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Airpower in Competition
Airpower in the News
Wright Flyer

State and Private Capital Allocations in China as Strategic Intelligence

This paper examines the implications of 21st century global power competition, particularly from China, through the lens of information advantage. For the United States (US) to maintain its position as a world leader amidst renewed global competition, the US must emphasize maintaining information

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The Future of Strategic Competition in the Sahel Region: Placing Partnership First

In 2020, a Ghana-based polling institute called Afrobarometer measured popular opinion of Chinese involvement in eighteen African states. According to Soule and Selormey’s analysis of this study, “perceptions of China have changed for the better in some countries in the Sahel

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A Dragon in Sheep’s Clothing: China’s Drift Towards an Inadvertent Nuclear Posture or Assured Destruction

This research seeks to understand how the Chinese think about the role of nuclear deterrence and why their nuclear posture is drifting from their declaratory nuclear policy. First, it will examine the origins and evolution of the Chinese nuclear weapons program to understand their reasons for

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“I Do Not Think It Means What You Think It Means” Information Power and Deterrence

Could a state win a crisis without fighting? Under what conditions does a state’s use of information power ease—or complicate—its ability to achieve its objectives in a crisis? The author answers these questions by offering a new definition of a state’s information power: an

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A Thinking Culture Accelerates the Rate of Change: John Boyd, David Marquet, and the Future of United States Military

This article explores how a group from Aviano Air Base, Italy, accelerated the rate of change by transforming a stagnant bureaucracy into a culture of empowered Airmen strategically aligned with organizational priorities. The group relied on incremental changes to create a culture of scientific

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Chinese Security Cooperation Activities: Trends and Implications for US Policy

Like most governments, the People’s Republic of China engages in security cooperation activities on a global scale. These activities range in scope from military exercises to technology and information exchanges. This work seeks to examine the PRC’s goals and objectives of these trends

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The Counterforce Continuum and Tailored Targeting: A New Look at United States Nuclear Targeting Methods and Modern Deterrence

This research paper analyzes counterforce and countervalue as targeting strategies to determine if these concepts remain relevant to modern deterrence. Along with this analysis, this research paper recommends an updated construct for both targeting methodologies and proposes a new term for the

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Air Force Operations Security in the Twenty-first Century: An Unaddressed Vulnerability

The twenty-first-century Air Force has maintained a twentieth-century operations security (OPSEC) culture, one heavily oriented toward speech and activities related to an Airman’s official duties. Air Force OPSEC policy and culture insufficiently address the connected world characterized by

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Contemporary Tactical Realignment: Preparing a Military Force to Work with Department of Justice Prosecutors to Fight Terrorism, Cyberhacking, and Other National Security Issues

This paper introduces military commanders to DOJ capabilities and the potential for military-DOJ collaboration. It proposes a five-part framework for working with federal prosecutors. First, military and DOJ authorities should agree upon the types of wrongdoing which warrant military authorities

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Alternative Airpower for Afghanistan: Unmanned Aircraft Systems

In this paper, the author argues that because of the issues in Afghanistan and the inability to transition to an air force that is manned independently, that they augment with Unmanned Aircraft Systems. The author cites that since small-UAS are already in use in country, expanding the program will

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Flexible Employment of Multi-Role Assets

This paper discusses how current doctrine is antiquated and does not align well with current mission requirements and equipment. The author argues that by combining assets into multirole platforms and updating doctrine and air operations, full utilization of assets can occur. [Trevor A. Gustafson /

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Establishing a Space Force Culture: Lessons on Artifacts and Organizational Identity

In this paper, the author argues for establishing a separate and complete organizational identity for the United States Space Force. Leaders must manage and incorporate new cultural artifacts to foster the desired identity of the Space Force through heraldry and other historical items. Through the

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Thwarting Antiquation: Efficient Decisions and Effective Systems for the US Air Force

This paper evaluates the need for less cumbersome procedures for updating and maintaining weapon system readiness. United States weapon systems tend to fall into a cycle of antiquation and stagnation during the operations and support phase of their life cycles. Armed forces regulatory and financial

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Diverging Objectives: Maintaining Strategic Stability with Russia While Expanding Global Missile Defense

In this paper, the author argues that the tenuous relationship between the US and Russia regarding ballistic missile proliferation and defense systems is in jeopardy. As US ballistic missile defense expands, Russia’s nuclear deterrent weakens. This may result in Russia finding new capabilities

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Why Do States Build Nuclear Weapons? Proliferation Models as Concurrent Pressures on a State

Major Curtice applies three theoretical models of nuclear proliferation and argues that they are more accurate when used in conjunction with each other than separately. Nuclear proliferation, Curtice states, occurs when Domestic Politics-Positive and Normative-Positive pressures are greater

