The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies is proud to present The Aerospace Advantage, with Heather ”Lucky” Penney as the host. Every week, Lucky takes listeners into the world of aerospace power and help the audience understand what it takes to fly and fight in the sky, while also protecting America’s interests in space. Whether talking to top generals, standing on a flight line full of combat aircraft, looking at a rocket being prepared for launch, or hearing from those who have laid it all on the line in defense of the nation—this podcast will afford unprecedented access and insight into where the combat aerospace community is going and why.
Site
RSS
Apple
Données mises à jour le 04/07/2026
Classements récents
Dernières positions dans les classements Apple Podcasts et Spotify.
Liens partagés entre épisodes et podcasts
Liens présents dans les descriptions d'épisodes et autres podcasts les utilisant également.
Major Kyle “Ghengis” Rimando, Chief of the Space Strategy Branch at SF S5/8, and Dr. John J. “Patsy” Klein, Senior Fellow and Strategist at Falcon Research Inc., join host Heather “Lucky” Penney—along with Mitchell Institute Senior Fellows Charles Galbreath and Jen “Boots” Reeves—to discuss key concepts regarding space domain awareness, offensive and defensive counterspace operations, and what it will take to secure space superiority. They explore lessons learned from recent operations; plus, important considerations tied to joint and cyber integration. This is fundamentally tied to the Space Force’s latest document: Space Warfighting: A Framework for Planners.
Credits:
Host: Heather "Lucky" Penney, Director of Research, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
Producer: Shane Thin
Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey
Guest: Charles Galbreath, Senior Resident Fellow for Space Studies, The Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence (MI-SPACE)
Guest: Jennifer "Boots" Reeves, Senior Resident Fellow for Space Studies, The Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence (MI-SPACE)
Guest: Major Kyle “Ghengis” Rimando, Chief, Space Strategy Branch, SF S5/8
Guest: Dr. John J. “Patsy” Klein, Senior Fellow and Strategist at Falcon Research Inc.
Artificial Intelligence and Aerospace Power: Industry Leadership Insights — Ep. 255
Saison 5 · Épisode 255
samedi 20 septembre 2025 • Durée 56:48
Episode Summary:
Heather Penney explores national security artificial intelligence applications and considerations with Sean Moriarty and Leonard Law of Primer, a leading AI company. We explore how AI can help improve U.S. defense capabilities, discuss how vulnerabilities and challenges can be managed, while also addressing market conditions required to transition this technology to reality. How do we assure quality data and security of the AI tool and its outputs? How do we avoid ingesting bad data without ignoring emerging battlespace information in the battlespace? And perhaps most importantly, how do we generate trust between warfighters and AI? All of this must be generated at the pace of battlespace relevance.
Credits:
Host: Heather "Lucky" Penney, Director of Research, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
Producer: Shane Thin
Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey
Guest: Sean Moriarty, Chief Executive Officer, Primer Technologies
Guest: Leonard Law, Chief Product Officer, Primer Technologies
Links:
CCA and Pilots: How Do We Communicate? — Ep. 254
Saison 5 · Épisode 254
samedi 13 septembre 2025 • Durée 01:05:13
Episode Summary:
AI is one of the hottest topics in defense, especially when it ties to Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). While seeing these new aircraft fly is super impressive, it’s crucial that we think about all phases of the mission, including how warfighters will interact with the CCA agents. To be clear, this goes beyond the tactical user interface during mission execution – we need to be thinking about how we continue to train the autonomy after landing. This means debriefing. How will we debrief CCA after the mission? How should we integrate debriefing CCA with human formations? We must understand how we operated as a team to learn the right lessons for both human pilots and the CCA agents. Joining our host Heather “Lucky” Penney to dig into this are two AI experts: Mike “Pako” Benitez of Shield AI and Ray “Krypto” O’Mara of the Mitchell Institute.
