Author: Air Force Studies Board

Technological innovations are key causal agents of surprise and disruption. In the recent past, the United States military has encountered unexpect...

Since the early 1960s, the U.S. strategic nuclear posture has been composed of a triad of nuclear-certified long-range bombers, intercontinental ba...

Overall Air Force weapon system sustainment (WSS) costs are growing at more than 4 percent per year, while budgets have remained essentially flat. ...

Assessment to Enhance Air Force and Department of Defense Prototyping for the New Defense Strategy is the summary of a workshop convened by the Air...

The Department of Defense (DoD) is the largest consumer of energy in the federal government. In turn, the U.S. Air Force is the largest consumer of...

The U. S. Air force currently invests significantly in science and technology for directed-energy weapon (DEW) systems. Key elements of this invest...

Simulators currently provide an alternative to aircraft when it comes to training requirements, both for the military and for commercial airlines. ...

In 2015, the Air Force Studies Board conducted a workshop, consisting of two data-gathering sessions, to review current research practices employed...

While there are examples of successful weapon systems acquisition programs within the U.S. Air Force (USAF), many of the programs are still incurri...

The U.S. Air Force has experienced many acquisition program failures - cost overruns, schedule delays, system performance problems, and sustainabil...

In 2012, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), section 818, outlined new requirements for industry to serve as the lead in averting counte...

The Air Force (USAF) has continuously sought to improve the speed with which it develops new capabilities to accomplish its various missions in air...

The Air Force Studies Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine hosted a three-part workshop series to investigate the...

Significant efforts are ongoing within the U.S. Air Force (USAF) to improve national security and competitiveness by harnessing the growing power o...

Modern software engineering practices, pioneered by the commercial software community, have begun transforming Department of Defense (DoD) software...

According to the Government Accountability Office, sustainment of weapon systems accounts for approximately 70 percent of the total life-cycle cost...

High-performance electronics are key to the U.S. Air Force's (USAF's) ability to deliver lethal effects at the time and location of their choosing....

The effective use of data science - the science and technology of extracting value from data - improves, enhances, and strengthens acquisition deci...

The Air Force Studies Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine hosted a three-part workshop series to examine the ris...

The ability of the United States Air Force (USAF) to keep its aircraft operating at an acceptable operational tempo, in wartime and in peacetime, h...

Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities have expanded situation awareness for U.S. forces, provided for more precise comb...

The development and application of technology has been an essential part of U.S. airpower, leading to a century of air supremacy. But that developm...

Changes in the 21st century security environment require new analytic approaches to support strategic deterrence. Because current adversaries may b...