The Aerospace Advantage
The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies is proud to present The Aerospace Advantage, with former Air Force weapons school instructor and Thunderbird Lt Col (ret) John “Slick” Baum as the host. Every week, Slick will take listeners into the world of aerospace power and help the audience understand what it takes to fly and fight in the sky, while also protecting America’s interests in space. Whether talking to top generals, standing on a flight line full of combat aircraft, looking at a rocket being prepared for launch, or hearing from those who have laid it all on the line in defense of the nation—this podcast will afford unprecedented access and insight into where the combat aerospace community is going and why.
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Episode Summary: Heather “Lucky” Penney and Col. Mark "Chili" Howard explore one of the Air Force’s largest, most diverse units: the 55th Wing. Operating from multiple installations, members of the 55th Wing execute everything from the EC-130 and EA-37B Compass Call electronic attack mission to the RC/WC/TC-135 ISR mis
Episode 228 — Remotely Piloted Aircraft in Action: Insights from Air Force RPA Commanders
Episode Summary: Heather “Lucky” Penney and Senior Fellow Brig Gen Houston "Slider" Cantwell, USAF (Ret.) chat with some of the nation’s top remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) commanders about on-going combat contributions and the Air Force’s future development path for this incredible mission. They are joined by Brig Gen
Episode Summary: Heather “Lucky” Penney and Col Patrick Williams explores one of the most important make-or-break factors in warfare: weather. Environmental conditions control when and how we employ military power…and what enemies can do to us. People tend to take weather assessments for granted, but that’s a mistake.
Episode Summary: The Mitchell Institute team shares insights from the AFA Warfare Symposium, in Aurora, CO—it was the spot for air and space power professionals this week. Hear from Gen Kevin Chilton, USAF (ret), Lt Gen Dave Deptula, USAF (ret), Heather Penney, and Charles Galbreath as they discuss the crucial messages
Episode 225 — Trump Defense Priorities, Congressional Update, and Ukraine: The Rendezvous
Episode Summary: In this episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney chats with members of the Mitchell Institute team about the latest air and space power developments in Washington DC. We explore President Trump’s defense priorities, including recent top defense leadership changes. The team also provides a Ukraine update and ass
Episode Summary: In this episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney discusses why the Air Force has a chronic pilot shortfall and solutions to solve it with Lt Gen Joseph Guastella, USAF (Ret) and Lt Gen Marc Sasseville, USAF (Ret). Bottom line: the Air Force’s pilot corps is now too small to sustain a healthy combat force that c