Col. Mark Gunzinger, USAF (Ret.)

Operations Midnight Hammer and Epic Fury make this crystal clear: Bombers that can precisely deliver large payloads halfway around the world are crucial assets. Given the small size and advanced age of America’s current bomber inventory, it is time to boost investment in the B-21 Raider to ensure long range strike remains a viable option at scale for the foreseeable future.  

How the U.S. can counter China’s size and other advantages. Decades of force cuts and deferred modernization have left the U.S. Air Force unable to simultaneously deter nuclear attacks, defend the U.S. homeland, and defeat Chinese aggression at acceptable levels...

The Mitchell Institute conducted a wargame and associated studies to assess how a family of uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft could increase the lethality, survivability, and capacity of the Air Force’s air superiority forces for operations in highly contested environments.

The Air Force’s B-21 Raider will be the world’s most advanced stealthy bomber when it is fielded later in this decade. For Air Force leaders, the challenge will be to fund the B-21 program to rapidly acquire the inventory it needs to meet operational demands.

The U.S. must reverse decades of underfunding its Air Force. 

The Need for a Cost-Effective PGM Mix for Great Power Conflict

The Army’s initiative to generate long-range fires frays when stacked against conventional air and naval options.

The next National Defense strategy must mitigate against looming risks.

Why bombers are the most flexible leg in the nuclear triad.

Low-cost attritable UAVs raise the ante for adversaries seeking to challenge USAF.

The right balance for the future bomber fleet.

After two decades of cuts and high op tempo, the Air Force budget must be rebalanced to fund growth and modernization.