In remarks last week as a Washington aerospace and defense conference, Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn talked about the Pentagon’s four current imperatives. First is the “full institutionalization” of the ability to fight irregular wars and defeat unconventional threats. Second is that the nation must continue to invest in “fourth and fifth generation tactical aircraft”—absent buying any more than 187 F-22s, of course—to maintain its air superiority in the face of the proliferation of modern jammers, sensors, radars, and anti-aircraft weapons. Third, as we reported above (Lynn Emphasizes LRS Importance) is the next long range strike capability. And, fourth is to ensure access to space by reducing vulnerability of space based assets to attack and disruption. Lynn added that the ability to “augment and reconstitute” critical space platforms and capabilities will be a key tenet of the Administration’s space strategy going forward.
The United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force has unveiled a new electronic warfare drone designed to fly with fighter jets into contested airspace, including alongside its fleet of F-35s. RAF says it plans to develop models that draw on the U.S. Air Force’s approach of mating unmanned systems with crewed platforms.