Aviation Commons^™

U.S. 5g Technology Policy: Competition Or Boycott?, Wes Ferguson, Kyle Vargus

Space and Defense

Rather than corral allies and partners across the globe into boycotting Chinese 5G telecommunication systems, U.S. officials should embrace free-and-fair trade competition against China, even in products and services where China may enjoy a technological lead.

The race for technological supremacy has emerged as a defining characteristic of the newest era of great power competition. China and the United States compete to become the dominant world power. Each side is racing to create the latest and most elite technologies to catapult themselves into the lead and give them the edge over their adversary. The fifth generation of wireless technology, called …

Atomic Assurance: Funding A Modern U.S. Test Readiness Program, Mark Tang

Space and Defense

To address intensified strategic competition with Russia and China, the United States should reinstate funding for a modern nuclear Test Readiness Program.

The U.S. has never faced the threat of two adversarial powers with nuclear arsenals that equal our own. With the emphasis on great power competition and mounting aggression by both China and Russia, the risk of conflict with either or both powers is growing. Currently, the U.S. is ill prepared for the possible existential challenge that is deterring conflict with two major nuclear peer adversaries. America’s defense strategy and approach towards the international order must change to protect …

Earth To Orbit: Three Models For Strengthening Space Deterrence, Anton Dahm

Space and Defense

Nuclear, cyber, and integrated deterrence models hold lessons for space deterrence strategy, including declared thresholds, resilient space architecture, and the embrace of international competition in technological innovation.

The United States depends heavily on space capabilities, significantly more than any other country. Not only does space enable navigation, communications, environmental monitoring, and other vital capabilities, but space has also been described as the most essential warfighting domain. However, the U.S. space architecture mirrors its early days: relying on important, expensive payloads on a limited number of satellites. While providing important capabilities to U.S. decision-makers, kinetic and non-kinetic weapons can easily target …

The German Zeitenwende: Turning Point Or Blind Alley?, Savannah Hollen

Space and Defense

The Zeitenwende, or turning point, announced by Chancellor Olaf Scholz after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, may end up leaving Germany with few good defense policy options.

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Germany vowed to change course, to expand and modernize its military, which for decades has been weak relative to the size of Europe’s leading economy. As bold as Germany’s declarations have been, German leaders may well have walked into a blind alley, unsure of exactly how Zeitenwende will happen, what the final results will be, or the consequences if they never come close to …

Strategic Space Cooperation: U.S. Space Command And The National Guard’S State Partnership Program, David Moore, Jesse Morehouse, Patrick Mitchell

Space and Defense

In 2022, the U.S. Space Command (USSPACECOM) and the National Guard's State Partnership Program (SPP) began pursuing security cooperation objectives while integrating the space domain into greater deterrence efforts. As the newest combatant command (CCMD) with space as its Area of Responsibility (AOR), USSPACECOM has global strategic partnership interests and recognizes the value of the enduring relationships inherent in SPP. This cooperation allows the National Guard to offer its strong relationships, space expertise, and industry knowledge to USSPACECOM. This provides a foundation for USSPACECOM's security cooperation efforts. This article discusses the SPP's role in supporting USSPACECOM's engagement strategy and the …

Arms Control Optimism And Great Power Competition, Damon Coletta

Space and Defense

In its unjust war, Russia rakes at Ukrainian civilian targets using dual-capable missiles. China meanwhile tightens the screws on Taiwan as it cements its friendship with Russia and continues its buildup of strategic nuclear warheads.1 Conventional wisdom and U.S. policy under such tense conditions unduly discount expectations for arms control.2 Arms control, in the popular mind, centers on bans in testing or deployment, and is therefore terminally associated with disarmament. Trepidation about disarmament fuels assumptions in polarized democracy, and the United States in particular, about the narrow political conditions under which arms control can succeed during great power competition. Conventional …

Drone-Based, Boost-Phase Intercept Of North Korean Icbms, James D. Wells, William Priedhorsky, Frederick Lamb, Laura Grego

Space and Defense

North Korea currently has an adversarial relationship with the United States and has successfully tested both nuclear weapons and intercontinental-range ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of striking the continental United States.1 There are several ways the United States could attempt to address the threat posed by North Korea’s nuclear-armed ICBMs. Historically, the United States has relied on a policy of projecting military strength, fostering strong alliances, and maintaining a credible threat of retaliation to deter adversaries, including those with nuclear weapons, from initiating hostilities. Some have argued that this approach has been instrumental in preventing conflict between nuclear-armed nations, including North …

