Episode 21 – The Merge: National Security Space and the Future of Air-to-Ground Munitions

Episode Summary:

Join the Mitchell Institute experts for the third installment of “The Merge.” This is your opportunity to hear from leading experts in the air and space community regarding top issues that are in today’s national security debate. This episode introduces Matt Donovan, Mitchell Institute’s new lead for its Spacepower Advantage Research Center and explores his take on the challenges and opportunities facing Space Force and Space Command. Mr. Donovan joins Mitchell after serving as the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, the Under Secretary of the Air Force, and as a staff member on the Senate Armed Services Committee. The Mitchell team also explores new trends that are emerging in the air-to-ground munition realm—a very dynamic field given the return of peer competition.

Full Topic Guide

This week we introduce a new voice to “The Merge”, Matt Donovan, former Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, and Under Secretary of the Air Force who has joined the Mitchell Institute as the Director of the new Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Research Center (MI-SPARC).

Host John “Slick” Baum introduces Mr. Donovan and the members of the roundtable ask Mr. Donovan his take on some of the key issues facing Space Force and Space Command. Mr. Donovan also describes what his top issue priorities for the MI-SPARC issue agenda.

The team then discusses a key issue facing the Air Force: developing the next generation of air-to-ground munitions that will meet a broad range of emerging requirements. Many of the Air Force’s current air-to-ground munitions are decades’ old. They were designed for a problem set that no longer stacks up with the new requirements unfolding in an renewed era of peer competition. Mitchell experts discuss the attributes that will be increasingly important for these new tools.

Credits:

Host:  Lt Col John “Slick” Baum, USAF, ret.

Producer: Daniel C. Rice

Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey

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

Guest: The Honorable Matt Donovan, Director, The Mitchell Institute Spacepower Advantage Research Center

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

Guest: Col (ret.) Mark “Gonzo” Gunzinger, Director of Future Concepts and Capability Assessments, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies 

Guest: Maj (ret.) Heather Penney, Senior Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

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