Adam R Grissom

This report assesses historical cases of U.S. Air Force innovation or apparent failure to innovate: innovations in strategic reconnaissance, nuclear survivability, suppression of enemy air defenses, and precision strategic attack; and apparent failures to innovate in close air support after World War II, early efforts to defeat Soviet integrated air defenses, and airborne high-value targeting in the post Cold War era."

The U.S. Air Force is exploring adaptive basing (AB) concepts to reduce the vulnerability of U.S. forces and to preserve critical combat capabilities in highly contested environments. These concepts are likely to stress the U.S. Air Force's global mobility capabilities. This report assesses the impact of AB concepts on the Mobility Air Forces and to recommends enhancements to better support AB operations in a contested environment.

The authors assess the strengths, weaknesses, and adaptations of Russian airpower in the Syrian civil war by examining operational histories, airstrikes, and disposition of Russian aircraft from September 2015 to March 2018 to determine the relative effectiveness of Russian airpower against the Syrian opposition and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). They also compare the application of airpower in Syria by Russia and the U.S. Coalition.