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The Hydra: The Strategic Paradox of Human Security in Mexico

This paper explores the social climate and circumstances in Mexico that have led to increased cartel activity over the past twenty years. Analysis of these circumstances shows that both Mexico and the United States have failed in their efforts to eradicate cartels and curb violent crime and illicit

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The Better Mind of Space

This paper explores space and space culture from two distinct perspectives. The traditional mind of space believes that air and space are indivisible and is limited from the surface of the Earth to geosynchronous Earth orbit. This mind, Maj Lohmeier argues, can limit the effectiveness of the Air

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Widening the Training Pipeline: Are Warrant Officer Instructor Pilots the Best Solution to Increase Pilot Production?

The United States Air Force is struggling to cope with a worldwide pilot shortage that has left the service over 2,000 pilots short of what is needed to man its squadrons fully. With pilot retention declining in a time of unprecedented airline hiring, the service is desperately trying to find ways

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Medical Support for Manned Military Space Missions: A Role for an Existing Medical Service, or a New Approach for the Final Frontier?

America’s success in space and the continuation of escalating military missions in this security domain necessitates a perpetual and potent medical support apparatus both in space and on land. This research sought to answer the question: How will medical support for manned military space

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Opportunities and Implications of Brain-computer Interface Technology

This paper examines the implications of a technological convergence of biotechnology and cyber technology and how best to prepare for the exponential change triggered by this emerging field. This convergence, specifically brain-computer interface (BCI) technology, is enabling bidirectional

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The Laird-Packard Way: Unpacking Defense Acquisition Policy

This paper contends that the study of David Packard, the co-founder of electronics firm giant Hewlett-Packard (HP) and one of the founding fathers of Silicon Valley, is essential for those who seek to understand better the realm of defense acquisition (the battles before the battle). David Packard

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THE CASE FOR SPACE: A Legislative Framework for an Independent United States Space Force

This paper examines the United States Air Force’s role in managing space and provides recommendations for the future of space in the US military. Though it echoes specific recommendations made elsewhere by previous authors, the primary purpose of this paper is to consider the legislative

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Artificial Intelligence for Command and Control of Air Power

Computational power, data collection, and algorithm capabilities are increasing at an exponential rate. Artificial Intelligence (AI) advances demonstrate the ability to augment human thoughts and actions in countless areas, among which include the Command and Control (C2) of joint airpower. To

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Bridging the Gap: How an Airborne Mobile-Mesh Network Can Overcome Space Vulnerabilities in Tomorrow’s Fight

The US Air Force’s heavy reliance on space capabilities makes it vulnerable to potentially crippling asymmetric multi-domain attacks in the near future. While Air Force leaders have identified the importance of maintaining dominance in the space domain, their goal of attaining resilient and

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The Ultimate Challenge: Attribution for Cyber Operations

The inherent nature of cyberspace has created an opportunity for adversaries to exploit vulnerabilities of victim state’s cyberinfrastructures anonymously for a myriad of reasons. States and nonstate actors can use multiple avenues and techniques to route malicious malware with relative ease

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Combat Search and Rescue: Restoring Promise to a Sacred Assurance

This research paper analyzes historical data from Southeast Asia, Operation Desert Storm, and Operation Allied Force to identify combat search and rescue (CSAR) helicopter shortfalls that endanger viable personnel recovery in a major theater war. It identifies still-relevant survivability

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Masters of Analytical Tradecraft: Certifying the Standards and Analytic Rigor of Intelligence Products

This paper explores analysis in intelligence and evaluates a proposal to certify and convey analytical rigor as it relates to intelligence products. To accomplish this, an examination of intelligence failures was conducted to assess the application of analytical rigor across historic case studies.

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Revolutionizing Mental Health Care Delivery in the United States Air Force by Shifting the Access Point to Primary Care

This paper received the 2016 USAF Surgeon General Award for best ACSC paper in the medical field. Mental health care demand continues to rise in the Air Force Medical Service (AFMS), and there are not enough mental health personnel to meet the needs of the population. While the US Air Force is

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Additive Manufacture of Propulsion Systems in Low Earth Orbit

Lifting mass to orbit is one of the most challenging concepts of space travel. This paper proposes a concept of a hub at low Earth orbit (LEO) that additively manufactures or more colloquially 3-D prints components of the boost and satellite systems to reduce weight to orbit. A hub at LEO with three

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Movement and Maneuver in Deep Space: A Framework to Leverage Advanced Propulsion

This analytical study looks at the importance of Deep Space Operations and recommends an approach for senior policy leaders. Section 1 presents a capability requirements definition with candidate solutions and technology strategies. Section 2 recommends an acquisition and organizational approach.

