Gen. Stephen Wilson, vice chief of staff of the Air Force, spoke this week at the 2018 Future of War Conference in Washington, D.C., where he emphasized the importance of speed, connectivity, and innovation for future war.
Wilson said that the Air Force must be able to quickly collect and decipher information as well increase speed related to decision-making, budgeting, contracting, acquisition, homeland defense and owning the high ground in air and space.
“Industrial-age speed won yesterday’s war. Digital-age speed will win tomorrow’s war,” he said. “It’s going to take all of us working together across academia, across government and across industry – we’re going to have to compete to win. That’s where I think we can come together.”
Wilson also discussed the importance of new technologies and explained that the Air Force aims to be the thought leaders for future conflict and is seeking ways to accelerate the research, development, and deployment of new ideas. The Air Force intends, he said, to invest in technology and apply it flexibly across all domains.
Those domains include space, he said, noting the capabilities it provides including indications and warning, missiles, communications, GPS and more.
Wilson discussed the defendable architecture the service is building to maintain the U.S. advantage in space. Air Force leaders, he explained, are training space operators and working to quicken the pace of the acquisition process for building capabilities, partnering with industry and enabling milestone decision authorities related to space capabilities.
People, Wilson continued, are the foundation of the Air Force’s success.
“We start with really good people,” he said. “We then make sure they’ve got the right education, training, and experience; they’re confident and proud of what they do; they’re personally and professionally fulfilled. And, when we do that, we get mission success.”