Credits:
Host: Heather "Lucky" Penney, Director of Research, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
Producer: Shane Thin
Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey
Guest: Ray “Krypto” O’Mara, Senior Fellow for Airpower Studies, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
Guest: Mike "Pako" Benitez, Senior Director of Strategic Product Development, Shield AI
A New CSAF, CCA Airborne, and Starship Success: The Rendezvous — Ep. 253
Saison 5 · Épisode 253
samedi 6 septembre 2025 • Durée 55:35
Episode Summary:
In this episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney talks to Lt. Gen. David Deptula, USAF (Ret.), Charles Galbreath, Todd “Sledge” Harmer, Anthony “Lazer” Lazarski, JV Venable, and Brig. Gen. Houston Cantwell, USAF (Ret.) about the top defense issues this month in Washington, D.C. and beyond.
Our team digs into what a new Chief of Staff of the Air Force will mean for the service and the broader defense environment. They also discuss the CCA’s first flight, plus Gen. Adrian Spain’s call for an increased focus on readiness in his new capacity as commander of Air Combat Command. We look at a broad array of spacepower developments—everything from the most recent Starship launch to the X-37B mission and NTS-3. Added to that, there are also a lot of issues going on with our partners and allies—quite a few are boosting their defense budgets, but some are calling into question buying U.S. systems. What does this mean for the defense ecosystem? We wrap looking at where the Sentinel Program is headed these days and consider the latest with B-21 and B-52 modernization efforts.
Credits:
Host: Heather "Lucky" Penney, Director of Research, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
Producer: Shane Thin
Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey
Want to Prevail Against China? It’s Time to Reinvest in Air Force Capacity, Capabilities, and Readiness — Ep. 252
Saison 5 · Épisode 252
samedi 30 août 2025 • Durée 01:10:02
Episode Summary:
America’s ability to secure its interests, whether deterring conflict or fighting and wining, demands a robust Air Force. The current security environment will tolerate nothing less. The service has traditionally measured its prowess via capacity, capabilities, and readiness. The Air Force currently lags in each of these three areas. Want proof? The service’s FY 2025 budget request sought to divest 250 aircraft, while only procuring 91. The FY 2026 request seeks to divest 340 aircraft, while only acquiring 76. It is essential that the Trump administration and Congress reverse the service’s decline in capacity, capability, and readiness.
In this episode, Lt. Gen. David Deptula, USAF (Ret.), JV Venable, and Robert “Otis” Winkler discuss these challenges and outline what needs to be done to reset the Air Force. JV just completed a major report on this topic, and the conversation centers around the top findings. The time for concerted action is now.
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
Disconnected by Design: The Case for 5th and 6th Generation Airpower — Ep. 251
Saison 5 · Épisode 251
samedi 23 août 2025 • Durée 56:36
Episode Summary:
This week we’re talking about what it’ll take to project airpower into the heart of the fight in a conflict with China. Most of the time we think about enemy fighter planes, surface-to-air missiles, and AAA, but the biggest challenge might come down to electromagnetic spectrum operations. China has long-studied US warfighting constructs and they know that our forces are highly reliant on networked operations. Whether thinking about command and control, teaming mission assets real-time, or taking advantage of connectivity to space… the American way of war, especially airpower, requires a lot of connectivity. They’ve focused a tremendous amount of energy to degrade and deny this communication. That has huge implications for our forces.
It’s exactly what Mike Dahm investigated in his latest report—Disconnected by Design—Fifth and Sixth Generation Aircraft in Disaggregated Collaborative Air Operations. The concept relies upon a force of fifth and sixth-generation aircraft, plus CCA, that can penetrate adversary air defenses, sensing, coordinating, and executing individual actions at the tactical edge of the battlespace.
Credits:
Host: Douglas Birkey, Executive Director, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
During the Cold War, all eyes faced north anticipating a Soviet attack across the North Pole. The U.S. Air Force was front and center operating air defense radars and sitting alert. Decades later, America finds itself coming full circle. Modern airborne threats like cruise and hypersonic missiles, plus long-range drones threaten the homeland. Maj. Gen. Pete Fesler, USAF (Ret.), Maj. Gen. Larry Stutzriem, USAF (Ret.), and Brig. Gen. Houston Cantwell, USAF (Ret.) discuss how to ensure we’re prepared for these threats.