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JUST DO IT . . . YOURSELF: Implementing 3-D Printing in a Deployed Environment

With increased budget cuts and an aging aircraft fleet, the Air Force is looking for innovative ways to reduce the procurement, transportation, and inventory costs of tools, parts, and supplies. In particular, traditional manufacturing, accounting for inventory, and transporting aircraft parts and

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A Rapid Global Effects Capability

This paper is about how a Rapid Global Effects Capability will provide the Air Force with operational agility. This ability will enable the Air Force to achieve the core missions of Multi-Domain Command and Control, Adaptive Domain Control, Global Integrated Intelligence, Surveillance, and

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Bolts from Orion: Destroying Mobile Surface-to-Air Missile Systems with Lethal Autonomous Aircraft

Modern mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM) capabilities are far more lethal and sophisticated than the Iraqi integrated air defense system the US demolished in 2003, and are being used by potential adversaries as one component of anti-access/area denial (A2/D) strategy. This research explored the

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The Combat Cloud: Enabling Multidomain Command and Control across the Range of Military Operations

While the inherent advantages of the combat cloud are many, the challenges that surround its successful development and incorporation into modern warfare are equally numerous, including interoperability and security issues and ensuring decentralized execution at the tactical and operational levels.

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Cognitive Radio Cloud Networks: Assured Access in the Future Electromagnetic Operating Environment

This paper explores how the collision between technological advances in software-defined radios, machine learning, and cloud computing offers a viable solution to this growing problem. That solution is cognitive radio cloud networks. [Maj Lawrence O. Jones, USMC / 2018 / 41 pages / AU Press Code:

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Jemaah Islamiyah

Despite the severity of the challenge from this radical ideology promoted through violence, Indonesia has experienced relative success in conducting a counterterrorism campaign against JI. The country employs both counterterrorism police work and effective messaging to exploit the key differences

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The Department of Defense and the Power of Cloud Computing

Cloud computing, a shared pool of computing resources that are readily available to meet the user’s rapidly changing demands, has opened up many new opportunities and risks for society that in many ways are revolutionary. The Department of Defense (DOD), because of its size and mission, faces

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The Innate Insurgent Advantage

The role of training, planning, and technological change is examined in helping turn around coalition and American efforts in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Despite the wealth of historical, doctrinal, and experiential knowledge available to help mitigate casualties and restore

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When the Ice Melts

The meeting of environmental, energy, and economic issues associated with Arctic ice recession warrants proactive American strategy to account for increased human activity within the Eurasian Arctic region. This paper examines the timeframe associated with sea ice recession, the availability of oil

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Military Payloads Hosted on Commercial Satellites

Commercially hosted military payloads (CHMP) is one approach the Space and Missile Systems Center would like to use to accomplish its mission of delivering resilient and affordable space capabilities. A CHMP uses a commercial satellite’s available size, weight, and power to accommodate a

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Guilt-Free War

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects roughly 15 percent of all combat veterans. In a combat situation, when a warrior experiences a moral dilemma that violates a deeply held conviction, he or she suffers a moral injury. These moral injuries and the combat guilt that accompanies such

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Nontraditional Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance

This paper uses nontraditional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (NTISR), now known in tactics, techniques and procedures as Operations Reconnaissance, as a case study to increase combat capability across multiple weapon systems within the Air Force. NTISR demonstrates how one capability

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Remotely Piloted Aircraft

Currently, remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) cannot fly outside certain restricted areas in the United States. As such, RPAs cannot participate in domestic catastrophic events due to restrictive Federal Aviation Administration regulations. This paper determines the feasibility of integration,

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Counterinsurgency Aircraft Procurement Options

Although aircraft have shown to be effective in small wars, the United States Air Force currently does not possess counterinsurgency (COIN) aircraft of the type advocated by many students of small wars. Little attention is placed on obtaining a COIN operations platform; however, within academic

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The Operational and Tactical Nexus

The literature on effects-based operations (EBO) seems to row each day. Myriad definitions have appeared in service and joint doctrine writings as well as in other writings. Most are too far reaching for current capabilities, and they may be too far reaching for future capabilities. Both the United

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Armageddon's Lost Lessons

In September 1918, the EEF concluded its campaign in Palestine by routing the Turkish forces at the battle of Megiddo. Under command of British general Allenby, the EEF successfully executed one of the most decisive engagements in any theater of World War I. Ably employing and synchronizing

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On the Wings of the White Eagle

In 1989 years of Soviet control over political, economic, and military systems had left Poland unprepared to significantly contribute to NATO. However, Poland accepted the challenge of building a capable air arm for NATO as it began to reform its political system, modernize its air force, and

