Air University (AU) > AUPress

Nov. 20, 2024
Subregionalism, the Pacific Islands Forum, and Regional Security

Pacific subregionalism is exemplified by the establishment of three geocultural subregional groups within the design of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF). To examine the complex dynamics of Pacific subregionalism and its implications on regional security, this paper identifies three
Sept. 4, 2024
More Isn’t Always Better: Air Force Autonomy for Policy Decision-Making and Implementation from Divided Executive and Legislative Branches

This research examines three cases—the proposed retirement of the A-10, the standup of the Space Force, and the repeal of the combat flying ban for women—to test the conventional wisdom on divided principals. American civil-military relations are characterized by two government
June 28, 2024
The Theoretical Foundations of Spacepower: From Economics to Asymmetric Warfare

“The Theoretical Foundations of Spacepower: From Economics to Asymmetric Warfare” establishes how the universal logical basis of military theory must be tailored to the unique domain of space warfare. Surveying past military theory and histories, author Shawn W. Hackett delves into
April 29, 2024
Performing Panda: Chinese Economic Coercion in the Era of Xi Jinping

This paper provides an original contribution to the literature of economic coercion, based on empirical analysis of signaling from China to the United States from late 2012 to late 2022, President Xi Jinping’s first two terms. I argue that Xi has expressed more assertive economic coercion
April 23, 2024
The Wrath of Khong: Science Fiction, Future Analogies, and Early Military Space Policy

This paper investigates the role that science fiction had on the early development of military space policy. It examines three science fiction motifs: the concept of space as a frontier, the fear of nuclear apocalypse, and the central theme of human spaceflight. Using Yuen Foong Khong’s
March 1, 2024
Cyberspace in War

Strategies for cyberspace have focused primarily on the consequences of operations “in” and “with” cyberspace. These discussions, typically centered on cyberwar or cyberwarfare, presume access to cyberspace to be present, resilient, and adequate for military operations.
Feb. 22, 2024
Leapfrogs and Shortcuts: Paths to Technological Performance on US and Chinese Strategic Evolutionary Landscapes

This study adapts a model from evolutionary biology—the evolutionary fitness landscape—and applies it to the problem of illegal technology transfer. The author conceptualizes the strategy of technology theft as a combination of inputs that, like biological traits, result in a particular
Jan. 1, 2024
Spacepower Strategy for Medium Powers: Applying Observations from the Maritime Domain

Various spacepower theorists, such as John Klein, Everett Dolman, Namrata Goswami, Peter Garretson, and Brent Ziarnick, write about the similarities between the maritime domain and outer space. However, much of their literature focuses on great power competition between countries like the United
Dec. 6, 2023
Deterrence and Space Strategy: A Framework from the Study of History and Theory

If the United States wishes to sustain the strategic advantages provided by outer space, then it needs a “way” to tailor activities across instruments of national power for space deterrence. Deterrence and Space Strategy studies the historiography of deterrence, United States deterrence
Dec. 6, 2023
Reconceptualizing the Space Domain Beyond Historic Perspectives of Warfare

This work discusses the challenges of modern militaries and policymakers in adapting war strategies to the space and cyberspace domains.[Zweibelson / 2023 / XX pages / ISSN 2993-6667 / AU Press Code: SP-01]