Volume 30 Issue 3, Fall 2016 Published Sept. 1, 2016 Air & Space Power Journal, Air University, Maxwell AFB, AL Senior Leader Perspective Assuring the USAF Core Missions in the Information Age Lt Gen William J. Bender, USAF / Col William D. Bryant, USAF As we progress from the industrial age to the information age, the US Air Force must come to terms with defending our nation by executing its core missions in and through the cyberspace domain. The ubiquitous nature of cyberspace (which goes beyond... Editorial A Commonsense Approach to Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Operations Maj William Giannetti, Virginia Air National Guard Over the next four years, daily combat air patrols conducted by remotely piloted aircraft will increase by 27 percent. Long hours, a scarcity of resources, and increasing demand for tactical intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance... Feature Articles The Best Aircraft for Close Air Support in the Twenty-First Century Maj Kamal J. Kaaoush, USAF Like many government agencies, the United States Air Force has faced budget cuts for several years. Senior Air Force officials have announced that retiring the A-10 will save $4.2 billion and will justify spending nearly $400 billion on the F-35... Matrix Wings: Continuous Process Improvement an Operator Can Love Dr. A. J. Briding, Colonel, USAF, Retired The Air Force has attempted for several decades to improve effectiveness and efficiency by using continuous process improvement (CPI) methodologies to alleviate the impact of funding and manpower reductions. The failure of the Quality Air Force... Strategic Flexibility to Deter in the Asia-Pacific Col Tom Torkelson, USAF / COL Dan Kelley, USA / Col Yasumasa Hayashi, JASDF / CAPT William McKinney, USN The recent military resurgence of both China and Russia, along with the United States’ so-called rebalance to the Asia-Pacific and declining military budgets, suggests the need and opportunity to reevaluate US military policy for the region. Rather... Views Strategic Flexibility to Deter in the Asia-Pacific Dr. Stephen J. Cimbala Although nuclear and cyber issues might seem to belong in separate compartments, current US military activity and prospective challenges suggest that “nuclear” and “cyber” topics may achieve certain congruities. For its success, nuclear... The Russian Perception of the NATO Aerospace Threat: Could It Lead to Preemption? Lt Col Thomas R. McCabe, USAFR, Retired It is all too plausible that President Putin, as a Russian nationalist, intends ultimately to rebuild the Russian Empire. Given the dismal likelihood that this objective will produce a systemic confrontation between Russia and the West, it is time... Download Full Edition
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