AURORA, Colo.—Air & Space Forces Magazine sat down with retired Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, to talk about the biggest themes from the 2025 AFA Warfare Symposium, from the new Trump administration’s focus on readiness, discussions about resources, and the Space Force’s future.
An F-16 pilot was awarded a Silver Star for a harrowing mission in which he dodged multiple surface-to-air missiles during the opening weeks of the operation against the Houthis in Yemen earlier this year.



