a journal of air power strategy
“Seldom in the course of military development have opinions been so conflicting as in the acquisition of this revolutionary aircraft.”[1] This is a quote from Congress. If you have been following big dollar military acquisition programs, particularly the F‑35, this quote should not surprise you. F‑35 has been controversial to say the least. There have […]
The primary focus at Air Power Strategy for 2017 will be disruptive technology. This tech is the kind that demolishes the status quo and reduces equilibrium to rubble. Disruptive tech forces all players to reassess their assumptions. No technology has been more disruptive to strategy than nuclear weapons. With North Korea (supposedly) close to fielding […]
In a recent article at DoD Buzz, Oriana Pawlyk asked: “Why Doesn’t the Air Force Use Cheap, Re-Usable Rockets?”[1] Air Power Strategy even re-tweeted her article because it is a spectacular question, one that requires more analysis. It is debatable whether cheap access to space is a good thing. After considering the history, budget, policy […]
It seems that the USAF cannot get through a year without being inundated with calls to replace the engines on the B-52. Recent calls from Air Force Global Strike Command,[1] Boeing, General Electric[2] and Pratt & Whitney[3] have renewed the vigor of the program despite the general lack of funding and enthusiasm for large dollar […]
When President Kennedy declared the US intention to send men to the moon, he single-handedly defined the strategic context of space. Space was no longer a physics problem; it was now a Cold War problem. Starting in 1958 and explicitly stated in 1961, “space” became synonymous with national prestige, national security, and to some, national […]
Developmental Flight Testing is all about the data. That’s it. Period. Engineers, scientists, and operators conduct tests to get data. Data is the exact opposite of politics, especially today’s politics represented by a comical and debilitating election season. Data is truth. The impact of the data on the world is much larger than the impact on […]
Recently at Angle of Attack, a journal of Air Power Strategy, feature author Chris Buckley identified the underlying assumptions of why the nuclear-armed cruise missile was and remains necessary. While Buckley claims this new cruise missile must be nuclear-armed, there is a pathway to a new cruise missile that will achieve all of the strategic […]
Earlier this week, Secretary Clinton made a statement about the Pentagon’s plan to upgrade the nuclear arsenal. “The last thing we need, are sophisticated cruise missiles that are nuclear armed.”[1] The National Interest was quick to pile on, and declare that nuclear cruise missiles are “relics of the past.”[2] But are they? Hillary Clinton spent […]
Quality and Quantity are usually thought of together and generally regarding business. To be able to produce many of something at a high level of excellence is the strategic vision of a manufacturer. However, this battle is not without tradeoffs. The factor of time also influences the battle. Corners are cut to produce something on […]
The Battle of Cambrai took place in 1917. Trench warfare, where victory was measured in thousands of lives and inches of mud, had gone on for three years. It was a world war of attrition, and it was all the world knew. Defenses were too good; there was no way to break through until the […]
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