battlespace Connectivity: Key to 21st Century Warfighting, host Heather “Lucky” Penney and Mitchell Senior Fellow J.V. Venable explore the topic of tactical networking with Galt Aerospace CEO John Kohut. Bottom line: information sharing and data exchange are the key to combat success in fu…
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Episode Summary: In episode 193 of the Aerospace Advantage, Ready to Fight All Night: High-Tempo Airpower Generation, Heather “Lucky” Penney discusses how to maximize airpower sorties with Mitchell Institute Fellow Lt Col Gary “Plugger” Glojek, and Lt Col Matthew “Doubled” Jensen, the director of the experimental operations unit responsible for adv…
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Episode Summary: In episode 192 of the Aerospace Advantage, Want to Win? You’ll Need Digital Engineering, Heather “Lucky” Penney explores this technology and its application with Air Force Research Lab AI lead Dr. Amanda Bullock and Mitchell Institute Visiting Senior Fellow Brian Morra. The speed and complexity of modern warfare is increasing at an…
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Episode Summary: In episode 191 of the Aerospace Advantage, Chinese Spacepower, NGAD Turbulence, and Congressional Update: The Rendezvous, Heather “Lucky” Penney chats with members of the Mitchell Institute team about the latest defense news from the Beltway and the broader national security community. Recent weeks have been packed with defense dev…
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Episode Summary: In episode 190 of the Aerospace Advantage, Orbital Warfare: Train Like You Fight, Heather “Lucky” Penney chats with Lt Col Jessica “Thumper” Getrost, Commander of the 57th Space Aggressor Squadron; Lt Col Matt “BC” Bejcek, former Commander of the 98th Space Range Squadron; and Mitchell Institute Senior Fellow Charles Galbreath abou…
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Episode Summary: In episode 189 of the Aerospace Advantage, Fighting the Air Base: Decisive Combat Sortie Generation Under Fire, Heather “Lucky” Penney chats with Mitchell Institute experts Mike Dahm and Mark Gunzinger about a key aspect of modern operations in an era of peer competition. U.S. Air Force commanders must be prepared to fight their fr…
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