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The Expeditionary Airfield as a Center of Gravity

This study explores the contemporary relevance of the Guadalcanal campaign to current military operations. Specifically, it uses expeditionary joint air operations flown from Henderson Field during the period August 1942 to February 1943 as a case study for the employment of airpower from an austere

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Looking Skyward

The twentieth century’s first decades were a time of enormous technological achievement that had profound influences on the modern battlefield. The invention of the airplane and its subsequent adaptation for military use inarguably changed the face of twentieth-century warfare. It was during

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Ethnic Conflict and US Central Command Policy for the Central Asian Republics

This paper identifies a possible shortfall in United States (US) military planning, the experience of US Central Command (CENTCOM) planners in dealing with the Central Asian States. Their emphasis is understandably focused on Iraq, Iran, and Pakistan. This paper develops for these planners the most

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Identifying and Mitigating the Risks of Cockpit Automation

Cockpit automation has delivered many promised benefits, such as improved system safety and efficiency; however, at the same time it has imposed system costs that are often manifest in the forms of mode confusion, errors of omission, and automation surprises. An understanding of the nature of these

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Electronic Combat Support for an Expeditionary Air Force

The United States Air Force (USAF) currently faces a shortfall in the type and number of electronic combat (EC) aircraft capable of operating with an Aerospace Expeditionary Wing (AEW). This has a direct impact on the USAF’s global attack core competency and undermines the combat power of any

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They Too Served

In-theater combat crew replacement centers (CCRC) represented a brief but important stop for aircrews training as replacements for personnel lost in the European theater during World War II. The Eighth Air Force’s 496th Fighter Training Group operated a fighter CCRC at Goxhill, England, and

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Fatigue Management for Aerospace Expeditionary Forces Deployment and Sustained Operations

Under the new Expeditionary Aerospace Force (EAF) concept, the US Air Force is capable of deploying and employing in 72 hours or less. Furthermore, the US mission frequently requires 24-hour activities to meet operational demands. Because of its commitment to project power with such a rapid fighting

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Rapid Dominance

Rapid dominance--the ability of forces to exploit information and quickly destroy critical targets--is the key in controlling the battle space of future warfare. The ability to rapidly gain information, analyze it, and use it to make sound military decisions is key to military domination and

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Center of Gravity or Center of Confusion

Despite its crucial role in campaign planning, the center of gravity (COG) concept remains poorly understood and inconsistently applied. This research paper seeks to understand the common sources of confusion that can occur when the COG concept is employed. It investigates the extent to which these

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United States Marine Corps Air-ground Integration in the Pacific Theater

United States Marine Corps Air-Ground Integration in the Pacific Theater addresses how the United States Marine Corps dealt with the challenge of air support for the infantry in the Second World War. Sources for research included primary documents on doctrine and personal interviews from the United

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Feasibility of a Joint Engineering and Logistics Contract

The Army, Air Force, and Navy currently manage their own separate engineering and logistics contracts for employing civilian contractors as a force multiplier during military operations. Civil augmentation contracts afford flexibility when the services are limited by the availability of manpower

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A Joint Task Force Staff Structure for the New Millennium

Our military future will likely be radically different from our past. Consequently, military personnel can prepare for this future by investigating ways to adapt to novel challenges posed by new weapons, new theories, or new organizations. This study explores the problem of how joint task force

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The Role of Airpower in Urban Warfare

This research project addresses how I believe airpower should be employed in urban warfare to achieve operational and strategic results. I chose this topic because there is an apparent disconnection between how military planners and operators view urban combat and their aware-ness of

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Second World War Deception

Second World War history offers the military strategist a cornucopia of lessons learned on how to apply the art of military deception. This paper analyzed six Allied deception operations to identify the fundamental reasons why Allied deception efforts were the most successful in history. The six

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C-130 Programmed Depot Maintenance

The current USAF process for establishing C-130 programmed depot maintenance (PDM) intervals does not account for the wide range of aircraft variables within each aircraft MDS. This paper develops an analytical model that C-130 maintainers can use to forecast when a C-130 aircraft requires PDM. The

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Punitive Discharge with Retirement Pay

When retirement-eligible military members are court-martialed for any offense and are punitively discharged, by operation of law they forfeit retirement pay—an amount sometimes more than one million dollars. This forfeiture is a collateral consequence of receiving a punitive dis-charge—

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Proposed Core Competencies for Acquisition

The post-cold-war environment and its reduced budgets have forced the military to implement acquisition reform. While the Department of Defense (DOD) has achieved some success, the pace of reform is still relatively slow and some concern exists about the reform’s breadth and depth. This paper

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