Credits:
Host: Heather "Lucky" Penney, Director of Research, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
Producer: Shane Thin
Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey
Guest: Maj. Gen. Larry Stutzriem, USAF (Ret.), Executive Vice President, Air & Space Forces Association
Guest: Brig. Gen. Houston Cantwell, USAF (Ret.), Senior Resident Fellow for Airpower Studies at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
Guest: Maj. Gen. Pete Fesler, Deputy Director of Operations, Headquarters North American Aerospace Defense Command
Fixing the Munitions Gap: Building the Bullseye — Ep. 249
Saison 5 · Épisode 249
samedi 9 août 2025 • Durée 41:47
Episode Summary:
America is running short on munitions. With so many conflicts ongoing, our consumption is outpacing what we can build, and we are digging into their stockpiles to sustain current operations. And to be clear…if America is in a fight, we can’t stop until we win. This episode explores this the munitions gap and what folks are doing to try and fix it. And we’re doing this through a case study approach by speaking with Nick Bucci, vice president of defense systems and technologies at General Atomic EMS. They recently partnered with Rafael to build their Bullseye missile here in the United States. This is important because it’s rapidly adding more domestic munitions production capacity, while also on-ramping in some new capabilities that are important for the modern combat environment.
Credits:
Host: Douglas Birkey, Executive Director, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
Producer: Shane Thin
Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey
Guest: Nick Bucci, Vice President, Defense Systems & Technologies, General Atomic Electromagnetic Systems
Links:
Subscribe to our Youtube Channel:
Fighter Recapitalization, Trump on Ukraine, and the X-37B Mission: The Rendezvous - Ep. 248
Épisode 248
samedi 2 août 2025 • Durée 49:42
Episode Summary:
In this episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney talks to Lt. Gen. David Deptula, USAF (Ret.), Jen Reeves, and Anthony “Lazer” Lazarski about the top defense issues this month in Washington, D.C. and beyond.
Our team digs into the status of the defense bills on Capitol Hill. This includes a discussion on spacepower policy and investment decisions, plus a focus on fighter recapitalization and E-7. We also explore President Trump’s new approach when it comes to Ukraine. The team also discusses recent Air Force and Space Force leadership changes. We wrap by explaining the significance of the latest X-37B mission as well as the US Space Force practicing 'orbital warfare' in its largest-ever training event.
Credits:
Host: Heather "Lucky" Penney, Director of Research, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
Producer: Shane Thin
Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey
Guest: Lt Gen David A. Deptula, USAF (Ret.), Dean, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
Guest: Jennifer Reeves, Senior Resident Fellow for Space Studies, The Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence (MI-SPACE)
Guest: Anthony “Lazer” Lazarski, Principal, Cornerstone Government Affairs
Spacepower is fundamentally reliant on the cyber domain—it is the backbone of connectivity for constellations on orbit, their ground stations, and connectivity to warfighters. Point blank: every bit of data and every command sent to space systems transits the cyber domain. Tackling the challenges of leading cyber and data efforts of the Space Force falls on the small, but mighty team of the S6. From administrative to mission networks and data repositories, ensuring Guardians have reliable, capable, and secure cyber connectivity underpins our nation’s ability to achieve space superiority.
Join Heather Penney as she explores this fascinating topic with Col. Nathan “Crazy” Iven, the acting Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Cyber and Data; and Seth Whitworth, the Associate Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Cyber and Data.
Credits:
Host: Heather "Lucky" Penney, Director of Research, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
Producer: Shane Thin
Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey
Guest: Charles Galbreath, Senior Resident Fellow for Space Studies, The Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence (MI-SPACE)
Podcasts Similaires Basées sur le Contenu
Découvrez des podcasts liées à The Aerospace Advantage. Explorez des podcasts avec des thèmes, sujets, et formats similaires. Ces similarités sont calculées grâce à des données tangibles, pas d'extrapolations !