A Premature Obituary For Conventional Deterrence, Jeffery S. Lehmkuhl

Space and Defense

As the United States (US) continues to shift its weight of effort towards great power competition, some scholars and practitioners have questioned the relevance of conventional forces and their ability to deter. Chief among them is Sean McFate, who asserts that “conventional war is unicorn hunting” and that “no one fights that way anymore.”1 Jim Sciutto echoes McFate’s claims in his book The Shadow War and states that the US is losing to Russia and China in a new way of warfare that is conducted below the threshold of conventional warfare.2 Leading Russian General Valery Gerasimov furthered this claim when …

Nuclear Regimes In The 21st Century, Stephen J. Cimbala, Adam Lowther

Space and Defense

The modern nuclear operations practitioner is facing a more complex future than at any point since the height of the Cold War. Understanding the past, present, and possible future of nuclear force structure and doctrine offers the policy maker a useful way to make sense of unfolding events and place them within a broader context. With China, Russia, and North Korea all posing a growing nuclear risk to the United States, a strong grasp on the available options for countering these threats is certainly important.

Editor's Note, Damon Coletta

Space and Defense

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents Vol. 15 No. 2

Space and Defense

No abstract provided.

Space And Defense Vol. 15 No. 2 Fall 2024 (Whole Issue)

Space and Defense

No abstract provided.

Determining The Difference In Monthly Hazardous Uas Sightings Pre- And Post-Trust​, Jacob Daniel Anderson, Kyle Beane, Ethan Ryan Prins, Brooke Wheeler

Aeronautics Student Publications

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) present a significant challenge to regulators. This study determined that there was no statistically significant difference in monthly UAS sightings before and after the implementation of TRUST.

Investigating The Relationship Between Population Density Surrounding An Airport And The Number Of Wildlife Strikes Per Operation., Alexandra E. Rowe, Daniel Alves, Evan Park, Brooke Wheeler, Vivek Sharma

Aeronautics Student Publications

This study compared the relationship between population density surrounding an airport and reported wildlife strikes per operation. A very weak correlation with no statistical significance was determined which emphasizes the need for future research on wildlife mitigation strategies and understanding wildlife patterns.

Cloudy Views: Collegiate Flight Students Rated Employability Of Cfi Applicants By Experience And Gender, Kaylee A. Crispe, Esther Renee Wilson, Sihong Park, Brooke Wheeler, Vivek Sharma

Aeronautics Student Publications

After surveying core aeronautics classes, it was determined that there was a difference in employability by scenario. Scenarios with high flight time were rated higher than those with low flight time.

Effect Of Pilot Mental Health On Passenger Willingness To Fly, Isabella L. Deloach, Sara E. Bergamini, Dowon Choi, Brooke Wheeler, Vivek Sharma

Aeronautics Student Publications

This study explored how passengers' willingness to fly is affected by the mental health condition of pilots, providing insight into public perception of the mental health condition of pilots. Results showed significant differences between all scenarios except the medication scenario vs. therapy scenario.

Physics-Informed Deep Learning For Pilot Parameter Estimation And Pilot-Induced Oscillation Characterization, Stephen A. Brutch

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This thesis investigates the issue of loss-of-control in flight which is a driving contributor to fatal aviation accidents. The two main contributors tackled in this research are human pilot error and categories of pilot-induced-oscillations. The primary objective is to develop models that can capture the mathematical parameters that relate to human pilot control under the widely used McRuer Mathematical pilot model. The goal is that if the mathematical parameters that relate to human pilot control can be monitored during flight then the pilot’s input to the control system and pilot-induced-oscillations (PIO) can be monitored during flight to avoid loss-of-control. This …

Training-Informed Air Traffic Control Workforce Scheduling, Eli Winett

Theses and Dissertations

The Radar Control Facility (RCF) at Eglin Air Force Base creates monthly workforce schedules. Adherence to regulations must be verified manually and no evaluation criteria exist to compare schedules. A mixed-integer program model for air traffic controllers allocates workers across 19 positions for a user-defined number of weeks of 24-hour operations. Across eight consecutive months, this model produced schedules to nearly eliminate all shifts with critical shortages from the reference schedules. Without civilian overtime work, gains in positional coverage require a 35% increase in overtime work for military workers and 35% reduction in monthly training instances. We recommend users adopt …

Notes For Contributors To Space & Defense

Space and Defense

No abstract provided.

Front Matter, Damon Coletta

Space and Defense

No abstract provided.