Space cadet, combat knitter, kitty lover.
There’s no such thing as war in space; there’s just war. General John Hyten, USAF[1] Deterrence, as it applies to the space domain, presents some interesting challenges as more countries recognize the benefits of and from space, but they are far from new. History shows us the way. The United States has been here before […]
With the recent push for hypersonics, and the associated “breakthroughs” in their development, one could be forgiven for thinking hypersonics is something new. It isn’t. The United States had boost-glide hypersonic aircraft in the mid-60s. The USAF made a conscious decision to NOT field hypersonic aircraft decades ago. So why bring it back now? What […]
More than nine years since have passed since Operation BURNT FROST. I hadn’t thought about the event in a long time. While it was the highlight of my newly-minted weapons officer career at Cavalier AFS, ND, after it was over there was little more said about the event. However, the strategic implications from BURNT FROST […]
Tactical Fighter Experimental The Air Force and the Department of Defense were created amid a time of massive military drawdowns and shrinking budgets. However, nuclear weapons, nuclear strategy, and their associated systems were impervious to this drawdown. In the 1950s and 1960s, nuclear strategy permeated every area of the military, as the services must train, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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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