The Aerospace Advantage

Episode Summary:

The air war over Vietnam represents one of the most dynamic, evolutionary periods of airpower innovation. The U.S. entered the conflict optimized to execute strikes against the Soviet Union, defend the homeland as part of Air Defense Command, and a host of other roles. Few of these missions matched the operational demands of what unfolded over Vietnam. Airmen had to rapidly adapt and innovate. This impacted tactics, operational concepts, training, and technological developments. Some of the most important lessons from Vietnam didn’t take hold in the Air Force until the conflict’s conclusion, when a generation of combat-proven airmen pushed for enhanced training via concepts like an enhanced Fighter Weapons School, Red Flag, and the Adversary prorgam. They also pushed for an entirely new generation of aircraft that took form in types like the F-15, F-16, A-10, E-3, KC-10, B-1, F-117, and more.  This episode seeks to learn more about this era by speaking to two legendary Vietnam veteran airmen: Col. Leonard “Lucky” Ekman, USAF (Ret.) and ace Col. Chuck DeBellevue, USAF (Ret.).

Credits:

Host: Heather "Lucky" Penney, Director of Research, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Producer: Shane Thin

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

Guest: Col. Leonard “Lucky” Ekman, USAF (Ret.)

Guest: Col. Charles DeBellevue, USAF (Ret.)

Guest: John "JV" Venable, Senior Fellow for Airpower Studies, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

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#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #space #launch #ula

Episode Summary:

This week we're talking about space launch. 2026 marks the 100th anniversary of liquid-fueled rockets, when Dr. Robert Goddard successfully pioneered the first launch from his aunt's farm in Auburn, MA. Like the Wright Brothers before him, Goddard’s breakthrough opened the door to a new domain and the exploration, operations, and economic development that have evolved ever since. Mitchell Institute experts and John Reed, the Chief Rocket Scientist at United Launch Alliance, discuss this milestone event, launch advancements over the past 100 years, the future of this technology, and why it all matters.

Note regarding ISP:

Isp or “Specific Impulse”, as we talked about, is a measure of a rocket efficiency. It is calculated as the Thrust force divided by the product of the mass flowrate of propellants times the gravitational acceleration in a 1 g field - (F/(mdot * g0). If we think about force in Newtons second law, with F=ma, we can see that we have mass divided by flowrate (or mass/sec) and acceleration divided by acceleration. These units resolve to what we term seconds of impulse. As we discussed, the acceleration of the fuel is a function of the exhaust velocity of the combustion products. This efficiency is driven by the combustion chamber design and chemical process as well as the nozzle design. These elements were all developed for rockets by Robert Goddard in his laboratory and field demonstrations.

Credits:

Host: Heather "Lucky" Penney, Director of Research, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Producer: Shane Thin

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

Guest: Charles Galbreath, Director, Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence (MI-SPACE)

Guest: John Reed, Chief Rocket Scientist, United Launch Alliance

Links:

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#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #space #launch #ula

Episode Summary:

In this episode, our team discusses Operation Epic Fury from an air and space set of perspectives. We also explore top defense issues in Washington, D.C., with a special focus on the FY27 defense budget. Plus, we explain the latest in spacepower—everything from missile warning & tracking developments to the Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP).

Credits:

Host: Douglas Birkey, Executive Director, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Producer: Shane Thin

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

Guest: Lt. Gen. David Deptula, USAF (Ret.), Dean, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Guest: Jennifer "Boost" Reeve, Senior Resident Fellow for Space Studies, MI-SPACE

Guest: John "JV" Venable, Senior Fellow for Airpower Studies, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Guest: Todd "Sledge" Harmer, Senior Vice President, American Defense International

Guest: Anthony "Lazer" Lazarski, Principal, Cornerstone Government Affairs

Links:

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#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #rendezvous #politics #Hill

Episode Summary:

For decades, adversaries like China have pressed hard to erase the spacepower advantage of the United States. This includes weapons to attack our space systems and technologies on orbit to hold U.S. forces in all domains at risk. Bottom line, space is more contested today than ever before. Our Mitchell Institute team explores these realities with Chief Master Sergeant Ron Lerch, the Space Force Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Deputy of Chief of Space Operations for Intelligence. This is a crucial conversation you won't want to miss. 

Credits:

Host: Heather "Lucky" Penney, Director of Research, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Producer: Shane Thin

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

Guest: Charles Galbreath, Director and Senior Resident Fellow for Spacepower Studies, The Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence (MI-SPACE)

Guest: Kyle "Puma" Pumroy, Senior Resident Fellow for Space Studies, MI-SPACE

Guest: CMSgt. Ron Lerch, Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Intelligence, USSF

Links:

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3GbA5Of

Website: https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/

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#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #space #intelligence #militaryleadership

Episode Summary:

As the United States military works to ensure its forces can effectively employ military power in an increasingly dangerous threat environment, it is imperative that its command-and-control air battle management (C2ABM) enterprise is postured for success. The ability to ensure forces are positioned at the right time and place to best secure the desired effects, while avoiding undue risk, is crucial and will make the difference between winning and losing in future conflicts. Current C2ABM capabilities are too old, are increasingly fragile, lack sufficient capacity, and are too vulnerable. Heather “Lucky” Penney and Doug Birkey explore this topic with air battle managers Lt. Col. Alex “Big Bobby” Wallis and Lt. Col. Grant “SWAT” Georgulis . The time for change is now. U.S. forces must always retain a tactical decision advantage.

Credits:

Host: Heather "Lucky" Penney, Director of Research, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Producer: Shane Thin

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

Guest: Doug Birkey, Executive Director, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Guest: Lt. Col. Alex "Big Bobby" Wallis, Air Force Strategic Policy Fellow Alumni

Guest: Lt. Col. Grant "SWAT" Georgulis, Air Force Senior Developmental Education Fellow Alumni

Visit: c2coord.com

Links:

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3GbA5Of

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#MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #air #battlemanagement