West Coast Aerospace Forum 2022

by Ylber Bajraktari, James S. Chow, Elbridge A. Colby, Cynthia R. Cook, David A. Deptula, Debra L. Emmons, Greg Grant, Marin Halper, Jeffrey L. Harrigian, Christopher B. Johnstone, et al.

Even as the Russian military continued to struggle in Ukraine in December 2022, U.S. Air Force leaders and top national security experts gathered at the West Coast Aerospace Forum warned not to expect similar outcomes in a potential U.S. conflict with China. The seventh annual event focused on lessons learned from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and how those experiences will apply to security challenges in the Pacific theater and beyond. These videos include the proceedings from the event's five sessions.

Keynote presentations were given by General Jeffrey L. Harrigian[JA1] (Ret.), former Commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe, and General Kenneth S. Wilsbach, Commander of Pacific Air Forces, each of whom described how lessons from the Ukraine war might apply to the Pacific Area of Responsibility. Subsequent panels examined lessons for the space domain, lessons for multi-domain operations, and what the rest of the world — China, Taiwan, and U.S. allies — are learning from Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Finally, the closing panel examined how the defense industrial base is holding up in its role as the "arsenal of democracy."

The forum is a joint effort between RAND Project AIR FORCE, the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, MITRE, the Aerospace Corporation, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

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