A cornerstone of American military strength has been its unparalleled ability to project airpower across the globe. However, adversary capability advancements and new technologies are reshaping modern air warfare and threaten to erode longstanding U.S. advantages. The Defense Program’s airpower research considers what force mix the United States may employ to retain its air advantages, with particular attention to issues such as survivability, long-range penetrating strike, airborne early warning and battle management, cheap mass, and drone warfare.
Research Team
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Stacie Pettyjohn
Senior Fellow and Director, Defense Program
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Philip Sheers
Research Associate, Defense Program
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Molly Campbell
Research Assistant, Defense Program
Highlights
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America’s Eroding Airpower
Commentary
To have a chance at success, the United States would need more low-end drones and missiles that can provide it with mass....
By Stacie Pettyjohn
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Countering the Swarm
Reports
After decades of air dominance and a near monopoly on precision strike, the United States now faces a dramatically different, more hostile world as the proliferation of cheap ...
By Stacie Pettyjohn & Molly Campbell
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Evolution Not Revolution
Reports
This report concludes that drones have transformed the battlefield in the war in Ukraine, but in an evolutionary rather than revolutionary fashion. While tactical innovation a...
By Stacie Pettyjohn
