Fireside Chat, Interview
Gina Ortiz Jones, Under Secretary of the Air Force
- Anticipates a future where profiles of courage regarding Ukrainian leaders and citizens, including "everyday citizens" and "Ukrainian grandmothers," are documented for historical reflection.
- Asserts continued U.S. commitment to NATO values and Article 2, citing "$2 billion in security assistance" delivered since taking office and "over $1 billion" provided in the last several weeks.
- Plans to focus military services on the "organized, train, and equip" mission to distinguish this role from the day-to-day warfighting duties of combatant commands.
- Identifies China as a significant "pacing challenge" requiring the Air Force to continually check assumptions and avoid mirror-imaging adversaries in both the near-term and long-term.
- Outlines an intent to utilize "integrated deterrence" by coordinating diplomatic, Commerce, and military capabilities to address challenges where military solutions alone are insufficient.
- Expects the capability mix for counter-near-peer competitors to differ significantly from those used against violent extremist organizations in the Middle East, necessitating a distinct strategic approach.
- Frames the FY23 budget theme as "transformation," aiming to balance immediate threat responses with long-term modernization efforts against pacing challenges.
- Describes "seven operational imperatives" as conceptual and technological questions the Air Force must answer to ensure future air and space superiority.
- States that space superiority is "decisive" for all joint operations due to reliance on GPS, ATM banking, and missile warning/tracking systems.
- Notes that the "Next Generation Air Dominance Family of Systems" will succeed the F-35 as the sixth-generation fighter, operating as a family of uncrewed, autonomous, and collaborative platforms.
- Identifies the "valley of death" as a funding barrier preventing innovative ideas from bridging the gap between concept and operational deployment.
- Asserts that no "strategic surprise" exists, attributing such events to asking the wrong questions or failing to challenge assumptions.
- Expects to modify or incorporate commercial space capabilities, such as space domain awareness and debris mitigation, to provide "meaningful operational capability as quickly as possible."
- Intends to review and potentially delete "gender specific policies" lacking clear operational benefit in 2022 to remove barriers denying access to the full talent in the force.
- Notes that removing discriminatory policies, such as Don't Ask, Don't Tell, resulted in an influx of new young talent at the time of the repeal.
- Aims to create opportunities for all ready to serve by acting as the leader they wished they had encountered as a young cadet.
- Advises leaders to be "so good they cannot ignore you" to validate their position and counter questions regarding their appointment.
- Emphasizes the goal of normalizing diversity in high-ranking positions, stating it is more important to ensure successors exist than to be the first.
- Plans to spend "75 of my day asking three questions which is why, why not and where's the data" to ensure decisions are evidence-based rather than reliant on implicit communication.
- Expresses a conviction to continue "pushing" for change while in power, citing a moral obligation driven by lived experiences of privilege and barriers.